Federal Film Funding in Germany still lacking Film Festivals

The german working group AG FilmFestival demands that the film festival sector be taken into account in the current amendment of the FilmFörderGesetz FFG: Still in the coalition agreement of the „Ampel“ government it was stated „…we reliably fund film festivals…“. In the eight-point program presented by Claudia Roth, Commissioner for Culture and Media of the Federal Republic of Germany, there is not a single mention of film festivals. The

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Development of the international cinema industry underlines the importance of the film festival sector for European film

Also this year, the European Audiovisual Observatory presented the World film market trends within the occasion of the Cannes Marché du Film. Although the gradual recovery of the European cinema market could be demonstrated with statistical support, another development became obvious at the same time: „while theatrical exploitation was already difficult for European films, it became even more difficult“. A trend that can be seen today not only with regard

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Conference Perspective Cinema! Concepts for a sustainable practice 04. – 05. May in Munich

This conference takes a look at the structural crisis of cinema and presents alternative ways to rethink the conditions as well as the environment of cinema together with practitioners from all relevant fields.Among them are filmmakers, representatives of distribution, the cinema sector, VoD providers, film festivals, film funders and city councils, but also stakeholders such as Queer Scope, AG DOK and municipal cinema (BfK, Bundesverband kommunale Filmarbeit). After keynote speeches

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Film Festivals – Enablers and Gatekeepers even for the National Film Canon

Recently, the leading duo of Diagonale, the Festival of Austrian Film, Peter Schernhuber and Sebastian Höglinger, parted ways just after eight years, thus also demonstrating a new self-image as festival directors. In an interview with Filmdienst.de, they talk about the changing role of film festivals, the upheavals in media behavior, especially among the younger generation, and how festivals can support cinema in its crisis.

Save the date Frankfurt April 19-21: 3rd Congress Future German Film and 100 Years of Frankfurt Positions

Edgar Reitz, Irene von Alberti and Frieder Schlaich (Filmgalerie 451), Dominik Graf, Alfred Holighaus, Wolfgang M. Schmitt, Moritz Baßler, Sophie Linnenbaum – all of them and many other well-known personalities of the domestic film and cinema landscape will come to Frankfurt between April 19 and 21, where the Zukunft Deutscher Film congress will take place for the third time. Parallel to the 16th LICHTER Filmfest Frankfurt International and under the

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Cinematic positions outside the comfort zone

„The desire to start from scratch is audible everywhere“ emphasizes Carlo Chatrian, artistic director of the Berlinale in his greeting. The new voices of German filmmakers in the Perspektive Deutsches Kino section prove that this new beginning has long been taking place. They confront us with their stories, narrative styles and aesthetics. An interview (in German) with the new director of the section Jenni Zylka at Kino-Zeit.de shows how the

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Cinema of Care. Who cares about cinema? 

We care about people of diverse cultures, we care about the access of everybody, we care about genderequality, we care. But who cares about cinema-about the film theater, about the programmes, about the cultural practice. In the opening conference of the „Week of Criticism“, moderated by Julia Bee and Devika Girish, Claire Denis, Marek Hovorka, Isabell Lorey, Elke Marhöfer and Abby Sun will discuss these questions. On Wednesday, 15 Feb, at

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Content versus Film – the next discussion of the Akademie der Künste

As in previous years, host Jeanine Meerapfel and moderator Andreas Kilb get us in the mood for the Berlinale by dealing with a currently pressing topic of film culture and film industry alike. This time Dominik Graf and Thomas Heise, Nicolette Krebitz and Carolin Schmitz enrich the panel when it comes to talking about the essence of cinema, about what makes films unique and answering questions like What makes good

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Initiative Zukunft Kino+Film presents concept for reforming German film funding

Based on the conviction of a large part of the film and cinema landscape that German film is facing an economic and above all artistic existential crisis, the Initiative, Zukunft, Kino+Film (IZK+Film) has presented a policy paper for the reorganization and simplification of the complex film funding system in Germany. Three guiding principles underlie this paper: in addition to the effort to increase social diversity as well as artistic multiplicity,

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The European Short Film Network grows by two partner festivals, initiates a permanent streaming platform and commits to a sustainability codex

Founded by the four European film festivals Internationale Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen (DE), Go Short Festival in Nijmegen (NL), Short Waves Festival in Poznan (PL) and Vienna Shorts (AT) in 2018, IndieLisboa International Film Festival (PT) and Uppsala Kortfilmfestival (SE) now join the European Short Film Network. With this, the ESFN is expanding its mission to support and promote European short films in two more countries. This is done not only through

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