INTERFILM 39 International Short Film Festival Berlin
14 - 19 November 2023

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GC GERMAN COMPETITION

GC 01 A/pathetic System

Whose democracy, whose justice, whose power? In honest, rough, poetic images, "A/pathetic System" shares six different stories of BIPOC, migrants, refugees and children of the former GDR, revealing how they are oppressed and marginalised by the racist and cold state system – and how they manage to find their own way and develop resilience in spite of it all.

15.11.23, 17:30h, Cinestar Kino in der KulturBrauerei

17.11.23, 18:30h, Unterfilm Clubkino

18.11.23, 22:00h, Pfefferberg Theater

A/pathetic System
6 films
Biegen und Brechen

Biegen und Brechen

Make or Break

Mike Plitt / Falk Schuster // Germany // 2022 // 08:06 min

Animation, Documentary, Experimental

Alex tells of his childhood in the GDR: how he was taken from his mother after she criticised the regime, his attempts to escape from children's homes and subsequent efforts to break him in a reformatory, using violence. [CW: violence, sexual violence]

Engar madaram geriste bud aan shab

Engar madaram geriste bud aan shab

As If Mother Cried That Night

Hoda Taheri // Germany // 2023 // 19:00 min

Live Action

Desperate in their attempts to gain asylum in Germany, an Iranian couple sets off down a drastic path: maybe they will be able to stay if the wife has a child with a white German man. Is the price they pay for this too high?

Der Antrag

Der Antrag

The Application

Antonia Lindner // Germany // 2023 // 09:00 min

Live Action

When bureaucracy becomes madness: B. enters the immigration office and runs from room to room, floor to floor, only to start over again from the beginning. Kafkaesque, no? For some the situation is even more desperate.

Borschtsch mit Brezel

Borschtsch mit Brezel

Borscht with Pretzel

Anna Ring // Germany // 2022 // 08:13 min

Animation, Documentary

Anna Ring interviews her mom, who came to Germany from the former USSR in 1991 as a "Jewish quota refugee". She speaks about this rarely explored aspect of migration, bigoted treatment and her wishes for the future.

Fünfzehn Minuten

Fünfzehn Minuten

Fifteen Minutes

Sejad Ademaj // Germany // 2022 // 13:05 min

Live Action

Jasmina wants to go on the class trip but her immigration status won't allow it. The doorbell rings: her boyfriend, she thinks, but it's the cops instead, declaring she and her family have to leave Germany in 15 minutes. [CW: police violence, suicide]

I Was Never Really Here

I Was Never Really Here

Gabriel Bihina Arrahnio // Germany // 2022 // 22:51 min

Live Action

Summery and light, a tragic love story begins between two young men from Ghana. Sam has lived a while in Germany with his mom, Kwesi and his mom are waiting for residency permits. Together they can escape for a moment.