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

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SPECIAL PROGRAMS

SP 02 Reality Bites

How much do images shape our understanding of the world? The short films of the "Reality Bites" program challenge viewers and provide food for thought. How much reality is cinema capable of capturing? Is everything just staged in the end? Across a variety of subjects, from supposedly ideal moms and bears in the Finish forest all the way to horrified faces witnessing a Parisian landmark on fire, one question remains: is it reality or fiction?

15.11.23, 21:00h, Unterfilm Clubkino

18.11.23, 20:30h, Zeiss-Großplanetarium Kino

Reality Bites
6 films
Concept of a Happy Mom

Concept of a Happy Mom

Henriette Rietz // Germany // 2023 // 04:39 min

Documentary, Experimental

Stock footage of "happy" families conjures canned warmth, while the inner monologues of overworked mothers intone off-screen. Tremendous meme fodder – if it weren't so serious. [CW: self harm, depression]

A History of the World According to Getty Images

A History of the World According to Getty Images

Richard Misek // Norway, England // 2022 // 18:20 min

Documentary

Apollo 11, the fall of the wall, 9/11 – the world was there. Thanks to Getty, one of the biggest picture agencies. How much power do images have? How much do they shape our views?

Eggs

Eggs

蛋

Lu Hu // China // 2022 // 16:15 min

Experimental, Live Action

A close-up view of a rooster. Hens in the yard. A cock posing before a waterfall. Eggs on conveyor belts. Hens in paintings. The poetry of egg-laying, in 16 transfixing minutes.

Scenic View

Scenic View

Maija Blåfield // Finland // 2023 // 16:00 min

Documentary, Experimental

Staged scene or reality? Is a bear really just coincidentally sitting here in the primeval Finnish forest eating berries? "Scenic View" destroys the illusion of the wildlife film.

Le Mal des Ardents

Le Mal des Ardents

Ardent Other

Alice Brygo // France // 2022 // 16:13 min

Animation, Documentary

A digitized crowd of stunned onlookers stands frozen: Paris is being burned to the ground, before their very eyes. A nebulous fear spreads, more significant than one's own self. [CW: Rascism]

L' Escale

L' Escale

The Stopover

Collectif Faire-part // Belgium, Congo, Germany // 2022 // 14:30 min

Documentary, Experimental

Filmmakers Paul Shemisi and Nizar Saleh recall a trip to Germany, where they were meant to present their new film, before a layover in Angola devolved into a truly hellish ordeal. [CW: unjust incarceration]