Different, controversial, dialectical

Deframed is different: New things emerge freely and associatively, traditional NoBudget films mingle with visual arts and media fads. The festival’s experimental competition admiringly and entertainingly analyses, updates and reconfigures.

Deframed is controversial: This is where extroverted queer customers present their firecrackers, private recordings greet treasures from the archives, memories lose themselves in a time lapse, patching meets camp binges and digital snippets salute the analogue film.

Deframed is dialectical: A discursive get-together and come-together of film makers, audience, curators and presenters in changing positions and with different perspectives.

Deframed’s six stunning programmes present 33 international short films hoping for reactions from the audience and the jury. The films compete for the Jury Award (2,000 euros), which is chosen by a jury of three, and the Audience Award (1,500 euros).

Filmauswahl Sarah Adam, Pierre Bagieu, Anja Ellenberger, Anna Feistel, Sandra Lösel, Felix Piatkowski

The name speaks for itself: The variety of audio-visual works presented in the Deframed Competition does not follow any pre-defined aesthetics, norm or trend. Deframed cherishes and promotes new forms of audio-visual expression and is characterized by its particular aesthetics, located somewhere between verve, protest and utopia. Traditional NoBudget films intermingle with visual arts and hybrid mash-ups, creating a diverse variety of contemporary moving image practice.

Due to its ingenious, collective and unconditional approach Deframed seems to be –depending on the individual perspective – sometimes more, sometimes less problematic. An enfant terrible to some, singular to others.

The result of this year’s selection process is a multilingual cacophony of oscillating dissonances that widen our horizon. Following the eclectic paradigm of the competition one can discover sparkling sensations, intensely debated debuts, and loved and hated knockouts. 

The current Deframed universe contains glitchy experimental films contrasting with hand processed black and white observations of the muffled resonances and undertones of everyday life. Lecture performances find themselves next to CGI animation and socio-political poetry is shadowing the formation of protest on screen. Flickering sarcastic commentaries conspire with resilient images, interdisciplinary analysis leads to surprisingly new configurations, individuals emancipate themselves from oppressing and discriminating characterizations and newly arranged narratives challenge predominant discourses creating bright visions for our future.

Deframed contextualizes all these diverse and divergent artistic practices, it celebrates aesthetics and discourse, on and off the screen. Producers, film makers, spectators and programmers turn into active agents and take on different positions and perspectives, they reflect, criticize and inspire. This challenges us to face (contradicting) emotions, to discuss different points of view, to encourage others, to celebrate love, and to hopefully change the world.

Text Sarah Adam

Film selection Sarah Adam, Pierre Bagieu, Anja Ellenberger, Anna Feistel, Sandra Lösel, Felix Piatkowski