LICHTER ART AWARD

14–19 H / FREE ENTRY / SCREENINGS OF THE NOMINATED WORKS: Die Welt ist an ihren Rändern blau - The world is blue at its edges (2021, Iris Blauensteiner & Christine Moderbacher, 14:30 Min.) // Soum (2021, Alice Brygo, 30 Min.) // Unleash the Beast, Chapter 2. Hagenbecks Zoo (2021, Catherina Cramer & Giulietta Ockenfuß, Installation, 27 Min.) // The empty sphere (2021, Stéphanie Roland, 19 Min.) // Acts of Improbable Genius (2022, Melanie Jame Wolf, 18 Min.)

Aşk, Mark ve Ölüm – Liebe, D Mark und Tod

In Cem Kaya’s documentary essay, which tells the story of their 60-year musical culture in Germany, migrant workers don’t remain the mere footnote in the supposed success story of the German economic miracle which they are so often reduced to. Instead, the film makes their experiences, desires, and their anger at their circumstances vividly audible and visible against the backdrop of German contemporary history.

Open Discussion: Junge Perspektiven auf den Tisch

Older people can learn a lot from young people, they say - you just have to let them. "Young Professionals to the Table" wants to focus on mutual perception and reinforcement and along numerous guiding questions bring young and old together - the understanders and the dreamers, the maintainers and the unsullied. What does an ideal funding landscape look like? What is the significance of the feature film for directors? What kind of people manage to study film at all, and what kind of freedoms are offered within the framework of their studies? And we should also think about this more often: what connection do filmmakers even have to European film anymore? The point of these rounds is to create a space where people can network, exchange ideas, and ask questions.

Panel: Perspectives on What We Call Cinema Spaces

Rethinking cinema always means rethinking its space. How can cinema have an impact on the urban space in the future in order to create a public sphere? How do its spaces act inwardly: both on the multitude of film images and on their recipients? For a long time, the cinema was linked to the classic cinema auditorium. In its newer forms, it is also becoming a virtual reality. So what does film need in its present and future for new spatial concepts? Does the separation between the places of film production and the places of film perception continue to make sense? Taking as a reference the design for the ‘Centre Culturel Dédié Au 7è Art’ envisioned by the global architectural firm UNStudio, this panel will discuss different perspectives and concepts that reflect on the future of cinema as a cultural venue.

Panel: Misstrauen und Verheißung

The special thing about our situation is the audience's distrust of 'own' films," director Christoph Hochhäusler wrote soberly in a recent blog entry - triggering a small debate. We want to continue this debate asking: How much trust does German film need, how much yearning? And how much distrust should the audience be given? Are people really too stupid? Or are German directors perhaps too sensitive and larmoyant?

LICHTER ART AWARD

14–19 H / FREE ENTRY / SCREENINGS OF THE NOMINATED WORKS: Die Welt ist an ihren Rändern blau - The world is blue at its edges (2021, Iris Blauensteiner & Christine Moderbacher, 14:30 Min.) // Soum (2021, Alice Brygo, 30 Min.) // Unleash the Beast, Chapter 2. Hagenbecks Zoo (2021, Catherina Cramer & Giulietta Ockenfuß, Installation, 27 Min.) // The empty sphere (2021, Stéphanie Roland, 19 Min.) // Acts of Improbable Genius (2022, Melanie Jame Wolf, 18 Min.)

Panel Discussion: On Film Schools in Europe

In this round, representatives of various European film schools discuss how they see themselves as educational institutions. How do they see their task, how do they deal with students, what is their orientation? How do they position themselves in the field of tension between training for the film industry and free spaces that allow students to develop their own expression? What does film art and artistic film mean for these schools? In this context, the cooperation between the schools in Europe should also be taken into consideration. What kind of cooperations take place, which ones would be desirable? What international projects and exchange opportunities connect European film schools? The discussion will also focus on the current political situation surrounding the war on Ukraine and what it means for the situation of film schools and students.

Panel: Let’s talk about: Klassismus in der deutschen Filmbranche

As part of the film.macht.vielfalt. series, HessenFilm und Medien invites you to a panel discussion dedicated to the topic of classism in the German film industry. The discourse on the present and future of German film is increasingly also conducted under the keyword of classism: Who creates the images that immerse us in stories? Who decides what content finds its way to the audience and who can actually afford to "make films"? If we talk about classism, we talk about power and access, about training paths, lateral entry and the reconciliation of different realities of life - from the set to the editorial offices and film-political institutions. Our guests from academia and practice look at the meaning of classism and how classist structures impact both in front of and behind the camera from diverse perspectives.

Aşk, Mark ve Ölüm – Liebe, D Mark und Tod

In Cem Kaya’s documentary essay, which tells the story of their 60-year musical culture in Germany, migrant workers don’t remain the mere footnote in the supposed success story of the German economic miracle which they are so often reduced to. Instead, the film makes their experiences, desires, and their anger at their circumstances vividly audible and visible against the backdrop of German contemporary history.

Panel Discussion: Under Pressure – Film Funding and Financing in Europe

The current financing and re-financing models of cinema film production and the financial basis for the theatrical and the distribution sector with their respective business models are coming under pressure due to the changing media and, as a consequence, the changing reception habits of the audience. In this panel representatives from various European countries will discuss strengths and weaknesses of different film funding and financing models to develop solutions to common challenges. Which funding models allow for a large creative freedom and lead to a flourishing film landscape? And how can incentives for co-production compensate for the steadily decreasing public funding?

Ascension

From the workers in a sex doll factory to the production of Trump fan hats: Jessica Kingdon's documentary about the "Chinese Dream" fascinates with unique insights into Chinese factory work and mass consumption. However, the focus is not only on production, but also on consumption and prosperity, and one recognizes that China is also a country of contrasts.

Virtual Reality Storytelling

COSMIC•ATOMIC (USA 2022, Director: Christopher Boulton, Length: 10:00 Min.) // LOCKDOWN DREAMSCAPE VR (D 2022, Director: Nicolas Gebbe, Length: 6:00 Min.) // DISLOKACIJE (HR/FR 2020, Director: Milivoj and Veljko Popovic, Length: 7:45 Min.) // SURVIVING 9/11 – 27 HOURS UNDER THE RUBBLE (USA/FR 2021, Director: Chloé Rochereuil, Length: 20:21 Min.) // TEARLESS (USA/KOR 2021, Director: Gina Kim, Length: 10:00 Min.)

Saloum

Spaghetti Western meets Agatha Christie, meets Bird Box: In this Senegalese genre mix, a trio of mercenaries must make an emergency landing at the Sine Saloum Delta during a kidnapping. In the camp of the friendly Omar, however, nothing is as it seems. In impressive images, Jean Luc Herbulot stages the suspense story interwoven with African mythology, which turns out to be both a Western and a horror film.

Komm mit mir in das Cinema – Die Gregors

Life without cinema is possible, but pointless. True to this motto, Erika and Ulrich Gregor have travelled all over the world since 1957 to find unusual films and bring them to Berlin. In the associative montage "Komm mit mir in das Cinema", film history, German contemporary history are combined with the life of the Gregor’s today, and thus paint a vivid picture of the film culture of the last 70 years.

Als Susan Sontag im Publikum saß

“The aim of all commentary on art now should be to make works of art - and, by analogy, our own experience - more, rather than less, real to us.” writes the great intellectual Susan Sontag in her famous essay “Against Interpretation”. While not art, RP Jahl makes a meaningful landmark of “feminism” more real to us in his re-enactment-film by transposing the legendary New York Townhall debate of feminist scholars into our present.

Alcarràs

The family Solé is shocked when they find an eviction notice in their postbox. They have until the end of the summer until they are supposed to leave their land, which has been their source of income for generations. Everyone in the family has his or her own way to deal with the loss and change. One may be very loud in his grief, others completely silent.

Virtual Reality Storytelling

COSMIC•ATOMIC (USA 2022, Director: Christopher Boulton, Length: 10:00 Min.) // LOCKDOWN DREAMSCAPE VR (D 2022, Director: Nicolas Gebbe, Length: 6:00 Min.) // DISLOKACIJE (HR/FR 2020, Director: Milivoj and Veljko Popovic, Length: 7:45 Min.) // SURVIVING 9/11 – 27 HOURS UNDER THE RUBBLE (USA/FR 2021, Director: Chloé Rochereuil, Length: 20:21 Min.) // TEARLESS (USA/KOR 2021, Director: Gina Kim, Length: 10:00 Min.)

AEIOU - Das schnelle Alphabet der Liebe

The glory days as an actress are over for 60-year-old Anna. She lives alone, but has a good friend and confidant in her neighbor Michel. Anna reluctantly accepts a job as a language coach for 17-year-old Adrian. In the student she recognizes the young man who recently stole her handbag on the street. Irresistible - this word describes the light-footed and humorous story of an impossible love between two very different people.

Demnächst auf VHS

André Rößler’s documentary takes us on a video journey through time back to the 80s. Back then, cult video stores and VHS were still important and terms like “late fees” made us break out in sweat. This film is a humorous tribute to rip-off and trash films that never made it to any medium other than video. "Demnächst auf VHS" addresses everything that made the video store era of the 70s and 80s and is now celebrating its premiere.

IZK+F Closed Session: Initiative Future Cinema + Film

The Initiative Zukunft Kino + Film (IZK+F) is a federation of independent associations and networks of cinema and film professionals calling for a paradigm shift in German film culture. It sees itself as a platform for exchange, inquiry and debate. Public advocacy for common interests and goals is its intention. Openness, diversity and freedom are the principles of their togetherness. The initiative's approach is one of solidarity.

Open Discussion: Junge Perspektiven auf den Tisch

Older people can learn a lot from young people, they say - you just have to let them. "Young Professionals to the Table" wants to focus on mutual perception and reinforcement and along numerous guiding questions bring young and old together - the understanders and the dreamers, the maintainers and the unsullied. What does an ideal funding landscape look like? What is the significance of the feature film for directors? What kind of people manage to study film at all, and what kind of freedoms are offered within the framework of their studies? And we should also think about this more often: what connection do filmmakers even have to European film anymore? The point of these rounds is to create a space where people can network, exchange ideas, and ask questions.

Panel: What Film Education Does Europe Need?

Fortunately, the new generation of the MEDIA Programme (2021-2027) also makes it possible to apply for film education projects in European project groups. But what are the consequences of thinking of film education conceptually as a measure to support and promote the audiovisual industry? Where do business and education cross-fertilise, where do they interfere? Can film education anchored in film culture, in which the required diversity and quality are at home, even hold its own in such a program? In short: What kind of film education does Europe need?

Round Table Discussion: Defending Freedom – Support for Ukraine

Dramatic images and news from Ukraine reach us daily. Russia is waging war against its neighboring country, catapulting the rest of the world into a serious crisis. The cruel attack against the Ukrainian civilian population has already cost thousands of lives and plunges millions into flight and despair. For all the consternation of the West, this is a war in the distance with an abstract idea of what it means to be threatened by death on a daily basis. Culture and its actors stand in the shadow of this war. The question of how to deal with the situation must and will also be asked by a film festival in Frankfurt. In a video message at the opening of the exhibition: "This is Ukraine: Defending Freedom" at the Venice Biennale, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj emphasized the importance of art as a medium for discourse on the war.

LICHTER ART AWARD

14–19 H / FREE ENTRY / SCREENINGS OF THE NOMINATED WORKS: Die Welt ist an ihren Rändern blau - The world is blue at its edges (2021, Iris Blauensteiner & Christine Moderbacher, 14:30 Min.) // Soum (2021, Alice Brygo, 30 Min.) // Unleash the Beast, Chapter 2. Hagenbecks Zoo (2021, Catherina Cramer & Giulietta Ockenfuß, Installation, 27 Min.) // The empty sphere (2021, Stéphanie Roland, 19 Min.) // Acts of Improbable Genius (2022, Melanie Jame Wolf, 18 Min.)

Panel: Neue Formationen - Neue Produzent:innen

The fact that every experiment of interest is carried out at one's own expense can be applied to artistic work just as much as to productive action. Young companies with a declared artistic orientation usually move in a field of tension between promise and risk. Their films, which are often made in collective structures or in international collaboration, distinguish themselves in the tight competition for visibility and new opportunities. Almost invisible, however, are the considerable entrepreneurial risks that young companies are taking more than ever in these unsteady times. We ask their founders: What drives you? What materials do you take on? How do you exercise producer responsibility? Where do you find allies? Does the current market change open up new spaces for you? How free are you to experiment - and what does it cost you?

Panel Discussion: Filmmakers at War

While the future of filmmaking may have much to do with the good, the bad and the ugly of the streaming era, the Russian invasion in Ukraine is bringing back into focus the unique role of filmmakers at war and their singular vision which looks far beyond recording images or propaganda – seeking truth, human connection and memory. In this panel they share their testimonies and experience of filmmaking during military conflicts.

Panel Discussion: New Formations – New Producers

The fact that every experiment of interest is carried out at one's own expense can be applied to artistic work just as much as to producing activities. Young companies with a declared artistic orientation usually move in a field of tension between promise and risk. Their films, which are often made in collective structures or in international collaboration, distinguish themselves in the tight competition for visibility and new opportunities. Almost invisible, however, are the considerable entrepreneurial risks that young companies are taking more than ever in these unsteady times. We ask their founders: What drives you? What materials do you take on? How do you exercise producer responsibility? Where do you find allies? Does the current transformation of the market open up new spaces for you? How free are you to experiment - and what does it cost you?

Panel: Neue Wege für das Kino Jenseits von Gut und Böse: Wie kann der Ort des Kinos auf seine Krise reagieren?

Even before Corona, cinema was in crisis. And it wasn't just because of the movies and creaky seats. Or because of evil streamers. On the contrary, "crisis of cinema" actually means crisis of a certain attitude practiced over generations - towards life itself, towards seeing, towards what one sees and how. How to react to the changed situation? What would be the goal? How should the nature of cinema as a place be constituted and how should it communicate in order to be appropriate to the present and have a future? Following our open reflections on a House of Film Cultures published in 2021, we want to discuss further new ideas in order to present them later.

Panel: Filmmakers at War

While the future of filmmaking may have much to do with the good, the bad and the ugly of the streaming era, the Russian invasion in Ukraine is bringing back into focus the unique role of filmmakers at war and their singular vision which looks far beyond recording images or propaganda – seeking truth, human connection and memory. In this panel they share their testimonies and experience of filmmaking during military conflicts.

Discussion: Wunschkonzert Europa - Let's find out about film funding best practices in Europe!

Four years after the paper “Frankfurt Positions” was written at the Lichter Filmfest, the deficits in film funding (in Germany) have not been remedied, but have become even worse, partly as a result of the pandemic. Many film associations are demanding that the film funding system needs to be reinvented and the FFG (Film Funding Law) has to be rewritten. Before we start to rewrite the white sheet, we discuss with filmmakers, producers, distributors and cinema curators from different European countries which aspects of their respective national film funding systems are working well. What can we learn from each other in order to create a cinephile film funding system for the future?

Panel Discussion: Repressive Policies and its Influence on Culture and Media

The starting point for the event, which had been planned for some time, was as follows: At the latest when the national conservative and right-wing populist governments in Poland and Hungary took office, it was clear that the European community was facing major challenges. These developments have led to a restructuring of the cultural landscape in these countries. It is therefore important to discuss what influence reactionary forces have on the funding and shaping of the creative sector in Europe: What happens when film funding is infiltrated by the state? How can the creative industry stand up to these developments and what is its role in this? To what extent is their work dependent on the state and the political climate?

Panel: Repressive Policies and its Influence on Culture and Media

The starting point for the event, which had been planned for some time, was as follows: At the latest when the national conservative and right-wing populist governments in Poland and Hungary took office, it was clear that the European community was facing major challenges. These developments have led to a restructuring of the cultural landscape in these countries. It is therefore important to discuss what influence reactionary forces have on the funding and shaping of the creative sector in Europe: What happens when film funding is infiltrated by the state? How can the creative industry stand up to these developments and what is its role in this? To what extent is their work dependent on the state and the political climate?

Zum Tod meiner Mutter

Kerstin is terminally ill. She decides to stop eating to end her suffering. Her daughter Juliane is supporting her in this. Very slowly, she says goodbye, in silence by her mother’s side at a care home. She wants to help her but knows that she cannot take the death her mother yearns for from her. Days turn into weeks.

Fritz Bauers Erbe – Gerechtigkeit verjährt nicht

In November 2018, 95-year-old Johann R. stands trial for accessory to murder in hundreds of cases. He is said to have been part of the camp supervision as an SS-man in the concentration camp Stutthof. Why did so many years pass until the start of the trial? What does the trial mean for the survivors of the Shoah and the (legal) reprocessing?

Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy (偶然と想像)

Chance encounters and random steal aways make up three stories in The Wheel of Fortune: a dodgy love triangle, a tense and sensual conversation, and two strangers meeting each other. The wheel of fortune spins inexorably, and soon everyone discovers that what seems like a chance encounter is actually a trick of fate.

We Chechens

Between 1994 and 2009, two wars shook the North Caucasus region to the core. The documentary "We Chechens" accompanies five refugees in their homeland of exile in Germany and sheds light on the consequences of war and uprooting, which are omnipresent in their everyday lives.

Fire of Love

Daring French scientists Katia and Maurice Krafft loved each other as much as they loved volcanoes. "Once you've seen an eruption," says Katia, "you can't live without it." Fire of Love is an adventurous documentary about the fascination with the unknown and the meaning of human existence. It consists of spectacular images taken by the couple in search of the mystery of volcanoes.

On the Other Side (Del Otro Lado)

During the Colombian civil war, kidnappings by FARC guerrillas are commonplace. Beatriz is also abducted for almost two years. When she dies a few years after her release, her sons find the diary in which she describes the time she was imprisoned. This marks the beginning of a journey for the brothers across the Colombian jungle.

The Worst Person in the World (Verdens verste menneske)

Julie is nearing 30, and the pressure of falling behind expectations weighs on her, as she looks for something that will light up the spark in her again. “The Worst Person in the World” may have the shape of a romantic comedy, but its complexities run deep. A portrait of a generation by a filmmaker who has captured like no other the zeitgeist of living in our uncertain times.

L’état et moi

Judge Praetorius-Camusot falters in her juridical routines when an exhibit awakens from a 150-year slumber during the celebrations of German-French relationships: composer Hans List from the Paris community looks just like her, resulting in a slapstick chain reaction. The ZEIT named the film as one of the best ten works of this year’s Berlinale.

Regional short films II

ZOOMS FROM MY BALCONY (2021, Director: Paul Pietrek, Length: 11 Min.) // DER LOKFÜHRER (2021, Director: Christian Wittmoser & Zuniel Kim, Length: 6 Min.) // KLABAUTERMANN (2021, Director: Anke Sevenich, Length: 17 Min.) // MAHLZEIT! (2021, Director: Youngbin Noh, Length: 2 Min.) // IRGENDWANN – UMA HORA OU OUTRA (2022, Director: Christiane Muñoz, Length: 22 Min.) // FRACHT (2022, Director: Finn Ole Weigt, Length: 10 Min.) // EIN SONNTAG AUF DEM MOND (2022, Director: Finn Ole Weigt, Length: 3 Min.) // LUKE_LONG (2021, Director: Leonard Mink, Length: 5 Min.) // MAIN CHARACTER (2021, Director: Marie Bauer, Length: 3 Min.) // WEIL ICH LEO BIN (2021, Director: Tajo Hurrle, Length: 18 Min.)

Axiom

The eloquent museum attendant Julius is popular with everyone. When he invites his colleagues to a sailing trip on his aristocratic family’s boat, an exciting getaway seems in store. But things turn out differently: shortly before the trip begins, Julius suffers an epileptic seizure and ends up in the hospital. His mother shows concern, but less for his health than for the absurd family history. Is it a mere misunderstanding, as Julius says, or is he not who he claims to be?

Virtual Reality Storytelling

COSMIC•ATOMIC (USA 2022, Director: Christopher Boulton, Length: 10:00 Min.) // LOCKDOWN DREAMSCAPE VR (D 2022, Director: Nicolas Gebbe, Length: 6:00 Min.) // DISLOKACIJE (HR/FR 2020, Director: Milivoj and Veljko Popovic, Length: 7:45 Min.) // SURVIVING 9/11 – 27 HOURS UNDER THE RUBBLE (USA/FR 2021, Director: Chloé Rochereuil, Length: 20:21 Min.) // TEARLESS (USA/KOR 2021, Director: Gina Kim, Length: 10:00 Min.)

Shall I Compare You To a Summer’s Day?

Queer affection, non-normative relationships, poetry, and pop are intermingled in a series of tales that deal with the good, the bad, the ugly, and the political in the lives of queer Egyptian migrants. What may seem anecdotal becomes spectacular thanks to a hyper-stylized stage, theater-like lighting, and a Greek chorus of men singing and following the stories.

Venus in Nykes

A man leaves his psychoanalyst’s office calm and confident, leaving her puzzled and agitated. He has recounted his sexual fetishes. Her attempts at medicalizing him are vacuous in the face of this deviant’s pride. “Venus in Nykes” is a fun, flamboyant, narcissistic, self-referential, and erotic experiment free from any stylistic or narrative constraints. Queer desire has seldom looked this unapologetic. Come for the sexuality, stay for the philosophy.

What to do with documentaries? Festivals and Cinemas – Digital Platforms and the Public (Late) Broadcasting Slots

The consequences of the Corona crisis for the film industry and the cinema have started an unprecedented thought process in Germany. The rigid structures of the past decades needed to be reconsidered within the shortest time. Many of the old thought models have been discussed for years, but the pandemic and it’s varying degrees of strain have made it possible to try out theories and concepts in practice. This is especially true for documentaries, which suffer from a lack of film offerings in public television. The hype on streaming services has started a general debate: where and how can cinema documentaries find their audience? And when set airtimes in linear television will ultimately be a thing of the past and no longer viable, will it rise from the ashes? In this panel, experts from the German-speaking sphere reflect on the circumstances of documentary film in regards to its evaluation and discuss its future models.

Panel: Wohin mit dem Dokumentarfilm? Festivals und Kinos – Digitale Plattformen und der öffentlich-rechtliche (Spät)Sendeplatz

The consequences of the Corona crisis for the film industry and cinema have set in motion an unprecedented thought process in Germany and the world. The rigid structures of the past decades had to be reconsidered within a very short time. Many of the current models of thought have been discussed for years, but the pandemic with its different phases of stress have led to theories and concepts being tested in practice.This is especially true for documentaries, which are suffering from the shortage of film offerings on television stations. The hype of streaming services has sparked a fundamental debate. debate: Where and how can cinema documentaries find an audience? find its audience? And if fixed broadcasting times on television will soon be obsolete and no longer sustainable. and no longer sustainable, will it then celebrate its resurrection from the niche? 

Coexistence or Culture War? - Film Valorization Between Cinema and Streaming

The global change of cinema culture of the past centuries was accelerated even further by the Coronavirus-pandemic and its consequences. The basis of the cinema industry and distribution, including their business models, is under constant pressure by the media transformation and the accompanying change in the audience’s reception practices. This panel aims to sound out the tensions in film exploitation between cinema and streaming. Experts from the film industry, media studies, and journalism are discussing questions such as: How can distributors, producers, festivals, and more react to changing conditions? What kind of coexistence needs to happen, what kind of confrontations need to be had? Which new realities need to be accepted, where is creative freedom? Are new frameworks needed for regulation? Or can unexpected synergies happen?

Panel: Koexistenz oder Kulturkampf? - Filmauswertung zwischen Kino und Streaming

The global transformation of cinema culture in recent decades has been accelerated by the Corona pandemic and its consequences. The basis for the cinema industry and film distribution with their (business) models are coming under increasing pressure due to the change in media and the resulting change in the audience's reception habits. This panel will explore the field of tension in film exploitation between cinema and streaming from different perspectives. Experts from the film industry, media studies and journalism will discuss questions such as: How can distributors, producers, festivals etc. react to the changed conditions? What kind and form of coexistence is necessary, what confrontations have to be conducted? Which new realities have to be accepted, where is there room for maneuver? Do new regulatory frameworks have to be created? Or do even unexpected synergies arise?

Closing Event 2nd Congress Future German Film - Forum Europe

Frankfurt's Paulskirche is a symbolic place of democracy and freedom. On May 18, 1848, the first freely elected German parliament moved into the church and in December of the same year created the most liberal, democratic and social constitution of its time. In the end, it did not succeed: the German princes regained power. Yet the Paulskirche Constitution shaped both the Weimar Constitution of 1919 and the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany of 1949. Between these two democracies lies the German civilizational rupture of 1933 to 1945, the sheer opposite of what the Paulskirche National Assembly once stood for. Almost completely destroyed during the bombing of Frankfurt's old town, the Paulskirche was deliberately rebuilt in a sober manner after the war. Frankfurt's Paulskirche thus also symbolizes the fragility and vulnerability of freedom and democracy.

Panel: Filmmaking & Politics: a 21st Century Mismatch?

At a time in which Ukraine fights for its right of self-determination, we are reminded that culture is an essential part of any well-functioning democracy. Filmmakers with singular voices hold a much-needed mirror up to society, while the artistic and creative freedom they need is eroding across Europe. Yet, policy makers are approaching our sector’s recovery from Covid-19 by focusing mostly on making it greener as well as globalizing, and digitizing it further. Is that enough? How can we put artistic, creative, and cultural diversity back at the heart of political agendas across Europe?

LICHTER ART AWARD

14–19 H / FREE ENTRY / SCREENINGS OF THE NOMINATED WORKS: Die Welt ist an ihren Rändern blau - The world is blue at its edges (2021, Iris Blauensteiner & Christine Moderbacher, 14:30 Min.) // Soum (2021, Alice Brygo, 30 Min.) // Unleash the Beast, Chapter 2. Hagenbecks Zoo (2021, Catherina Cramer & Giulietta Ockenfuß, Installation, 27 Min.) // The empty sphere (2021, Stéphanie Roland, 19 Min.) // Acts of Improbable Genius (2022, Melanie Jame Wolf, 18 Min.)

Panel: Quo Vadis, deutscher Film? Was die neue Regierung jetzt für den Film tun muss!

"German film is not doing well" - this is the latest statement of the BKM. We agree with this diagnosis. A provocative thesis right at the beginning: German film and its funding are visionless. German film is internationally irrelevant and uncompetitive. Germany has one of the highest promotion budgets in Europe. In relation to the economic resources used, German film has the worst audience figures in cinemas and the least success at film festivals. It is time to rethink film funding and to reposition German film for the future. The overall model of German film and its previous funding must be put to the test. We ask: Quo Vadis, German Film?

Wettermacher

In his new documentary Stanislaw Mucha accompanies three meteorologists not far from the Siberian polar sea. At the local weather station “Chodovaricha” they observe the weather, and we observe them: a professional soldier traumatised in the Chechen war, who retained himself as a meteorologist, his wife, who turned her back on her failed life as well as their little daughter and their ominous boss, suffering from cancer and already retired.

Beautiful Beings (Berdreymi)

Alienated by the outside world, fourteen-year-old Balli lives the life of an outsider. But then he meets three boys of the same age and slowly a close friendship develops between them. Left to their own devices, their behavior leads the gang into life-threatening situations...

Regional short films I

FUGUE (Germany 2021, Director: Jonas Daniels, Length: 42:50 Min.) // A ROOM OF OUR OWN (Germany 2021, Director: Swoosh Lieu, Length: 34:13 Min.) // NEMESIS (Germany 2022, Director: Philipp Mehler & Dominik Hilfenhaus, Length: 23:14 Min.)

Virtual Reality Storytelling

COSMIC•ATOMIC (USA 2022, Director: Christopher Boulton, Length: 10:00 Min.) // LOCKDOWN DREAMSCAPE VR (D 2022, Director: Nicolas Gebbe, Length: 6:00 Min.) // DISLOKACIJE (HR/FR 2020, Director: Milivoj and Veljko Popovic, Length: 7:45 Min.) // SURVIVING 9/11 – 27 HOURS UNDER THE RUBBLE (USA/FR 2021, Director: Chloé Rochereuil, Length: 20:21 Min.) // TEARLESS (USA/KOR 2021, Director: Gina Kim, Length: 10:00 Min.)

The Employer and the Employee (El Empleado y el Patrón)

Class conflict and unequal power relations overshadow this story set in rural Uruguay. Due to a shortage of workers, the young farmer Ricardo hires Carlos, who is only 18 years old. When tragedy finally happens, Ricardo takes care of him. The class study about two fathers in an asymmetrical dependency relationship develops into a "low intensity" thriller.

Blutsauger

In August 1928, Soviet factory worker Ljowuschka is cast to portray Trotzky in director Sergei Eisenstein’s film "Oktober". But his dreams of a life as an artist are shattered when the real Trotzky falls out of favour with Stalin and he is cut from the film. Henceforth, the romantic dreamer wants to try his luck in Hollywood. Too bad that right now he's falling in love with an eccentric millionaire who also has bloodsuckers in tow.

Adults in the Room + Q&A

Greece's debt crisis is approaching its peak. Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis is confronted with demands that would aggravate not only the economic but also the social situation in Greece. Compromise proposals are ignored. Political decisions at the highest EU level mutate into a farce behind which a modern tragedy becomes visible.

Alle reden übers Wetter

Clara is 39 years old and doing a PhD in philosophy in Berlin. She has mastered the art of rhetoric, conducts research into Hegel and spends what little time remains with her patient teenage daughter Emma and her secret affair with one of her students. When Clara and her daughter travel to the Mecklenburg provinces for her mother's birthday, she finds herself in her past for a short time. What is it like going back to the place of your childhood?

Ach du Scheisse! (Holy Shit!)

The real-time thriller straight outta Offenbach is not for the faint of heart! Architect Frank wakes up covered in blood in a locked Dixi toilet. Outside, the countdown to a demolition has begun. Resourceful like MacGyver, Frank leaves no stone unturned to escape the shithouse in time. A black humour film somewhere between splatter and thriller, as iconic as the Dixi toilet itself.

Regional short films III

SALUTE (2021, Director: Michael Schwarz, Length: 2 Min.) // 90 DAYS (2022, Director: Lisa Martin, Length: 5 Min.) // AM TAG SEH ICH STERNE (2020, Director: Mila Elois Holl, Length: 6 Min.) // 21:71 UHR (2021, Director: Joey Arand, Length: 11 Min.) // KÖNIG (2021, Director: Emily Ufken & Alexander Conrads, Length: 5 Min.) // PAPA ANRUF (2020, Director: Veronika Bolotina, Length: 5 Min.) // FUCHSKIND (2021, Director: Jan apar, Length: 13 Min.) // UNTER DIE HAUT (2021, Director: Leve Kühl, Length: 4 Min.) // RUMREBELLIEREN (2021, Director: Janina Lutter, Length: 16 Min.) // GETRENNTE GEWALTEN (2022, Director: Joschua Keßler, Length: 25 Min.) // WEISSE AUF DEM MOND (2021, Director: Daniel Knußmann & Daniel Sax, Length: 6 Min.)

Virtual Reality Storytelling

COSMIC•ATOMIC (USA 2022, Director: Christopher Boulton, Length: 10:00 Min.) // LOCKDOWN DREAMSCAPE VR (D 2022, Director: Nicolas Gebbe, Length: 6:00 Min.) // DISLOKACIJE (HR/FR 2020, Director: Milivoj and Veljko Popovic, Length: 7:45 Min.) // SURVIVING 9/11 – 27 HOURS UNDER THE RUBBLE (USA/FR 2021, Director: Chloé Rochereuil, Length: 20:21 Min.) // TEARLESS (USA/KOR 2021, Director: Gina Kim, Length: 10:00 Min.)

PARTY

For a long time, we have been infamous for throwing the best parties in town. It goes without saying that we will continue this tradition at our anniversary festival. After all, after two years without parties, we are a bit out of step and urgently need to do something about our numb body parts. In the legendary space of the Café KoZ on the campus in Bockenheim, several DJs will delight all festivalgoers on Friday after the “Crew Call“.

Crew Call

This year, for the fifth time, guests from film, television, music, theater, games and media will meet in Frankfurt for the Crew Call, this time to talk about tomorrow's projects in the wonderful ambience of the Bockenheim university campus. The Crew Call is hosted by Crew United, the largest internet portal for the film industry in the German-speaking world. The Crew United Europe project also launched at the end of 2019 with locations in France, Poland, Romania, Spain, Italy, Greece and Lithuania.

The Sacred Spirit (Espiritu Sagrado)

In the Spanish city of Elche, a little girl disappears without a trace. Mother Charo does everything to find her daughter. Meanwhile, her brother José Manuel continues his studies of supernatural phenomena. When the head of his ufology group dies, José Manuel sets out to carry out his master plan, which he believes will change the fate of mankind.

International Short Film Programme

Poetic visions of figures, landscapes and events, fascinating riddles or funny encounters - all of this, short film provides. In our international short film compilations, we’re presenting a very personal selection of works, some from our partner festival in Contis, some from friends of the festival. This year, many of the films revolve around different shapes of human relationships, such as the question of what a real kiss is (“La Chamade”, France), real love (“Nicht nur Körper”, Germany), what is merely played on stage and what is meant (“Rehearsal”, Nigeria).

LICHTER ART AWARD

12–18 H / FREE ENTRY / SCREENINGS OF THE NOMINATED WORKS: Die Welt ist an ihren Rändern blau - The world is blue at its edges (2021, Iris Blauensteiner & Christine Moderbacher, 14:30 Min.) // Soum (2021, Alice Brygo, 30 Min.) // Unleash the Beast, Chapter 2. Hagenbecks Zoo (2021, Catherina Cramer & Giulietta Ockenfuß, Installation, 27 Min.) // The empty sphere (2021, Stéphanie Roland, 19 Min.) // Acts of Improbable Genius (2022, Melanie Jame Wolf, 18 Min.)

Virtual Reality Storytelling

COSMIC•ATOMIC (USA 2022, Director: Christopher Boulton, Length: 10:00 Min.) // LOCKDOWN DREAMSCAPE VR (D 2022, Director: Nicolas Gebbe, Length: 6:00 Min.) // DISLOKACIJE (HR/FR 2020, Director: Milivoj and Veljko Popovic, Length: 7:45 Min.) // SURVIVING 9/11 – 27 HOURS UNDER THE RUBBLE (USA/FR 2021, Director: Chloé Rochereuil, Length: 20:21 Min.) // TEARLESS (USA/KOR 2021, Director: Gina Kim, Length: 10:00 Min.)

Brennesselbad

Kim cannot take it anymore. Frustrated by problems at school and trouble with her mother, she walks to her father. She is not well prepared for this long hike, which is why she soon finds herself confronted not only with her thoughts, but with all sorts of small and large obstacles.

Keine Startbahn West

Nuclear expansion, large-scale industrial projects, peace, alternative life models: the 1970s and 80s were marked by political movements of the people. An important role, giving both meaning and identity, was taken on by the Rhein-Main region’s protests against the plans of the county Hessen and the FAG (today: FRAPORT). The expansion of the airport by Runway 18 West was supposed to be prevented. Over 100.000 people from the whole region took part in the protests. The film shows in sometimes grotesquely humorous shots that not everything could remain peaceful with a group of this size.

Modell Olimpia

A young man is suffering from obsessive fantasies of violence and death. His desperate mother is trying to help him: she submits him to a strict, made-up therapy programme and hopes to heal him that way. But when a young neighbour joins, everything collapses. Modell Olimpia is the first feature-length film by the Hessian director Frédéric Hambalek.

Leonor Will Never Die (Ang Pagbabali Ng Kwago)

Instead of facing the problems of everyday life, retired director Leonor comforts herself with the ghost of her dead son, who hovers bossy and semi-transparently through the scenes until something even worse befalls her. A bizarre incident leaves Leonor unconscious and plunges into a mixture of truth and fiction. With the sound of a beep, we realize that Leonor has plunged into one of her own half-written screenplays. A real movie within a movie!

Schweigend steht der Wald

Not quite by coincidence, the talented forestry intern Anja ends up in the Upper Palatinate Forest, the place where her father disappeared without a trace 20 years ago in unexplained circumstances. Immediately after her arrival, a gruesome murder happens in the nearby village. Anja suspects a connection between this crime and her father’s disappearance and begins an investigation into her family’s past. When she discovers an anomaly in the soil while collecting soil samples, the well-kept history of the village starts to unravel.

Virtual Reality Storytelling

COSMIC•ATOMIC (USA 2022, Director: Christopher Boulton, Length: 10:00 Min.) // LOCKDOWN DREAMSCAPE VR (D 2022, Director: Nicolas Gebbe, Length: 6:00 Min.) // DISLOKACIJE (HR/FR 2020, Director: Milivoj and Veljko Popovic, Length: 7:45 Min.) // SURVIVING 9/11 – 27 HOURS UNDER THE RUBBLE (USA/FR 2021, Director: Chloé Rochereuil, Length: 20:21 Min.) // TEARLESS (USA/KOR 2021, Director: Gina Kim, Length: 10:00 Min.)

Faceless

In 2019, videos of people in the front lines of protests in Hong Kong, and the police repressing them, were countless. The heart-throbbing “Faceless” weaves together the stories of four very different protesters defending their identities as Hongkongers in the face of Chinese repression. A society’s fight for the freedom to define who they are and what they want in their own terms.

Blutsauger

In August 1928, Soviet factory worker Ljowuschka is cast to portray Trotzky in director Sergei Eisenstein’s film "Oktober". But his dreams of a life as an artist are shattered when the real Trotzky falls out of favour with Stalin and he is cut from the film. Henceforth, the romantic dreamer wants to try his luck in Hollywood. Too bad that right now he's falling in love with an eccentric millionaire who also has bloodsuckers in tow.

Flee (Flugt)

Flee is not a classic documentary. With the help of animated scenes, Amin reports on his escape from Afghanistan in interviews. For more than 20 years, he didn't confide in anyone about the true events of his odyssey - with good reason. Even if we encounter war and flight on a daily basis, Flee is an absolute must-see to understand how long such a trauma can haunt a person.

Meet Me in the Bathroom

This documentary is a nostalgic homage to the New York music scene of the early 2000s. Between political events like 9/11 and ongoing gentrification, subculture carves its place in places like Sidewalk Café and CBGB. A journey into the early days of The Strokes, LCD Soundsystem, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TV on the Radio and the Rapture.

Virtual Reality Storytelling

COSMIC•ATOMIC (USA 2022, Director: Christopher Boulton, Length: 10:00 Min.) // LOCKDOWN DREAMSCAPE VR (D 2022, Director: Nicolas Gebbe, Length: 6:00 Min.) // DISLOKACIJE (HR/FR 2020, Director: Milivoj and Veljko Popovic, Length: 7:45 Min.) // SURVIVING 9/11 – 27 HOURS UNDER THE RUBBLE (USA/FR 2021, Director: Chloé Rochereuil, Length: 20:21 Min.) // TEARLESS (USA/KOR 2021, Director: Gina Kim, Length: 10:00 Min.)

Virtual Reality Storytelling

COSMIC•ATOMIC (USA 2022, Director: Christopher Boulton, Length: 10:00 Min.) // LOCKDOWN DREAMSCAPE VR (D 2022, Director: Nicolas Gebbe, Length: 6:00 Min.) // DISLOKACIJE (HR/FR 2020, Director: Milivoj and Veljko Popovic, Length: 7:45 Min.) // SURVIVING 9/11 – 27 HOURS UNDER THE RUBBLE (USA/FR 2021, Director: Chloé Rochereuil, Length: 20:21 Min.) // TEARLESS (USA/KOR 2021, Director: Gina Kim, Length: 10:00 Min.)

A Night of Knowing Nothing

A youthful dance scene is followed by somber protest images, gorgeous wedding photos are followed by dreamy mornings on a university campus: at the Mumbai State film school, love letters of an inter-caste love affair are discovered in a box. As a paratactic montage, they become the testimony of violent injustices in modern-day India.

International Shorts Freedom – Dream – Illusion – Desire

"Starfuckers" by Antonio Marziale deals with power abuse in Hollywood, but also the film and television industry. Olivia Martin-McGuire’s "Freedom Swimmer" presents the tough reality of the past migration of Chinese people to Hongkong and confronts us with the not very hopeful situation of the city. "Soum" by Alice Brygo navigates the historic and current generational conflicts and wishes for harmonious togetherness.

Gemeinsam Nüchtern

The community that has come together on an idyllic estate near Marburg may well be described as extraordinary. All members share a history of experiences of violence, drugs and addiction. Yet here at Hof Fleckenbühl, they are all starting a new life – without professional therapeutic help, but with strict rules and mutual supervision.

LICHTER ART AWARD

12–18 H / FREE ENTRY / SCREENINGS OF THE NOMINATED WORKS: Die Welt ist an ihren Rändern blau - The world is blue at its edges (2021, Iris Blauensteiner & Christine Moderbacher, 14:30 Min.) // Soum (2021, Alice Brygo, 30 Min.) // Unleash the Beast, Chapter 2. Hagenbecks Zoo (2021, Catherina Cramer & Giulietta Ockenfuß, Installation, 27 Min.) // The empty sphere (2021, Stéphanie Roland, 19 Min.) // Acts of Improbable Genius (2022, Melanie Jame Wolf, 18 Min.)

Bauten, Bürger und ein Bembel

Guidance on the historical exhibition grounds, babbling local big fish and dolls driving trains - not long ago, publicity of the city Frankfurt am Main was mostly taking place at the cinema. The image films, republished by the Filmkollektiv Frankfurt on DVD and at the cinema, guide through historical Frankfurt and present rare, formerly unseen footage of a city changing.

Virtual Reality Storytelling

COSMIC•ATOMIC (USA 2022, Director: Christopher Boulton, Length: 10:00 Min.) // LOCKDOWN DREAMSCAPE VR (D 2022, Director: Nicolas Gebbe, Length: 6:00 Min.) // DISLOKACIJE (HR/FR 2020, Director: Milivoj and Veljko Popovic, Length: 7:45 Min.) // SURVIVING 9/11 – 27 HOURS UNDER THE RUBBLE (USA/FR 2021, Director: Chloé Rochereuil, Length: 20:21 Min.) // TEARLESS (USA/KOR 2021, Director: Gina Kim, Length: 10:00 Min.)

Youth Topia

Wanja and her friends rebel against a society that strictly separates youth and adults. But one day, Wanja gets an opportunity to grow up and start a job in an architectural office. She spontaneously accepts, catapulting herself into an entirely new everyday reality. But Soon the longing for her old life germinates in her. "Youth Topia" is a trans-medial project that is dominated by videos that were partially made or livestreamed during production by the cast on smartphones.

The Middle Ages (La Edad Media)

The Middle Ages is something special, unusual, has drive and most of all: Humour! Mother, father and daughter (and the beloved family dog) give it their all in front and behind the camera. It’s about art (and money), it’s about dancing (without big stages), about learning English (via Zoom), about Beckett and magical realism. We are in the middle of Buenos Aires in a little house where no stone remains unturned.

Augmented Lichter

For six years now, the LICHTER Filmfest has been presenting VR cinema: films that do not fit on any conventional screen, no matter how large. Although our hearts still beat for the classic cinema in the dark room, the moving images have long since left their birthplace and have traveled via Brown's apparatus first to our homes and then via smartphone and Internet everywhere. Augmented Reality, AR, is therefore only the logical next step - images that overlap with our actual reality and are about to leave the frame of the screen altogether. One step to accompany and depict this process is the AR Freiluft Expo - AUGMENTED LICHTER - which the LICHTER Filmfest organizes in collaboration with the freitagsküche and the Frankfurt experimental filmmaker Gunter Deller during and after the LICHTER Filmfest.

Blutsauger

In August 1928, Soviet factory worker Ljowuschka is cast to portray Trotzky in director Sergei Eisenstein’s film "Oktober". But his dreams of a life as an artist are shattered when the real Trotzky falls out of favour with Stalin and he is cut from the film. Henceforth, the romantic dreamer wants to try his luck in Hollywood. Too bad that right now he's falling in love with an eccentric millionaire who also has bloodsuckers in tow.

A Chiara

Chiara's world is like that of any teenager. But when her father suddenly disappears without a trace, the 15-year-old becomes suspicious. While searching for her father, Chiara suddenly finds herself caught between the Calabrian mafia and the police. While a highly sensitive camera takes us on a journey into the merciless world of adults, Chiara has to learn that her freedom begins with the decisions she has to make. Director Jonas Carpigno once again succeeds in creating a neo-realistic drama with captivating images.

The Passengers of the Night

Elisabeth and her children are having a hard time in 1980’s Paris, after the family father leaves them behind. Elisabeth falls into a hopelessness that seems hard to overcome – only a new job in a nightly radio show and the appearance of the young girl Talulah, is what truly brings a wind of change. Her discovery of a nurturing and loving family is what helps all of them to grow.

Children of the Mist

In the misty mountains of North Vietnam, young Di lives a life between tradition and modernity. She is part of the Hmong ethnic group, who maintain their own way of life - and who still practice the forbidden bride kidnapping to this day. When the Lunar New Year celebrations begin, the 14-year-old's unselfconscious attempts to flirt quickly turn bitterly serious.