The Festival
The Kurzfilm Festival Hamburg is one of the most renowned and important European short film festivals. Since 1986, more than 400 films have been screened each year. The festival brings together cinema, exhibition, performative works, concerts and discourse. It shows films that react to the world in loud and sparkling, quiet and poetic, wild and calm ways. This way, selected programmes present the whole range of courageous, experimental and artistic films. Film makers, industry and audiences celebrate the short form together.
THE SHORT FORM
“The short form deals with aesthetic, societal and political questions in a radical and independent manner. It is a societal seismograph and offers a stage for tomorrow’s cinematic auteurs. Short films react quickly and freely to everyday life and reality. They are as manifold as the dreams that move the world. The film makers intervene in the public discourse and thus actively take position.” – Maike Mia Höhne, artistic director.
THE PROGRAMME
The three competitions of the festival, the International Competition, the German Competition and the Triple Axel present a distillate of the contemporary global short film scene. The selections’ range includes all possibilities of the cinematic language: Hybrid documentaries are presented next to essayistic experimental films, animations run side by side with classical narrative films. The Contemporary Laboratory section is conceived as a place for reflection of current issues. Invited artists and curators contemplate contemporary issues, conditions and commentaries in lavishly arranged curated programmes. These film programmes offer the basis for controversial, driven and forward-looking discussions. The Forum offers accompanying deepening rounds of talk in which the curators alongside guests from art and society further engage with the subject in discourses. In addition, there will be plenty of additional screenings, audio-visual art in the Open Space, performance, open-air screenings and concerts which turn the festival into a party. In cooperation with the Filmförderung Schleswig-Holsten, industry organizations and media partners, the festival also offers a platform for advanced training and industry networking.
THE YOUNG AUDIENCE
The Mo&Friese Junges Kurzfilm Festival Hamburg is a part of the Kurzfilm Festival Hamburg and dedicated to young audiences between the age of 4 and 18. The festival presents several contemporary and relevant short films in its international competition programmes. Film makers, audiences and trade professionals have a chance to get into conversations at several events. Furthermore, film workshops help to familiarize children and young adults with aspects of film making. You can find out more about Mo&Friese here: moundfriese.shortfilm.com
THE NUMBERS:
- More than 400 short films from over 40 nations are being screened.
- Among them, over 150 films run in seven competitions.
- The juries and audiences award more than 15.500 € in total prize money.
- Mo&Friese awards prizes worth a total of 3000 €.
- The festival plays host to ca. 200 film makers from over 25 countries in addition to 400 trade visitors.
- Over 15,000 visitors attend roughly 100 programmes and events in six different cinemas, the festival centre and open-air screenings.