interfilm 2019
5. - 10. November 2019
Record attendance and high spirits! interfilm is happy to have enthused 23,000 visitors for the 450 short films in the 60 programmes of the 35th festival edition. More than 1000 interested people saw the six programmes dedicated to "30 Years of Peaceful Revolution - Fall of the Wall" and KUKI delighted 9000 children and teenagers. We were particularly pleased that the big events in the grand hall of the Volksbühne - including Opening Night, "Eject" and "Sound & Vision" - were sold out, as were "Virtual Reality" in the dome of the Zeiss Planetarium, the Award Ceremony and many other programs in smaller and larger cinemas.
The atmosphere was just incredible, with 500 accredited guests who ensured a productive exchange and international flair. Throughout the six festival days visitors were able to experience the fruits of a successfully organised festival. And Festival means celebration! The films were celebrated and the filmmakers present were the stars of the week, inspired by one another and captivated by the festival crew. Festival sponsors had fun, Berliners were able to immerse themselves in new realities within the wonderful worlds of short film and the cinemas located in several Berlin districts also enjoyed the extraordinary kick of the short.
What a great team! During the weeks of preparation for the festival, when everyone is at the limit of their resources, it became clear what "festival" actually means: to work together. And then, when it all starts, everything becomes a rush: films, filmmakers, conversations, inspirations, community and merciless organisational pressure merge into an intense experience alongside the filmmakers and audiences. Suddenly everything becomes one. While we can now emphasize that the team behind interfilm in 2019 was once again a dream team, one nevertheless needs to ask whether this is also appreciated externally, beyond the mediocre salaries or even voluntary work. The answer - while nodding to all the many smaller festivals - is a resounding yes and no. A big thank you to our sponsors! But there is a gap between logo-phobia, press ignorance and funding scepticism between the punching of the everyday work-clock at 6pm and the kind of event preparation that goes way beyond that hour. And only those who really attended the event will be able to confirm that it was brilliant. Theoretically, festivals are a luxury in the appendix of neocapitalism, but in practical terms, they comprise exactly the kind of pulsating life that is so often talked about when the so-called reality, with all its richness of diversity is under threat, as it is now.
There were parties too. They were wild and beautiful. And we are already looking forward to the next festival edition. Especially since we know that we have the opportunity to use all the short films to bridge the gap between social neurotic developments and humanity. - Be part of the movement!
