Berlinale Spotlight: Berlinale Shorts in Iran and South Asia

For a number of years, the Berlinale has been presenting specially curated programmes outside of the festival period under the title Berlinale Spotlight. Berlinale short films will be shown in various Berlinale Spotlight programmes in Iran and South Asia.

For the first time, the Tehran International Short Film Festival (November 10–15, 2019) will present a Berlinale Spotlight: Berlinale Shorts. The programme, consisting of four short films, will be presented by Simone Späni, a member of the selection committee. In her presentation, she will talk about the Berlinale Shorts profile, the selection process, working with the short film format, and answer audience questions.

Starting in November, Berlinale Shorts will also present a series of short film programmes in the South Asian region. Thanks to a long-time collaboration with the Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan Kolkata, new Berlinale Shorts films have been travelling throughout India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan since 2015. Berlinale Spotlight: Berlinale Shorts in South Asia consists of four short film programmes that will be shown at various festivals in the South Asian region this year and next year.

“Short film has always had a special significance within the Berlinale. It captivates viewers with its radical complexity in both content and formality. The works overcome boundaries, genre conventions and established patterns of thought. Berlinale Spotlights in Iran and South Asia invites audiences to discover the diversity and artistic innovation of Berlinale Shorts,” comments Anna Henckel-Donnersmarck, head of the Berlinale Shorts competition.

Programme for the Berlinale Spotlight: Berlinale Shorts at the Tehran International Short Film Festival:

Planet ∑ (Planet Sigma), dir.: Momoko Seto (France 2014), 12 min. Wunschbrunnen (Wishing Well), dir.: Sylvia Schedelbauer (Germany 2018), 13 Min.
Prendre feu (Catching Fire), dir.: Michaël Soyez (France 2019), 26 min.
Le Tigre de Tasmanie (The Tasmanian Tiger), dir.: Vergine Keaton (France 2018), 14 min.

The Berlinale Spotlight: Berlinale Shorts in South Asia comprises four short film programmes that will be presented at various festivals starting in late November 2019 and continuing into 2020:

“Beyond the well-known” - Experimental Films

Omarska, dir.: Varun Sasindran (France 2018), 19 min. – Berlinale Shorts Special Mention 2019
Umbra, dir.: Florian Fischer, Johannes Krell (Germany 2019), 20 min. – Golden Bear for Best Short Film 2019
It has to be lived once and dreamed twice, dir.: Rainer Kohlberger (Germany / Austria 2019), 28 min.
RISE, dir.: Bárbara Wagner, Benjamin de Burca (Brazil / USA / Canada 2018), 20 min. – Audi Short Film Award 2019

“Exploring attractions” - Queer Mix Berlinale Shorts & Generation

Héctor, dir.: Victoria Giesen Carvajal (Chile 2019), 19 min.
Entropia, dir.: Flóra Anna Buda (Hungary 2018), 10 min. – TEDDY Award Best Short Film 2019
Yulia & Juliet, dir.: Zara Dwinger (Netherlands 2018), 12 min. (Generation)
Lidérc úr (Mr. Mare), dir.: Luca Tóth (France / Hungary 2019), 19 min.
Four Quartets, dir.: Marco Alessi (United Kingdom 2018), 11 min. (Generation)

“Me, you and all of us” - Short Fiction Films

Leyenda dorada (The Golden Legend), dir.: Chema García Ibarra, Ion de Sosa (Spain 2019), 11 min.
Mot Khu Dat Tot (Blessed Land), dir.: Pham Ngoc Lan (Vietnam 2019), 19 min.
Suc de síndria (Watermelon Juice), dir.: Irene Moray (Spain 2019), 22 min. – Berlin Short Film Candidate for the European Film Awards
Prendre feu (Catching Fire), dir.: Michaël Soyez (France 2019), 26 min.

“Character paintings” - Animated Films

Lidérc úr (Mr. Mare), dir.: Luca Tóth (Hungary / France 2019), 19 min.
Kingdom, dir.: Tan Wei Kong (Singapore 2019), 5 min.
Blau, dir.: David Jansen (Germany 2017), 15 min.
Kaputt (Broken – The Women’s Prison of Hoheneck), dir.: Volker Schlecht, Alexander Lahl (Germany 2016), 7. min.
Splash, dir.: Shen Jie (PR China 2019), 9 min.
Wunschbrunnen (Wishing Well), dir.: Sylvia Schedelbauer (Germany 2018), 13 min.