Preparations for the 33rd Dresden Film Festival are in full swing – even if the impression in the almost lonely office is different, as almost everyone works from home. After all, the 2,700 or so films that have been submitted for the competitions in April by filmmakers from over 100 countries have to be viewed.
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No break-ins in submissions
Festival director Sylke Gottlebe is pleased that the number of submissions has not slumped, something only a few short film festivals have seen so far: “We are totally happy because we thought there was a corona dent, a production dent caused by the crisis. Perhaps it will come next Year, but the short film is a bit faster, more spontaneous, more creative anyway. The cinema production might be more likely. ”
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Gottlebe and her co-boss Anne Gaschütz are members of the national and international selection committees. Gaschütz has seen around 16 or 17 Corona films so far and has taken a special perspective during this time: “At least I now watch the films like this: Was the film made under Corona conditions. Sometimes it’s just that they are with Mask running around the area, but the film doesn’t even touch the topic. I’m happy about that, because there is no point in looking at all of these isolation films, which are often very similar. ”
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Special programs on DEFA directors and diversity
The special programs are also put together parallel to the competitions. These include the continuation of the DEFA series on women directors and a three-year focus on diversity, which this year will focus on historical and current films on political activism. Everything as always, one would think – despite the corona pandemic. And Gottlebe also confirms that she sometimes actually forgets the circumstances in the planning, preparation and research. New contacts have also developed over the past few months.
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The festival has grown, even in this time of crisis. This year we have two new film awards, one for a critic and one for political commitment. It is donated by the State Center for Political Education and so the program flourishes, even under exceptional conditions.
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Festival under Corona conditions
Nevertheless, Gottlebe and Gaschütz and their team are preparing for a second Corona edition of the festival. Whereby they perceive the digital offers that were inevitable last year as an enrichment from today’s perspective.
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For example, with the hybrid version of the 2020 Film Festival, it was possible to connect almost all directors in the international competition to the cinemas via video call, thus enabling film discussions with the audience. The extent to which this can be continued in the future, however, is always a question of money, emphasizes festival director Gaschütz: “If we get little money, we have to make a decision: what is the most important thing for us that we want to make available to people online? We have to prioritize. Is it about giving the filmmakers the space – which is the main concern of a festival? Or do we want to put two discussion rounds online for the audience? Because every broadcast naturally costs money. ” This was applied for in the federal government’s economic stimulus program “Neustart Kultur”, but the funds have not yet been approved.
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Financial uncertainty
Otherwise, the financial situation of the festival is anything but certain, because budget decisions are still pending for both the Saxon Free State and the city of Dresden – two important donors. But when it comes to that, Gottlebe and Gaschütz are confident.
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More headache is the question of whether the film festival can even take place in April in view of the current Corona situation. As in the previous year, a postponement is also up for debate, perhaps to summer or again to September.
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We can’t wait until April 12th and then decide whether we have the film festival or not. We have to make a decision sometime at the end of January or beginning of February, will we now prepare for April or do we have to see how we might do it differently.
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What will probably not happen under any circumstances: that the Dresden Film Festival goes completely online. Because apart from the immense costs that this would entail, it wants to stay true to its reputation, namely that it is a public festival – and that belongs in the cinemas.
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