Filmfest Dresden International Short Film Festival

From April 21 to 26, 2020, the 32nd Filmfest Dresden will take place in the state capital of Saxony in Dresden, Germany, featuring an exciting festival program with the best short films from across the world.

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A total of eleven Golden Horsemen trophies and three special prizes worth 67,200 euros were awarded at the Awards Ceremony of the 31st Filmfest Dresden with two of the coveted trophies going to the Japanese animation MY LITTLE GOAT by Tomoki Misato. Regional productions were also awarded Golden Horsemen trophies: SEALAND by Till Giermann (Greenhouse Production), which celebrated its world premiere at the Filmfest Dresden, and Anne-Christin Plates’ IKTAMULI (Balance Film), which also received a special mention from the Youth Jury in the National Competition.

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This year, the competition program of the 31st Filmfest Dresden (April 9 to 14, 2019) will consists of 76 films from 38 countries.

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[caption id="attachment_28339" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Grandfather (Aaba) Amar Kaushik[/caption] A total of ten Golden Horsemen and four special prizes were awarded at the Awards Ceremony on Saturday, for the 30th Filmfest Dresden. The Indian director Amar Kaushik received two Golden Horseman trophies for his short fiction film Grandfather (Aaba) and Jon Frickey, who lives in Hamburg, scooped up one of the special prizes, in addition to a Golden Horseman trophy.

30th FilmFest Dresden Award and Prize Winners

International Competition

Golden Horseman Best Animation Film International Competition (7.500 Euro) “LUPUS” from director Carlos Gómez Salamanca (Colombia / France, 2016) Jury comments: “Starting from real events taking place in its home country, through the use of different animation techniques, this film overcomes the border of a local story to become a metaphor of a disease spreading out in many societies around the world.” Special Mention:  “YAL VA KOOPAL – MANED & MACHO” from director Shiva Sadegh Asadi (Iran, 2017) Golden Horseman Best Short Fiction International Competition (7.500 Euro) “AABA – GRANDFATHER” from director Amar Kaushik (India, 2016) Jury Comments: “Set in an exotic landscape the film tells a classic story of the eternal circle of life. After the final verdict from the local physician, an old man carefully prepares for his ultimate journey. With few words spoken and in a rich visual style the director warmheartedly touches a serious topic in a humorous way.” Special Mention: “PŘÁTELSKÉ SETKÁNÍ NAD SPORTEM – FRIENDLY SPORT MEETING” from director Adam Koloman Rybanský (Czech Republic, 2017) Golden Horseman of the Audience International Competition (3.000 Euro) “THE THEORY OF SUNSET” from director Roman Sokolov (Russia, 2017) Golden Horseman of the Youth Jury International Competition (2.000 Euro) “AABA – GRANDFATHER” from director Amar Kaushik (India, 2016) Jury Comments: “The film recounts a story about life and the end to it in a calm and loving way, revealing an unusual insight into a warm-hearted world where few words are spoken. The plot is borne by the three powerful characters and their impressively authentic portrayals. Between bamboo and American TV shows for children, the film finds a realistic, almost humorous response to the self-evident nature of the occurrences in life.” Special Mention: “LUPUS” from director Carlos Gómez Salamanca (Colombia / France, 2016) Jury Comments: “The special mention of the Youth Jury in the International Competition goes to the film LUPUS for its complexity, its unique idea and its multi-layered adaptation, the combining of documentary elements and its differing animation styles, as well as the soundscape and editing concept selected.”

National Competition

Golden Horseman Best Animation Film National Competition (3.000 Euro) “SOG” from director Jonatan Schwenk (Germany, 2017) Jury Comments: “This animation film, which knowingly incorporates analogue and digital animation techniques, reveals how something completely extraordinary can emerge when two worlds are combined with each other. Regrettably, its characters are excluded from this marvel and permit fear to prevail, rather than create something incredibly new. A moving parallel to current affairs.” Special Mention: “HALMASPIEL” from director Betina Kuntzsch (Germany, 2017) Jury Comments: “Exposed to the fortunes of life like pieces in a game…” Golden Horseman Best Short Fiction National Competition (3.000 Euro) “JOY” from director Abini Gold (Germany, 2017) Jury Comments: “Left alone and having to fend for herself, the protagonist defies her situation. The hope that tomorrow – when all is well again – is abruptly shattered. Disappointment, betrayal and anger: These we read in her face like an open book. Which is the very strength of this social drama. Superbly cast and portrayed, and set within the tightest space, the conflict between a daughter and her mother inevitably ends in catastrophe.” Special Mention: “ATTAK” from director Ruben Meier (Germany, 2017) Jury Comments: “A film with the courage to confront male clichés and archaic fantasies of violence, that humorously deconstructs then at the same time without exposing its protagonists in the process. We can’t wait for more to come.” Golden Horseman of the Audience National Competition (4.000 Euro) “ATTAK” from director Ruben Meier (Germany, 2017) Golden Horseman of the Youth Jury National Competition (2.000 Euro) “U MEĐUVREMENU – MEANWHILE” from director Mate Ugrin (Germany, 2017) Jury Comments: “A story of farewell and hopelessness is told in the streets of a desolate small town. Doing so, juxtaposed light-intensive visual compositions prevail over the dialogue and plot. Permitting the filmmaker to achieve the creation of a dense, atmospheric and sensitive portrayal of this uncertain stillness. With the viewers becoming observers drawn helplessly into the situation.” Minister of Fine Arts Promotion Prize (20.000 Euro) “LINK” from director Robert Löbel (Germany, 2017) Jury Comments: “In less than eight minutes, we dive into a world full of metaphors that manages with the simplest of narrative means to pose the great question in life: Where do we want to live? Two figures seem to be taking their own individual way in life, and yet everything they do also has consequences for the other one. For where we come from is who we are.” DEFA Promotion Prize Animation (3.000 Euro) “MASCARPONE” from director Jonas Riemer (Germany, 2018) Jury Comments: “In a skilfully abstracted and lavishly adapted declaration of love to the great dream factory of Hollywood, the winning film embodies an accomplished balancing act between technical perfection and deliberately haptic simplifications. Brilliantly interwoven animation techniques and real-film elements impel the audience onto a high-speed filmic rollercoaster.”

National and International Competition

ARTE Short Film Prize (6.000 Euro) “NEKO NO HI – CAT DAYS” from director Jon Frickey (Germany / Japan, 2018) Jury Comments: “The animated film convinced the ARTE Jury with its simplicity and carefully crafted details, as well as through its vibrant colours. This powerful aesthetic is combined with a fable-like tale that flirts with absurdity so as to grasp the subject of identity. A positive and gentle father-son relationship works its way through the film that teaches the acceptance of others and being different.” Audience Award Regional Film Night (3.000 Euro) “MIN BÖRDA – THE BURDEN“, Music & Sound: Hans Appelqvist (Sweden, 2017) Jury Comments: “This film’s soundtrack is distinguished by its humour, depth, creativity and versatility. With all of these elements at the highest level and perfectly combined with each other and with the image. The handling of the music, sounds and language goes far beyond merely illustrating the storyline and forms the soul of the film. Through the innovate use of experimental effects and disassociations, the traditional musical becomes a mirror on the surrealism of everyday life in our society.” Golden Horseman* for Gender Diversity (1.000 Euro) “NEKO NO HI – CAT DAYS” from director Jon Frickey (Germany / Japan, 2018) Jury Comments: “The development of a gender identity presupposes the freedom of self-definition. In medical diagnoses, this freedom is often not permitted to inter and trans persons. The prize-winning film challenges this with a heartening “Be whatever you want to be!” Animated for children, the film calls upon every human to have self-confident authenticity.” Special Mention: “MRS MCCUTCHEON” from director John Sheedy (Australia, 2017) Jury Comments: “A school ball dancefloor is transformed into a social ideal, in which each and every heteronormative pressure to conform seems to be suspended for one evening. With gender identity, sexual orientation and ethnic origins no longer playing a role, true to the motto: Just be yourself and be proud of it!” Regional Film Night 2018 Audience Award (2.000 Euro) “OCCUPIED SUMMER” from director Berit Toepfer (Germany, 2017)

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[caption id="attachment_27720" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Athina Rachel Tsangari: The Capsule[/caption] The 30th Filmfest Dresden,  one of the most renowned and best-endowed short film festivals in Europe, running from April 17 to 22, 2018, unveiled this year’s anniversary program of 270 short films, as well as panel discussions and other events, enticing short film fans from across the world once more to the capital city of Saxony. One main focus this years is on “Europe”, bringing 30 years of European and the festival’s history together in several programs. Each year, the festival centrepiece consists of the International and National Competitions: 69 short films from a total of 2,200 submissions are in the running this year for the ten “Golden Horsemen” and four special prizes. In the International Competition section, a total of 23 animation and 19 fictional films are going to be screened in seven programmes during the festival week. These include short films from 28 countries, with France and Canada leading the way here, as well as seven co-productions. In addition to its Competition sections, the 30th Filmfest Dresden also has an extensive array of 27 special programs. For young audiences, there are five children and youth programs for differing age groups with the latest and most exciting short films from throughout the world. International short film entertainment under the open skies can again be enjoyed by all at the Festival Open-Air event on Dresden’s Neumarkt square.  This is drawing the crowds on the festival weekend with a special program for the whole family. * The Unfinished Adventure Named Europe The great European dreams after the end of the Cold War are now being overshadowed by crises. And Europe is wrestling with its identity. These conflicts and confrontations, as well as the inner plurality of the European construct are also reflected in short film. In the three “A Path to Freedom”, “Border Regions” and “Europe Is Falling Apart” programs, which embrace both historic and current perspectives and are intended to explore the utopian as indeed the dystopian horizons here, Filmfest Dresden is looking back on 30 years of Europe. Among others, the themes include the euphoria in Germany immediately after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the question about the geographic and formal-aesthetic borders of Europe, as well as the unvanquished nationalism in the fortress of Europe. The films in the “Focus Europe” program debunk their discourse as being “post-truth”, while providing thought-provoking impulses and posing questions: How can the political regression within the EU be brought to an end? And does the Europe project still have a chance?

Competition nominations of 30 FILMFEST DRESDEN

International Competition

(OO), Seo-ro Oh (South Korea) AABA / GRANDFATHER, Amar Kaushik (India) AFTER SCHOOL KNIFE FIGHT, Caroline Poggi (France) AMOR, Isabel  Lamberti (Netherlands) APRES LE VOLCAN / AFTER THE VOLCANO, Léo Favier (France) AURORE, Mael  Le Mée (France) COPA-LOCA, Christos Massalas (Greece) COUP DE GRÂCE, Salomé Lamas (Portugal) DAS GAVETAS NASCEM SONS / THE SOUNDS FROM THE DRAWERS, Vitor Hugo (Portugal) DEER BOY, Katarzyna Gondek (Belgium/Croatia/Poland) HAVE HEART, Will Anderson (United Kingdom) HOT TEA, Marcel Tigchelaar (Netherlands) HYPERTRAIN, Fela Bellotto/Etienne Kompis (Switzerland) KÖTELÉK / BOND, Judit Wunder (Hungary) KUCKUCK / CUCKOO, Aline Höchli (Switzerland) LA SOUPE / THE SOUP, Nicos Synnos (Cyprus) LANCUSZKI / CHAINLETS, Alicja  Blaszczynska (Poland) LE TEMPS QU’IL FAUT / AS LONG AS IT TAKES, Abeille Tard (Canada) LES HOMMES-POISSONS / THE DEEP ONES, Guillaume Chevalier (France) LUPUS, Carlos Gomez Salamanca (Colombia/France) MARFA, Greg & Myles McLeod (United Kingdom) MIN BÖRDA / THE BURDEN, Niki Lindroth von Bahr (Sweden) MR. ANXIETY GOES ON A DATE , 4inaroom (Moldova/Romania) MUTEUM, Aggie Pak Yee Lee (Estonia) NEGATIVE SPACE, Max Porter/Ru Kuwahata (France) NOS DÉSIRS / THE WAY WE LOVE, Raphaël Lefèvre (France) PANTHEON, Ange-Régis  Hounkpatin (France) PAUL EST LA / PAUL IS HERE, Valentina  Maurel (Belgium) PŘÁTELSKÉ SETKÁNÍ NAD SPORTEM / FRIENDLY SPORT MEETING, Adam Koloman Rybanský (Czech Republic) RABBIT’S BLOOD, Sarina Nihei (Japan/United Kingdom) RETOUCH, Kaveh Mazaheri (Iran) RUPTURE, Yassmina Karajah (Canada/Jordan) SCRATCHY, Marv Newland (Canada) SREČNO, ORLO! / GOOD LUCK, ORLO!, Sara Kern (Austria/Croatia/Slovenia) TESLA: LUMIÈRE MONDIALE / THE TESLA WORLD LIGHT , Matthew Rankin (Canada) THE ABSENCE OF EDDY TABLE, Rune Spaans (Norway) VEUILLEZ NE PAS TENTER D’OUVRIR LES PORTES / SEE THE SHADOWS STRAIGHTEN, Baptiste Martin-Bonnaire (France) YAL VA KOOPAL / MANED & MACHO, Shiva Sadegh Asadi (Iran) YOM CHOL / ANOTHER DAY, Daniel Pakes (Israel) теория заката / THE THEORY OF SUNSET, Roman Sokolov (Russia) מכתב אהבה לבחור שהמצאתי / A LOVE LETTER TO THE ONE I MADE UP, Rachel Gutgarts (Israel)

National Competition

AND THE MOON STANDS STILL, Yulia Ruditskaya ATTAK, Ruben Meier CHUCKWALLA, Korinna  Krauss DAS SATANISCHE DICKICHT – DREI, Willy Hans ENDLING, Alex Schaad ENTSCHULDIGUNG, ICH SUCHE DEN TISCHTENNISRAUM UND MEINE FREUNDIN, Bernhard Wenger HALMASPIEL, Betina Kuntzsch IMPERIAL VALLEY (CULTIVATED RUN-OFF), Lukas Marxt JOY, Abini Gold KOSMOS Maa, Jakob Mäsel LIEBE, Oliver Adam Kusio LINK, Robert Löbel LOVE ME, FEAR ME, Veronica Solomon MASCARPONE, Jonas Riemer MEGATRICK, Anne Isensee MINDEN RENDBEN, Borbála Nagy NACH DEM FEST, Hannes Schilling NACHTSTÜCK, Anne Breymann NEKO NO HI / ねこ の ひ,Jon Frickey NIKOTYNA, Ewa  Wikiel NOSTALGIC LOVE, Joscha Bongard NOT MY TYPE, Gerd Gockell NY _ THE ORIGINAL LANGUAGE OF SPACE, Michał Banisch RÄUBER & GENDARM, Florian Maubach SOG, Jonatan Schwenk THE TRAIN, THE FOREST, Patrick Buhr U MEĐUVREMENU, Mate Ugrin

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[caption id="attachment_21838" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] “Cipka” (“Pussy”) from Renata Gąsiorowska[/caption] The Polish director Renata Gąsiorowska scooped up several awards with her courageous and original animated film Pussy “Cipka” at the 29th Filmfest Dresden. A total of nine Golden Horsemen and four special prizes were awarded by the juries. And here are the Prize-Winners of the 29th Filmfest Dresden 2017.

International Competition

Golden Horseman Best Animation Film International Competition “Cipka” (“Pussy”) from Renata Gąsiorowska Social taboos should be discussed and confronted with a laugh. The jury had a lot of fun watching this peaceful connection between a woman and her body. For its original graphic style and its fluid animation technique. Golden Horseman Best Short Fiction International Competition “Painting with History in a Room Filled with People with Funny Names 3” from Korakrit Arunanondchai The jury was struck by the generous and chaotic power of a total work of art; or what we like to call “expanded cinema”. It is made by a fearless artist who has no time to waste on labels and other conventions. He has created an anarchic love poem in which he looks at all sides and elements of a complex society. Golden Horseman of the Audience International Competition “Home” from Daniel Mulloy (Kosovo/United Kingdom, 2016) Golden Horseman of the Youth Jury International Competition “Planemo” (Croatia 2016)  from Veljka Popovic Unique images and powerful metaphors permit the audience to immerse themselves in the extraordinary situation of the protagonist. A key event leads to some grave changes in his relationship with his surroundings. This situation is filmically adapted through the atmospheric composition of innovative 3D animations and real footage.

National Competition

Golden Horseman Best Animation Film National Competition  “Ein Aus Weg” from Hannah Stragholz and Simon Steinhorst A colorful, expressive world of animation encounters a sound track from a unique everyday life. The combination of animation and documentary reportage develops into a form full of expression, which is both close and faraway to us at one and the same time. And equally moving. Golden Horseman Best Short Fiction National Competition “Ela – Szkice na pozegnanie” (“Ela – Sketches on a Departure”) from Oliver Adam Kusio This is the story of separation as a new beginning. A film about the desire to get away and the duty to remain. With the camera seeking answers just like the protagonists. Tender and haunting, existential in both large and small. It is a profound look into the future of a generation. A moving film full of meaning without being intrusive. Golden Horseman of the Audience National Competition “Gabi” from Michael Fetter Nathansky Golden Horseman of the Youth Jury National Competition “Un Etat D´Urgence”  (“State of Emergency”) from Tarek Roehlinger (2016) With its gloomy and tense atmosphere, the film draws us into a world in which everyday actions have become and remain suspicious. Thanks to its topicality and the danger it engenders, it seems as though reality and fiction have become indistinguishable. A conflict arises among the characters between living freedom and defending freedom. Marked by tension, mistrust and skepticism, the film radiates an intensity for the audience that captures them and creates an unforgettable experience. Minister of Fine Arts Promotion Prize  “Prima Noapte” (“First Night”) from Andrei Tănase A special moment in the life of a young man. Which he imagined would be different. And he overreacts in his helplessness. The director sensitively reveals the fragility of the male identity during the process of maturing, and casually casts a glance at a specific social milieu. A film authentic in the moment. A film that stays in mind. DEFA Promotion Prize Animation  “zu zahm!” from Rebecca Blöcher Trapped in their roles. With expectations and stereotypes newly shuffled and exposed. The film leaves space for discovery.

National and International Competition 

Golden Horseman Best Sound Design  “Eine Villa mit Pinien” Music: Ralf Hildenbeutel Sound: Michał Krajczok The impressionistic images in the film are complemented with a completely unique tonal language. With aural worlds created in a constant interplay doing so, that add a threatening dimension to the exuberant filmic canvas. The music plays a fundamental role, comparable to a protagonist, reaching into the story and advancing it structurally. Working on the utmost level and with extraordinary ingenuity, the composer and the sound designer of this film manage to build bridges between the various plot levels through the sound. ARTE Short Film Prize “Cipka” (“Pussy”) from Renata Gąsiorowska This creative and clever animated film, which focuses on first sexual desires in a courageous and nimble way, sweeps us away on a surprising journey of discovery to the deepest moments of intimacy. The confronting of one’s own gender here is characterized by so much humor and charm, that the film becomes irresistible. We congratulate the director and are looking forward to more creative pieces by him. Audience Award Regional Film Night  “No one misses me!” from Erik Lemke

SPECIAL MENTIONS 

Special Mention Best Animation Film International Competition “A nyalintás nesze“ (“The Noise of Licking”) from Nadja Andrasev For its imaginative and original story, elegant style and careful pacing. Special Mention Animation Film in National Competition “Wegzaubern” from Betina Kuntzsch Special Mention Youth Jury International Competition “Empire of Evil” from Harald Hund The mockumentary “Empire of Evil” deals with the subject of one-sided Western reporting in a very authentic and humorous manner. With us asking ourselves at times what constitutes the truth. The everyday film footage is skillfully transformed with creative image editing and absurd ideas about the “threat to the West”. In this way, an entertaining, media-critical parody has resulted about our opinion of the Middle East. Special Mention Sound Design “Cipka” (“Pussy”) from Renata Gąsiorowska The timing in this story is excellent in terms of both the moving images and the music. Skillfully linked with gentle humor, this thoughtful film was worthy of a special mention from us. It is borne by the various equivocal sound levels, which never slip into the obscene. In this way, Volodymyr Antonic, Ewa Bogusz and Wiesław Nowak have provided a humorous and uninhibited sound track.

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