Guests attending from all over the world praised the fantastic film selection, the great atmosphere, locations, parties and events.
The 80 interfilm programmes (130 screenings) and 14 KUKI programmes (31 screenings) at seven cinema locations were well attended: a new interfilm record was achieved with 19,000 cinema-goers. All the work we poured into creating new event ideas truly paid off and many innovations are set to return in 2014, we're delighted with the overwhelming positive response!
More than 500 guests were accredited, over 200 international and German filmmakers came and more than 300 industry guests enjoyed the festival. This year, attending filmmakers came from 35 countries as diverse as Brazil, Taiwan, Canada, USA, Myanmar, Iran and Tunisia.
Skilled Curators and an Expert Team
Over 500 films from 67 countries in 60 competition and special programmes!
Choosing from more than 7,000 film entries once again proved to be our main summertime buzz: viewing in small teams till we dropped! An abundance of great films were played into curators' hands. In turn, the network of competent programmers stringently brought the mass of interesting films into the sharp and diverse focuses that became the festival.
Practice makes perfect: Every year, many parts of the team are pieced together anew (party staff, volunteers, interns, helpers) and this year's harmonious constellation was perfectly prepared to get everything wonderfully right. Our guests were happy, audiences satisfied and even staff at each of our event locations were full of praise.
New Formats and Popular Events
interfilm loves thematic programmes, carefully composed dramaturgy that creates an arc of suspense, allowing each 90 minute programme to become a complex narrative experience. Seven impressive competitions are our festival flagships.
Our new event formats stood the test: The Sound & Vision experience, where diverse musicians compose new soundtracks for films and perform them live, is now as popular as the cult screening eject, The Long Night of Odd Films. And this year's brand new Best of FullDome-Festival Jena that featured 360° projections at the Planetarium am Insulaner proved to be an overwhelmingly successful spectacle.
Whether at Queer Fever, Bike Shorts, David Bowie, Otto Sander, Dance Films, Metropolis Tokyo or the Social Media programme, or at the Film Quiz, silent movies accompanied by Stephan Graf v. Bothmer on piano, or at the shows from Rigoletti, or Wurfsendungen with renowned actor Florian Lukas, the Viral Video Award or at Swing Shorts, the audience thoroughly enjoyed the huge variety of short film happenings and the incredible festival spectrum.
interForum - the Fringe Programme for Industry Professionals
The platform for encounters, exchange and discussions was taken advantage of by 450 productively inspired attendees. From the cosy "German Kaffeekränzchen" to packed seminars, workshops and panel talks right up to the Australian / New Zealand reception, the first-ever interForum was a total buzzing triumph!
At the Script Pitch competition, thanks to 25p MEDIA GROUP, the British Council and NISI MASA, ten scripts competed for €1000 prize money. Thanks to the extraordinary engagement of the tutors who held the exclusive seminars: Wim Vanacker, Nadja Dumouchel and Tobias Munthte, the ten finalists intensively worked on the projects they then presented at the Script Pitch. The winner was Ina Nikolova from Bulgaria.
Enthusiasm reigned thanks to the diversity of the programme that ranged from small intensive hands-on workshops to seminar groups and screenings right up to large-scale meet & greets. After the master classes, participants often stayed on and continued discussions in smaller groups. Illuminating debates and projects were also held and presented in the panel talks and at Pitch me. - The interForum was a fabulous success that winningly combined further training and networking – a festival in a festival!
Celebrating the Short Film ...
It's all about content! 10 years ago "short film" was still a dirty word. But numerous activities - including those organised by interfilm - have turned things around and given the short film its due place in the film world and increasing public appeal. Many outstanding films - both funny and serious - have elevated the "short" to what it's currently known for: fresh and dynamic filmmaking.
... thanks to our enthusiastic partners!
We're nothing without our partners! Throughout the years we've had faithful partners at our side, boosting the festival and our mission to propogate the short film format. And every year the list keeps on growing. Our sincere thanks go out to everyone who supports the festival!
Once again: A big thank you to all prize sponsors, partners and sponsors!
