Films from Jim Jarmusch, Alejandro Jodorowsky and Pablo Larraín // International guests & 47 premieres // Press conference & accreditation
Some 200 short and feature-length films from 32 countries have been selected for the 29th edition of exground filmfest, to take place in Wiesbaden, Germany, from 11th to 20th November 2016. With a plethora of first time screenings, including eight world, five international, one European and 33 German premieres, exground filmfest once again promises to bring a large variety of films operating beyond the confines of mainstream cinema to the big screen this year. A total of six competitions also offer competitors a chance at cash and material prizes valued at approximately 20,000 euros.
In addition to the film program, festival venues Caligari FilmBühne, Murnau Filmtheater and Kulturpalast will also play host to a diverse supporting program featuring numerous special events from November 11th to the 20th (a full schedule can be found here).
Jarmusch, Jodorowsky, Berben – Indie Star Power on the Festival Screen
Getting a jump on the films’ official theatrical release dates, exground filmfest will be screening the two most recent additions to indie icon Jim Jarmusch’s filmography in the scope of the American Independents series. With PATERSON, a moving outsider portrait of a bus driver and closet poet, the American director has managed to create a literal poem of a movie (see below for details regarding a press screening of the film on Oct. 31st), while his Iggy Pop documentary GIMME DANGER turns up the volume considerably for an engaging look at the proto-punk legend and his compatriots from The Stooges.
The International section also features the most recent works of two further extraordinary directors, this time from Chile. In NERUDA, Pablo Larraín (¡NO!, EL CLUB) tells the story of the beloved Nobel Prize winning poet of the same name. In ENDLESS POETRY, cult director Alejandro Jodorowsky (LA DANZA DE LA REALIDAD) reminisces on the avant-garde scene of the 1940s and 50s in a journey that is by equal turns poetic and mad.
Iris Berben also takes us along on a wild trip into the past in SHOW WHAT YOU LOVE. This documentary from Torsten Stegmann, Frank Göhre and Borwin Richter dives deep into the history of the filmmakers of the “Munich Group” revolving around Klaus Lemke, Rudolf Thome and Dominik Graf. SHOW WHAT YOU LOVE will be vying together with the other five productions in the Made in Germany series for the honour of best film in the brand new competition DAS BRETT. A jury composed of inmates from Wiesbaden’s correctional facility will present the award, endowed with a minimum of 1,000 euros in prize money through the generous support of “Die WERFT – Kulturbühne in der JVA Wiesbaden” (a cultural platform for Wiesbaden’s detention centre).
Bringing People Together - exground filmfest’s International Guests
The exground filmfest team is looking forward to hosting numerous guests in Wiesbaden. In the International series, actress Edwarda Gurrola will present the Mexican relationship drama THE PLEASURE IS MINE. Gurrola plays the university graduate Rita, who lives in isolation off the grid with Mateo, an auto mechanic. Director Elisa Miller’s film is a sensitive portrait of the beginning and end of a great love affair.
Joining the festival from Argentina is Álvaro Urtizberea, one of the two directors of the comedy HORTENSIA. After dealing with the difficult hand fate has dealt her, the film’s eponymous heroine dreams up a guide to achieving happiness based on her adolescence, which includes the chapters “Find a Young Blonde Guy” and “Design the Most Beautiful Shoes in the World”.
The International section is also set to welcome two guests representing the Macedonian thriller AMOK. Director Vardan Tozija will be in Wiesbaden along with his leading actor Martin Giorgosk, who plays an unscrupulous gang leader in the film. AMOK paints a dark portrait of a country caught between corruption and criminality.
The guests from the Hessian documentary film EUROPA – EIN KONTINENT ALS BEUTE, which treats the root causes of the European financial crisis, are sure to provide for an interesting panel discussion. In addition to directors Christoph Schuch and Reiner Krausz, several of the film’s protagonists will also take part in the discussion after the screening, including European Parliament member Fabio De Masi and economic expert and “Mr. Dax” himself Dirk Müller.
The 13th edition of the exground youth days promises to treat its young viewers to exciting stories from a wide variety of countries and cultures as well as numerous special guests, including Iranian director Mehrdad Oskouei, who will be presenting his highly acclaimed documentary STARLESS DREAMS. In his film, Oskouei manages to provide rare glimpses into the otherwise closed world of a “correctional and rehabilitation centre” for young women in Iran.
Director Renārs Vimba, who won the Crystal Bear for Best Youth Film at this year’s Berlinale with his fiction feature MELLOW MUD, will be joining the festival all the way from Latvia. In Vimba’s film, 17-year-old Raya has to reconcile the topsy-turvy ups and downs of first love with her responsibility for her little brother.