Closing Feature: "Aller Retour" + Winner Announcements

+screening of winning music video

ALLER RETOUR

directed by Dorothée Van den Berghe

Belgium//85min//Germany Premiere//Focus: Belgium

Truck driver Erika catches a transmigrant (Idy) jumping out of his hiding place in her truck. The ensuing confrontation escalates to such an extent that Erika has no choice but to save Idy's life and take him back on board against her will. Since Idy has been wounded in the foot, and she feels somewhat responsible for this, they are dependent on each other during their trip to southern Spain.

Feature Film: “Ama Gloria”

written & directed by Marie Amachoukeli

France //84min//Berlin Premiere//Focus: France

*This film will be screened in French with English subtitles.

*Cannes Film festival , Critic's Week, opening movie coming to Berlin

Six year old Cléo loves her nanny Gloria more than anything. When Gloria must suddenly return to Cape Verde to care for her own children, Cléo makes her promise that they will see each other very soon. Gloria invites Cléo to her island and the two must make the most of their last summer together.

Review: https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/442148/

Feature Film: "In Case You’re Still Around"

directed by Talia (Tulik) Galon

Israel// 63min// International Premiere//Focus: Israel

& Short Film: “Now I Am Old and Do Not Need the Moon”

directed by Dasha Bough

USA// 11:35min//International Premiere

*Both films are screened in their original language with English subtitles.

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MORE ABOUT THE FILMS:

Feature Film: "In Case You’re Still Around"

Not everyone has time to die, Yaeli had.
That time she used to dive headfirst into the depths of the soul, and take a long clear look at life and parting from it. She bequeathed this sober look to Mia and Rani, her daughter and her partner, who continue their lives after her.

Short Film: “Now I Am Old and Do Not Need the Moon”

In a small Roma village deep in Moldova, an old woman named Daria lives in fear of the Russian-Ukrainian war at her doorstep. Mischievous kids, watchful babushki, and stray dogs surround her. Alone in her hut, she contemplates love, the Soviet Union, and the tragedy that derailed her life as a young woman. Her television set fills the silence.

Feature Film: Until Branches Bend

written and directed by Sophie Jarvis

Canada// 98min//Berlin Premiere//Focus: Canada

*The film will be screened in English (Original Version).

Robin is a cannery worker who struggles to get an abortion. When she finds an invasive insect in a peach at work, she turns her focus towards proving to her community that the danger it poses is real. As her obsession alienates her from friends and family, she sinks deeper into her task. Until Branches Bend is a psychological drama about how trouble beneath the surface will always come to light.

Feature Film: “Sweet As”

directed by Jub Clerc

Australia//88min//Focus: Australia

*This will be be screened in English (Original Version).

*Chrystal Bear at Berlinale 2023

In remote Pilbara country in Western Australia, troubled 16 year old Indigenous girl, Murra, finds herself abandoned after an explosive incident with her drug fuelled mother. On the cusp of being lost in the ‘Child Protection’ system, an unusual lifeline is thrown her way by her uncle Ian, the local cop, in the form of a unique Photo Safari. Before Murra knows it, she is careening down a dusty highway with a minibus full of ‘at risk’ teens and two charismatic team leaders. Will this be the lifeline Murra needs or a catalyst for her demise? An uplifting coming-of-age road movie about unconventional friendships, first crushes and finding who you are on the road less travelled.

Review: https://www.screenhub.com.au/news/reviews/sweet-as-review-uniquely-australian-2607727/

SWEET AS is the only feature film to have shot in Karijini National Park – an iconic area known

for its spectacular gorges, dramatic waterfalls and colours ranging from pindan red-orange

to jade green water. Jub took a small crew on a filmmaking adventure, descending down

vertical rock canyons to film the gorges from the inside, capturing a breathtaking world of

swimming holes, ancient rock formations and towering waterfalls

Short Film Programme: “Relationships: People & Nature”

*All films are shown in their original language with English subtitles.

*This screening is followed by a Q&A with attending filmmakers.

Programme Description:

The festival weekend kicks off with all kinds of questions being asked in relationships between people, but also between nature and humans. How to handle problems best? Talking it all through or keeping silent? When a defiant, guttural scream meets the torture of complete silence, it becomes clear that these characters are together alone, all fighting their own battle. But as humans we often think our problems are above everything, which is why the second part of this programme is a call from nature, reminding us that our relationship to earth is no less important.

“Nothing can dim the light which shines from within.” – Maya Angelou

FILMS- OVERVIEW:

Part 1: People

Ma Lina - Ydalie Turk (South Africa) - 14:07min

Ma Lina is a drama about grief and the complicated relationship dynamics between two young girls and a domestic worker, in post-apartheid South Africa.

Infinite Jest - Mirella Drosten (Germany) - 4:06min

The family looks happy from afar. But if you look closely, you'll see, that every individual is fighting their own battle.

Slaps - Angela Chen (USA)- 1:30min

The mysteries of love and relationships boiled down to 90 seconds.

Bruise - Mo O'Connell (Ireland) - 15:13min

From the outside it looks like Heather has it all, but then the cracks begin to show. Heather is dealing with a serious situation of coercive control, domestic and sexual abuse. After a particularly harrowing incident at her house she manages to escape, she runs outside and screams but nothing comes out. She continues her journey and she faces a situation of sexual violence followed by being harassed by a stalker. Surrounded by the support of women she mets along the way, Heather faces her husband, who is now in front of her and she screams at the top of her lungs. This time the scream is deafening. It is a defiant, guttural scream.

Secure - Zoé Kugler, Jana Dünner (Switzerland) - 7:48min

In the powerful short film "seCURE," sexual violence and its aftermath are explored through the captivating perspectives of four survivors. Through expressive dance and poetry, their inner world is unveiled, depicting their search for safety. As they navigate a seemingly comforting yet lifeless environment, the key held between their fingers becomes a guiding symbol. Ultimately, the film conveys the profound journey towards finding safety within their own bodies.

Silence Kills - Mariam Harutyunyan (Armenia) - 7:30min

In a world where communication is prized, Maya's silence becomes her prison. But when she ventures into a world of extroverts, her emotions breach the boundaries of reality, revealing a realm where silence can wield a deadly power.

The Visit - Katharina Sporrer (Germany)- 9:01min

Nina has been clean for a year and wants to make amends to her sister Lisa, who has always been by her side. Lisa lives alone with her daughter, after having been left by her partner. Nina wants to apologise for endangering the child, but Lisa struggles to forgive her. What we come to find out that the daughter is actually Nina's and the danger an unspeakable crime.

Part 2: Nature

The Elusive Purpurea Vulpavis - Michèle Kaye (Canada) - 9:09min

A supposedly eco-friendly tour company is guiding tourists through a wooded area with the hopes of glimpsing an elusive, critically endangered animal.

Mother of the Forest- Lea Hejn (UK)- 12:23min

The Mother of the Forest ~ Curupira ~ is the story of a powerful Amazonian goddess told through the voices of the Borarí people from the heart of the forest in Pará, Brazil.

Sentient Souvenirs - Pearl Elizabeth Marley (USA) - 17:17

An educational, short documentary that explores tourist-shop hermit crabs and how detrimental, widespread and unregulated the hermit crab industry really is. Are we humans able to put an end to this?

“Female Perspectives- Diverse experiences in the current film industry”

When? Oct. 7 at 4pm
Where? Kino Moviemento

With the occasion of the anniversary edition of the Female Filmmakers Festival Berlin, WIFT and FFFB have teamed up to invite experienced women from the film industry to share their diverse experiences.

Expect an insightful and inspiring discussion with director & screenwriter Kerstin Polte, acting agent & producer Caprice Crawford, actress & screenwriter Sandra Maren Schneider, as well as film and commercial director Angela Chen. This panel is hosted by the popular actress & voice over artist Lara-Sophie Milagro.

For all attendees, there will be a networking opportunity at the Kino Moviemento Lounge after the panel with drinks at the FFFB festival bar.

*This panel will take place in English.
*Registration is required via Eventbrite (seats are limited).

TICKETS via Eventbrite:
https://bit.ly/458d3Uy

#filmberlin #berlinevents #berlinfilm #berlinfilmfestival #femalefilmmakersfestivalberlin #berlin #wiftgermany #WIFT

Music Videos & Films + Experimental Films:

*All films are shown in their original language with English subtitles.

*This screening is followed by a Q&A with attending filmmakers.

Programme Description:

Friday night calls for a bit of excitement and unexpected surprises. How about some unique music videos & films paired with experimental and animated, international masterpieces? Dive into a world of togetherness, end of the world vibes, bittersweet goodbyes, secret confessions, artists in crisis type of moments that ultimately make us feel alive. Get ready for the ride and stick around to get some answers from the creators themselves after the screening.

FILMS/MUSIC VIDEOS & FILMS- OVERVIEW:

Connected Through Cypher - Loubna Doudouh, Arman Marvani (Germany) - 5:09min

Looking at social conflicts, we observe that people talk more about each other than with each other. A cypher works against this with a circle of changing protagonists in the centre who communicate on equal footing. The film transfers the cypher from the field of dance culture to social questions of living together, offering a form for exchange and togetherness.

Michikusa - Nalani Williams (USA)- 4:05min

"Michikusa" is an animated allegory set in a surreal and hellish landscape made of skin and bone. Man and nature battle for dominance in the unending cycle life and death - or something in between.

We are the Earth - Zoé Rose (France) - 5min

In a world crushed by pollution, conflicts, eco anxiety, alienation of the individual and fear of the future, a human being is lying down, hopeless and surrounded by shadow. Yet, anger and refusal of the disaster to come will ignite in him/her - and in us all - a flame of life, carrying the hope of a better tomorrow.

Spirits in the city - Joanna Vymeris (UK) - 3:04min

Trapped in a house taken over by ominous masked ghosts, a man sings and a woman dances, both longing for freedom.

The Best Lines- Claudia Barral Magaz (Germany) - 2:45min

‘The Best Lines’ is a cinematic music video filmed in 16mm. Tells the story of two lovers who see each other after 10 years, bringing back old memories. A bittersweet farewell as she watches love fade.

Because I wanted you to know - Irene Pantelis (USA)- 2:29min

Drawing an erotic scene from the Sun Temple of Konark, I felt the urge to wash away the drawing, to somehow get rid of the guilty pleasure of consuming an image so explicit and so belonging to a different time and culture, but as I poured the water and the inks begun to float, a different moment and story unfolded.

Innocence- Anouchka Djurdjevac, Paola Cardone (Switzerland)- 4:32min

"Innocence" is the culmination of a long journey of resilience and survival in the face of violence and trauma

Two One Two - Shira Avni (Canada) - 4:10min

Two One Two, by award-winning filmmaker Shira Avni, combines shimmering clay on glass animation with personal archives in this deeply intimate, experimental animated documentary love letter to motherhood, parenting on the spectrum, and two headed monsters everywhere.

Corazon Patio - Aida González (Spain) - 3:45min

This is the two previous minutes before our director's last play. He'll try to say goodbye to all his inner ghosts, demons and heroes, that always have being his best company. This is the innocence's farewell, the final goodbye.

Tango Heart - Bárbara Fdez (Spain) - 4:24min

The quartet from Bilbao recovers this song, so important in the musical panorama of northern Spain, with energy, vitality and optimism. The story tells of a couple of grandparents facing fear, loneliness and the onset of a new disease such as Alzheimer's disease.

The Call - Leanne Vink (Netherlands) - 3:29min

The story of ‘The Call’ is about a woman surviving hard times, but when she sings the melody of the chorus a magical tribe of women+ start dancing and this sisterhood sends power to her. The Call’s music video showcases fantastic visuals that portray the primal strength women+ have when they unite, connected in nature.

Ida's Song - Birgit Kajtna, Carolin Bremer (Germany) - 6:56min

The Dehmelhaus in Blankenese serves as the backdrop for a cross-genre music video inspired by contemporary documents by Ida Dehmel, an important cultural mediator. The electropop artist KUOKO translates the content into her individual musical language, referring to the current topicality. The music video was created in cooperation and with the support of the Dehmelhaus Foundation and promotes the formation of feminine networks as a necessary matter for women in the cultural sector.

The Weenies - Garance Chagnon-Grégoire (Canada) - 13:25min

Philomène and Carolanne are the anti-capitalist feminist punk-rock group « The Weenies ». After a fiery argument both their friendship and their highly (un)anticipated gig are put at risk.

On Track- Hanna Plass (Germany): 19:24min

Hanna Plass is both musician and actor – and is constantly asked to decide: „What are you anyway?“ Her music short On Track dares to be more than an answer. It lovingly celebrates the piece of fact that as an artist one doesn’t have to decide at all, but be whatever one wants to be!

Feature Film: “Once Upon the time in the future: 2121”

directed by Serpil Altin

Turkey// 92min//Berlin Premiere//Turkey Focus

*Turkish with English subtitles

*This screening will be followed by a Q&A with the director.

In the future, the earth becomes uninhabitable due to climate crisis and famine. The few survivors form colonies and start to live in underground blocks.

According to «The Scarcity Laws of the Young Administration» which controls this system, old generations must be destroyed in exchange for new lives. The life of a family that lives in one of the blocks is changed by a new baby they are expecting.

“The best way to predict the future is to create it." (PETER DRUCKER)

“Acting Career- Reloaded”

In this intimate session we get to the heart of what makes an acting career successful these days. From mindset to acting training up to personal branding.

How can an actress set herself apart from the competition and carve her own unique path in this competitive and fast-paced business? We invite two successful actresses, who both found their own unique ways to build their careers while empowering other female talents. Join us for tips and tricks and bring your questions.

Panelists:
Mattea Cavic
Inken Paland

*This panel will take place in English.
*Registration is required via Eventbrite (seats are limited).

More about the panelists:

Mattea Cavic is an actress, content creator and acting coach. She grew up in Vienna as the daughter of a Serbian violinist and a Slovenian Russian professor. After graduating from high school in 2010, she spent a year in Paris and then studied art history and theatre, film and media studies at the University of Vienna. In 2013, she began her acting studies at the State University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart and successfully completed them in 2017.

She moved to Los Angeles and attended the master class of Ivana Chubbuck (acting coach of Brad Pitt, Halle Berry, Charlize Theron, Beyoncé and many more) for several months. She was then personally trained by Ivana Chubbuck as a Chubbuck Coach and founded the Chubbuck Studio Berlin together with her colleague Angelina Berger. In addition to her work as an actress, speaker and Chubbuck coach, she is also known as a video creator on TikTok and Instagram. Mattea Cavic lives and works in Berlin and Vienna.

Find out more about Mattea:
https://www.matteacavic.com/
IG & Tik Tok: @matteacavic

Inken Paland is a creative and philosophical mind who uses the medium of film as a form of expression to visualize the world. She loves to transform moments, ideas, memories and states of mind into stories - be it on screen or in social media. Inken studied Social and Business Communication at the University of the Arts in Berlin and is currently in the final stages of her graduation film - a documentary about the power of silence.

As an actress, she is an ensemble member of “Femsemble” and has been in front of the camera for many years. On TikTok, Inken started educating young people about the acting and film industry almost a year ago. She also talks about topics that are often avoided, such as one's own mental health in acting.

Find our more about Inken:
https://www.dbagency.co.uk/talent-female/inken-paland

Tik Tok: @inkenjean
IG: @inkijean & @visiblestories_

*This session will be moderated by Katerina Russman.

TICKETS via Eventbrite:
https://bit.ly/460Oc6h

Short Film Programme: “Mothers”:

*All films are shown in their original language with English subtitles.

*This screening is followed by a Q&A with attending filmmakers.

Programme description:

Motherhood is not always what people assume. Sometimes it can be overshadowed by dark secrets, insecurities or too much intimacy. Watch these brave mothers and their kids opening up to each other, find similarities or finally have the courage to let go.

“Sometimes the strength of motherhood is greater than natural laws.” – Barbara Kingsolver

FILMS-OVERVIEW:

The Other Road - Jennifer Steinman Sternin (USA) - 16:09min

An unexpected encounter at a motel swimming pool may hold the key to redemption for a young runaway mother and a free-spirited older woman, both of whom have a shockingly similar secret.

Clinging - Liat Glick (Israel) - 19:28 min

Lia is a 47-year-old single woman who has a symbiotic relationship with her mother. The nearing death of Natasha, her beloved old dog, causes Lia to become anxious about her future life without Natasha and without any children of her own.

Two One Two - Shira Avni (Canada) - 4:10 min

Two One Two, by award-winning filmmaker Shira Avni, combines shimmering clay on glass animation with personal archives in this deeply intimate, experimental animated documentary love letter to motherhood, parenting on the spectrum, and two headed monsters everywhere.

Neve - Alessia Buiatti (Italy) - 13:56min

A mother and daughter take a road trip to an unknown destination. It is winter. The mother is tired and hopeless. The daughter films everything with an old Video8. They go up to the Dolomites leaving behind a pain as white as snow.

Of Cats & Daughters - Elda Sorra (Germany) - 18:00 min

Adea loves playing soccer with the boys and wearing short sports pants. However, her mom disapproves and forbids her to do so. Real girls don’t play football neither walk around dressed like little dudes. To escape her mother’s aggressive outbursts, she finds comfort in her granny’s loving companion. When one day Nona falls dead in the garden, Adea loses her one and only ally.

You Are Each Solitary Moment - Wen Li, Kai Guo (China) - 16:00 min

A summer afternoon, the mother’s sudden visit triggers some deep buried issues between her and her daughter. Homosexuality is a subject that would never be brought up between the mother and the daughter. As the daughter keeps questioning her mother, her mother finally reveals a well-kept secret. The conversation at the end of this scene is a goodbye from the woman to her mother, it is a cry from a lonely heart. To this protagonist, her mother is her each solitary moment.

My Mother Is A Prostitute - Nwamaka Chikezie (Nigeria) - 23:02 min

“My Mama na Ashawo” is a meditative film about a subject matter that very few people have tried to encapsulate in some form or another. The film was created in a way that every word spoken and every scene was carefully considered and delicately woven into the foundation of truth that underlies the entire piece.

Feature Film: “Why Chickens Don’t Fly” (German with English subtitles)

& Short Film: “"The first Sunday after the First full Moon" (Lithuanian with English subtitles)

*This screening will be followed by a Q&A with the director.

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MORE ABOUT THE FILMS:

Feature Film: “Why Chickens Don’t Fly”

Directed by Naira Cavero Orihuel

Germany- 77min// Berlin Premiere//Focus: Up & Coming German Film Talent

An unexpected encounter with a stranger jolts young single mother Marlene out of her unsatisfying everyday life. Fueled by the
provocative dynamics of her new friend, Marlene plunges into the unknown. But in her search for freedom, fragmentary images from
Marlene's childhood come to the fore more and more often,
reawakening her repressed childhood trauma.

Short Film: "The first Sunday after the First full Moon"

Directed by Greta Griniūtė

Lithuania// 14:58min//Germany Premiere

When London-based DJ Egle returns to native Lithuania for an Easter celebration, she finds herself facing more than just the music.

SHORT FILM PROGRAMME: “Identity”:

*All films are shown in their original language with English subtitles.

*This screening is followed by a Q&A with attending filmmakers.

Programme description:

Sometimes all it takes is a little vacation to find yourself or in some cases a trip to a remote monastery in the Bach Ma mountains of Vietnam is needed. Disillusioned, half-asleep or grief-struck, these strong protagonists fight their way through life in the never-ending search of their true identity and something we all need more of these days: hope.

“How many cares one loses when one decides not to be something, but to be someone.” Coco Chanel

FILMS- OVERVIEW:

Vegas - Anna Wheeler (Canada) - 10min

A disillusioned artist- turned taxi driver picks up an unassuming stranger and things take a dramatic turn when it is revealed not everything is as it appears. Vegas is a coming of age dramedy, wrapped inside a neon-noir urban mystery.

You never talk about your dreams - Sarah Foulkes (Canada) - 11:58min

After falling asleep during a therapy session, Helen struggles to compose herself as she prepares for Cate, her next patient, who despite her affability proves to be more challenging than Helen expected.

Fifty-Four Days - Cat White, Phoebe Torrance (UK) - 17:20 min

When tragedy strikes, a spirited young woman turns to wild swimming in search of answers. By swimming each day at dawn and forming an unlikely friendship, she learns to accept her grief and the grief of those around her.

Bach Ma - Darlene Huynh (Canada) - 19:55min

A woman decides to step out of her modern life and journeys to a remote monastery in the Bach Ma mountains of Vietnam, where she lives alongside a group of stoic monks. Her silent struggle to adapt to the peculiar setting leads her to a wholehearted search for something worth believing in.

Remember Me - Aila Stefansdotter-Franck, Linnéa Duran, Elin Örneholm (Sweden) - 14:21min

Isabelle is suffering from a severe eating disorder and has a history of anorexia. One morning she sneaks out for her usual compulsory training and runs further and further into the forest. The destructive thoughts consume her and she trains harder and harder until there is nothing left. When she lies down, all the emotions come. She moves through the mossy area, processing everything through dance until childhood memories consume her.

A little vacation - Eva Tavares (Canada) - 17:07min

After a suicide attempt, a young woman is admitted to a psych ward where she finds reprieve from the real world only to be released without a tangible way to move forward.

Now I’m old and do not need the moon - Dasha Bough (USA) - 11:35min

In a small Roma village deep in Moldova, an old woman named Daria lives in fear of the Russian-Ukrainian war at her doorstep. Mischievous kids, watchful babushki, and stray dogs surround her. Alone in her hut, she contemplates love, the Soviet Union, and the tragedy that derailed her life as a young woman. Her television set fills the silence.

Feature Film: “Wolf & Dog”

by Cláudia Varejão

COMING OF AGE, LGBTQ+, DRAMA, (Portugal) - 111min// Berlin Premiere//Focus: Portugal

*Portuguese Original with English subtitles

Ana was born in São Miguel, an island ruled by religion and traditions. In between Luis, her best friend who loves dresses as much as pants, and her friend Cloé from Canada, bringing with her the glowing days of youth, Ana embarks on a journey filled with new desires. Wolf and Dog is the enchanting ode to the island's queer community where the twilight glow crosses the immense Atlantic Ocean.

Review: https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/429733/