Editor

The entire festival went online: 10 November - 13 December 2020

270 short films in 30 programs complete with introductions and selected Q&As accessible in Germany via the Berlin streaming platform SOONER.

The interfilm festival pass is available on SOONER 

We had intended to show over 350 short films by creative young filmmakers and professionals from all over the world on the screens of nine Berlin venues. But during this current period of "soft-lockdown", we are holding on to our vision with the cooperation of the Berlin streaming platform Sooner.de and will present all of the short live-action fictions and animations, exceptional documentaries and politically relevant stories online at interfilm.de/sooner.

The central focus is on the competition programs, from the International and German to the Documentary and Environmental Film competition. The Foreign Focus is dedicated to Polish filmmaking in 4 programs, while one extra program explores the cinematic treatment of post-colonialism.

The first phase of the online offer from 11 to 22 November focuses on six thematic special programs, the Eyes Wide Open Online Award with films concerning the environment and justice as well as the live-recording of the Sound and Vision event in which nine musicians and bands perform new compositions for nine short films at the Volksbühne Berlin.

In keeping with its customary tradition, interfilm combines the entertaining with the challenging in its 36th edition and offers a showcase of international short film production with thematically incisive programs. The official festival status continues to be upheld: The juries of the competitions will reach their decisions in their respective home offices, prizes will still be awarded and the OSCAR® and FFA relevance, so significant for many filmmakers, will remain valid even in this digital realm.

INTERFORUM, interfilm's section for further training, exchange and discussion will also operate digitally and present most events via zoom. Exciting masterclasses, panels and talks will thus remain part of the program, and registration takes place via email: interforum@interfilm.de. And KUKI, the Festival for Children and Youth had in any case planned to stream directly to classrooms and kindergartens. All KUKI programs can be booked here until the 18 November!

The most important thing, according to Festival Director Heinz Hermanns, is "now, in the name of all those involved in the cultural sector in this crisis, to promote the short form as a medium, an artistic expression and, in general, as a cultural and creative good". The sponsors and partners of the interfilm Festival have supported our decision to move everything online and especially as our usual 20,000 visitors will be unable to attend cinema screenings, it was essential for everyone involved to share in the enjoyment of watching films online. In order to support the cinemas, 20 percent of Sooner and interfilm's income will go to the festival cinemas that were originally scheduled for this edition.

The online program:

Wed 11 Nov - Sun 22 Dez

Online Award

Eyes Wide Open - 10 films

Special programs

Berlin Beats - 8 films
Arab Shorts - Metropolis Beirut - 9 films
Queer Fever - 7 films
Reality Bites - 7 films
China New Talents - 7 films
Girls* Riot! - 7 films

Event

Sound & Vision - 7 films - starting 16.11.

Mon 23 Nov - Sun 29 Nov

Documentary Competition

Home: Unknown - 7 films
Body Politics - 10 films

German Competition

Stadt - 7 films
Land - 5 films
Fluss - 6 films

Green Film Competition

Breathe! - 13 films

Eject

eject _XXIII - The long night of weird shorts  - 21 films

European Short Film Audience Award

European Short Film Audience Award 1 - 5 films
European Short Film Audience Award 2 - 3 films

Mon 30 Nov - Sun 6 Dec

International Competition

Animated 1 - Exploding Images - 11 films
Animated 2 - Weird Worlds - 9 films
Encounters of Another Kind - 7 films
Staying Alive - 7 films
Sex & Confusion - 8 films
Exit Strategies - 6 films
Curiosities - 8 films
Confrontations - Changing Perspective - 6 films
Confrontations -  Out of Control - 7 films

Focus on Poland

New Polish Animation - Passions & Desires - 12 films
New Polish Animation -  Beyond Imagination - 11 films
New Polish Shorts - Mixed Feelings - 5 films
New Polish Shorts - Turning the Tables - 6 films

Focus on Postcolonialism

Collective Memory and Personal History - 6 films

Mon 7 Dec - Sun 13 Dec

KUKI 13 - International Short Film Festival for Children and Youth Berlin

Competition Program for Children aged 4+ with presenters, fun & games and filmmaker Q&As
Competition Program for Children aged 6+ with film talks and filmmaker Q&As
Competition Program for ages 14+ with film talks, guest teenage curators and filmmaker Q&As

About Sooner

Sooner is a European streaming service and offers on the flipside of mainstream a wide range of award-winning films, successful series and exclusive creative documentaries. The Berlin based platform showcases the works of renowned directors as well as new exciting titles by authentic, up-and-coming talent. The library comprises a broad selection of films and series as well as shorts and documentaries from the independent and arthouse landscape.