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Immersed in film

Michael Stadler
Michael Stadler

The program is here: With 46 short films from 26 countries and a diverse anniversary program, FILMSCHOOLFEST MUNICH is celebrating its 40th anniversary.

Immersed in film

The FILMSCHOOLFEST MUNICH team blows up the balloons and blows out the candles: The festival turns 40! And we want to celebrate - with our audience and with those who enrich FILMSCHOOLFEST MUNICH with their works: the film students from all over the world. 

The festival opens on Sunday, November 14, with an evening opening at which current HFF films will be shown, and ends on Saturday, November 20, with the Award Ceremony and a lavish anniversary party. During the festival week from November 15 to 19, a total of 46 short films from 26 (production) countries will be shown in ten screenings. The films were chosen for the international competition by a selection jury consisting of Margot Hervée, Thomas Kupser and Tomás Alzamora.

The wait for the film selection is over - here you can find the full program of #FSFMUC 2021.

Fortunately, this year again many film directors will be able to travel to the AudimaxX of the HFF and present their short films personally to the audience. As always, there are some films from German production, but also from Europe, the USA, Israel, Nepal or Trinidad and Tobago.

 

THE Program

 

In terms of their aesthetics and subject matter, these short films cover a wide spectrum. Some of them deal with the circumstances of children and young people, their fears and conflicts, such as the funny short film LAND OF GLORY by Borbála Nagy, which takes us into the everyday goings-on at a Hungarian school — until the prime minister arrives. In KANYA, a short film from the Czech Republic, a girl refuses to submit to a traditional ritual that her parents insist upon. Father-daughter relationships are also examined in depth, in PAPAPA by Norwegian director Kerren Lumer-Klabbers as well as in the half-hour-long US-South Korean film UNCLE by Ju Hee Han.

Other films provide (fictional) insight into the lives of older protagonists. In ROOM 16 by Lebanese director Dany K. Saliba, a mute housemaid turns out to be a voyeur. In DEBT by Finnish director Max Ovaska, a man is unable to shake off his past as a debt collector. In DIVINATION by Nepalese director Gopal Achyara, a shaman must ask himself whether his healing powers still work. And in NO LAW, NO HEAVEN by Kristi Hoi, a student at the University of California in Los Angeles, a whole life is covered as a small child becomes an old man who must confront his past.

 

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REFEEL

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DEBT

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WHITE ROOM

 

Dealing with history is also a theme of many of the films, some of which even dare to involve some humor. In GOOD GERMAN WORK, Uli and Didi work on a replica of a concentration camp, matter-of-factly and totally professionally. The students also do not shy away from dealing with violence and traumatization. In Ov’s animated film SCUM MUTATION, the voices of authoritarian regimes are juxtaposed with those of youthful resistance. In $75,000, Moïse Togo’s blend of documentary and experimental film illuminates how people with albinism are victims of violence in Africa. And WHITE ROOM by Jakub Jirásek takes a sensitive and expressive approach to “white torture”.

The films portray marriage (POTTED PALM TREES) and same-sex love (REFEEL, MUST BE PAINFUL, and others), and in both CONGENITAL and HER DANCE trans women must assert themselves within a deeply religious environment. A young and a middle-aged protagonist are attracted to each other (AGAPÉ), and the domineering relationship between cats and humans comes into focus (MMM...CAT) to the same degree as some plants prove to be talkative (PLANT SPEECH). If only one could understand them! And even shoes express a lot, in TOPLESS by University of Television and Film Munich (HFF) student Hannah Jandl.

Our program also includes three short films that recently won a Student Academy Award. WHEN THE SUN SETS by Phumi Morare (Chapman University, California) was awarded the gold medal in the Narrative/Domestic Film Schools section. NO LAW, NO HEAVEN (filmschoolfest-munich.de) by Kristi Hoi (UCLA) received the bronze medal. And WHY DIDN’T YOU STAY FOR ME? by Milou Gevers (The Netherlands Films Academy) won the gold medal in the Documentary/International Film Schools category.

 

HFF-Specials

 

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SURVIVE

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HAYAT JUMPS

 

Current short films from the University of Television and Film Munich (HFF) will be shown in two specials that are curated and moderated by students. HFF Special 1 will be held on Friday, November 19, at 4 p.m., HFF Special 2 on Saturday, November 20, at 11:30 a.m. (both times in the HFF AudimaxX).

 

The anniversary events

 

During the week of the festival, various workshops, panel discussions, and screenings aimed at students and professors as well as interested members of the public will be held at the University of Television and Film Munich (HFF). You can find all here.

Party on! We are looking forward to you, our guests from all over the world and seven days of film experience.

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