Elisey, a Russian flutist, and Katya, a percussionist from Ukraine, study together at the Cologne University of Music. Despite the Russian war on Ukraine, the two maintain a close friendship and exchange their difficulties and challenges on their journey to a professional career in music. But calls from their home countries confront them with a different reality, which seems simultaneously far away and painfully close.

Told through calm, observing imagery, this documentary makes it possible to experience the inner ambivalence of the protagonists in an intimate and subtle way.

Documentary, Germany 2024, Original with German subtitles (Russian, Ukrainian), director: Pavel Sitnikov, run time: 20 Min.

RHEIN-MAIN-PREMIERE

This VR-documentation is about the survivors of the nuclear catastrophe of Fukushima and the way in which they engage with the loss and the memories of their hometowns that have remained inaccessible since 2011. The project questions the meaning of “home” and how this concept changes its significations through the occurrence of a catastrophe – for individuals as well as families and communities. Volumetric Capture and Photogrammetry make it possible to record real places and people three-dimensionally on film; to modify this material artistically and to imply changes of perspective afterwards. The imperfect manner of the recording technique and a specific stylization emphasize the personal, subjective character of memory.

Documentary, Japan/USA/Taiwan 2024, Original with English subtitles, Director: Arif Khan, Run time: 24 min.

 GERMAN PREMIERE

A nursing mother tells her newborn child the tale of a world in which humans and gods once ate alongside one another. But soon, human greed and gluttony transformed the remains of these feasts into a mountain of waste, piling up all the way to Olympus. As punishment, humans were robbed of their greatest privileges; never having to ask themselves where these meals even came from.

Laced with mythological motifs and atmospherically filmed stereoscopic images, this experimental documentary presents us with a dilemma of human existence from which, just like in fated Greek tragedies, there seems to be no escape.

Documentary, Italy 2024, OV (English), Director: Stefano Conca Bonizzoni, Run time: 16 min.

GERMAN PREMIERE

It would be an understatement to describe LIMBOPHOBIA as a grim trip - in the disorientating, unconsciously threatening sequences reminiscent of David Lynch's aesthetic, we are constantly confronted with cycles of destruction and decay. Brutal architecture, pouring rainstorms and a restless rush through an all-consuming sea of flames are just some of the stops that await us on this intense journey through this virtual purgatory.

Despite all the dystopia, this experimental film is also an impressive testimony to the creative power that is revealed when visual worlds are completely unleashed in 360-degree space. A unique visual experience.

Experimental Film, Taiwan 2024, OV (English), Director: Wen Yee Hsieh, Run time: 25 Min.

GERMAN PREMIERE