Programs
Program 1
In Slovakia, queer activists fight against hate and violence in a homophobic society. A boy in Israel wants to retrieve his deceased mother's clothes to preserve her memory. The unexpected alliance between opposing characters succeeds during a late-night cab ride in Lithuania, and a bitterly cold skiing vacation yields a heartwarming romance.
Program 2
A Polish director makes her own family the star of her animated film. In Portugal, a mother and her adult son each have their baggage to carry - metaphorically and literally. Elsewhere, an argument between children holds up a mirror to their fathers and leads to a moral dilemma, while the death of his father throws a young man in Australia completely off course.
Program 3
The deep friendship of two ten-year-olds is put to the test from one moment to the next. On the other side of the world, a young mother dances against clichés and postnatal fears. In Israel, a (generational) conflict is smoldering on the border with the Gaza Strip and threatens to escalate, while an innovative animated film artfully tears down all genre boundaries. We also show the three winning films of the Climate Clips Award.
Program 4
In an animated film, two little girls literally blow up as a result of an argument. Meanwhile, a courageous, very personal documentary deals with a childhood trauma. A man from Georgia sets out on an illegal crossing to the U.S. and discovers he's not the only one. Meanwhile, in rural Poland, a diabolical con artist uses a perfidious scam to prey on the (slightly) devout rural population.
Program 5
Not everything is as it seems: a young soccer goalkeeper encounters a dark secret in his new team, eleven-year-old Linh gets wise to an unscrupulous system, and for an animated boy made of paper, of all things, the most familiar turns out to be a nightmare personified. Meanwhile, an idealistic mortician faces the very real horror on a daily basis in Spain.
Program 6
A deceased man in a cocoa can unexpectedly brings father and daughter closer together. Two sons, neglected by their mentally ill mother, must face the hardships of everyday life alone. In Spain, a deeply religious mother anxiously accompanies her son as he trains to become a bullfighter, while in Singapore a dark veil covers a woman's lonely life.
Program 7
People need people. An odd pair of twins in their strictly timed everyday life bears witness to this. The familiarity between father and son is not affected by a stay in prison together - quite the opposite. People also feel a deep bond with dogs. Losing them is especially painful for children. Two women in Norway prove that love can be immortal.
Program 8
As an adopted son, do you have to feel guilty if you don't search for your birth mother? And what happens to those memories that can't be captured in photos? In a mental institution, a punk discovers just how much his own memory can go haywire. A couple with disabilities shows the hurdles that can arise when they have their first time together.
Program 9
In Finland, the still big taboo of female body hair is tackled with a lot of self-confidence. For a young woman with a disability, a night with a sex worker turns out surprisingly different than expected. In France, an interpreter slowly breaks down due to the bureaucratic harshness of asylum procedures. An Indian saga tells how the blessing of water came about in a village that had previously dried up.
Program 10
In New York, a blown fuse thwarts the plans
of a world-weary garbage man. Where the very last journey of books goes is shown in a poetic documentary film. In the confines of an apartment, father and daughter must balance their difficult relationship. An overambitious rabbit discovers that not every lady of the heart can be wrapped around his finger with a homemade rocket.
HFF Specials
In HFF Special 1 and HFF Special 2 we show a selection of the best short films from the University of Television and Film Munich. The two programs were curated by HFF students Jennifer Drake and Christina Schmid. Thematically and narratively, the documentaries or feature films this year again look in very different directions.
EUROPEAN FILM AWARDS: SHORT FILM NOMINEES 2023
For the first time in the program, Filmschoolfest in cooperation with the European Film Awards offers the opportunity to see the nominees in the short film category in a public screening. The winning films of the European Film Awards will be announced in December.
LANGUAGE PROGRAMS
In 2023 we will also be offering a Spanish program and a French program. These programs are for all native speakers, language enthusiasts, language refreshers and people who simply love to listen to the Spanish or French language. All films are shown in the original with English subtitles.