IC - INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION 

The International Competition has long been the heart of the festival. After spending all year combing through film festivals, film institutions and the almost 4,000 films submitted to the festival, we pick out the best and most interesting productions. At the end of the viewing phase, the curators leave their mobile phones at home and spend a week on a lonely internetless island so they can fully dedicate themselves to compiling a multi-faceted, high-quality, moving and entertaining program. Occasionally, someone has to bid farewell to his or her favorite in order to ensure a coherent overall concept, but this year's results are, once again, something to see. On the following pages, you'll find seven programs with a grand total of 70 films on classic themes, but interpreted in a new way. Again and again, we are moved to speechlessness by filmmakers' imagination, abilities and ideas, so it is with firm conviction that we say: What short film does, only short film can!

IC CONFRONTATIONS  

The competition “Confrontations – Against Violence and Intolerance” began a few years ago as a part of the International Competition. With this subdivision and its own special award, we want to draw attention to the fact that violence and intolerance are problems everywhere, and build the framework for war and racism. We want to show how filmmakers around the world handle these subjects, and encourage others to think and act themselves.

War and destruction, escape, deportation and discrimination have become normal occurrences on the daily news, and are in danger of becoming over-used, empty words. The films in the following three programs, divided into the subjects “About War,” “Isolation” and “The Female View,” try to fight this trend and reflect these global problems in day-to-day, personal and moving ways.

IC DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION 

interfilm searches for the most innovative and unique kinds of documentaries. The program includes classic as well as experimental documentaries like “Motodrom” and “The Market.” Both films feature interplays of noise, sound, editing, screen sequence (e.g. pixelations) and camera position that are just as virtuos as the artists that are the subject of observation. These are just two examples of what can be done with the medium of short film. Other recommendable varieties include the highly amusing Swedish animation “The First Time,” an illustration of first sexual encounters based on real interviews. Last but not least, the competition includes a series for the first time: a Belgian trilogy called “Gas Station” that takes the viewer on a trip around the world, stopping in unusual places.

In short – interfilm Berlin offers its festival visitors a comprehensive overview of international documetary productions with 16 films in three competition programs, as well as creating an important platform where new filmmakers stand level with established ones. A specialized jury will choose the “Best Documentary,” and ZDFdokukanal will again award the winning filmmaker with ? 150.00 per film minute as well as a broadcast slot. interfilm Berlin would like to extend its express thanks to the award sponsor for this trendsetting commitment. Don’t forget to take a look at the non-competitive program “Reality Bites,” which combines unreal reality with the really unreal…
Paul Darmer (Curator)

GC - GERMAN COMPETITION 

All 782 German films submitted this year were viewed by the interfilmers in the middle of the hot World Cup summer, and the film themes were hot, too: domestic violence, conflicts in the surroundings of youth and in daily life. Love, teenage emotions and the perfidies of life in general were also prevalent topics in German short film this year. And as usual, a number of excellent films were submitted on the subject of age and aging. We have chosen 19 productions for competition in the German program. A further 34 native films can be seen in other festival competitions and programs. The content focus of each of the three German Competition programs crystallized soon after their selection: “Love knows no bounds” revolves around emotional turbulence, “Me and my boss” marches to the rhythm of work and daily routine, and “Land ahoy!” gives hope the upper hand in precarious social circumstances.

KUKI - CHILDREN'S COMPETITION 

For the sixth time, the interfilm festival includes three programs featuring international short films for children. In addition, there will be two screenings compiled from the three programs especially for school classes.

Most of the 27 films are animations without dialogues, but the number of short fiction films has risen since last year. Wonderful, playful melodies underline the great diversity of the inexhaustible bag of tricks that the filmmakers from 20 countries draw from. Kids can enjoy the adventures of animated or drawn puppets, sand characters, and - this year's main player - clay figures. Children, their daily lives, their problems with parents, or the essence of friendship are themes in these short masterpieces.

EJECT IX

We're tired of hearing it too, but we'll say it anyway: "In these hard times," - but with a surprise ending: "we offer extravagance!" We shake out our bag of tricks and revel in the excess. The night will be full of oddities and films - 25 in all, with a total running time of around 100 minutes. The audience will make decisions on the superfluous, the relevant, the sensible and the silly, the winner and the losers - the last will be the first, and the weirdest wins!
See films on oedipal fantasies, superheroes, vaginas, the intimate life of raw meat, virtuoso insanity, the undead, window-jumpers, apple trees, love dwarves, animal apartment-sharing, Austrian break-ups, and a political anthem in a discount supermarket.
This year's voting procedure will be respiratory in nature, supported by Sir Henry on the Organ and the very strangest host Eject ever had: Humpert Schnakenberger.
Midnight Movie Madness isn't just mad on screen this year - we'll be distributing madness as soon as you get in the door. Don't miss it!