Short Film Ready - Meniscus Damage

In the course of realising their visions, many film-makers over-reach the limits of their financial and psychological means. This is a well-known phenomenon. Lesser-known is the fact that the main actor in "D'You Really Wanna Know?" paid for his performance with his meniscus - short film-making can indeed be a painful process, but this usually makes the results all the better.

While we are on the subject of what trends, tricks or other distinguishing features - if any - are apparent in films produced by the domestic scene this year, it looks as if this year's favourite is the omnipresent, not to be ignored: "fade to black".

The films which made it into this year's programme only have one feature in common - their length (or rather lack of it - 20-minute productions are the exception.)

To present engaging stories and technical innovations, to convey locations and get brilliant ideas across - it all takes time. (The main task for the Institute for Sensible Abbreviation - if it ever actually makes it off the drawing-board - will undoubtedly be to tackle the problem of feature films being so-o-o long...)

Short films take everyday life and - frankly - get straight to the point. Cases in point include: the first clumsy attempts at approaching an object of desire as featured in "Pretty Naked", the first genuine experience of desire in "Siemensstadt" and the abstruse acting out of Alpha-male elevator politics in "Going Down".

A peculiar collection of animals take the leads in several animated shorts: for example, the snails and their ballet in "Rhapsody In Fish Minor", and Biber and Iltis with their short, sharp debate on the subject of "Democracy". And if proof were needed that the German short film is not only in full bloom but also creeping and crawling its way to even greater heights - we recommend "Hessi James". The film has already been awarded this year's Student Oscar and therefore also a nomination for a genuine Oscar in 2002.

An endearing documentary essay which looks at the passage of time, "How Time Flies", also made it into this year's programme - check out the delightful use of a fly-swatter in this film. In addition to the films mentioned here, a further 16 works have been packed into three programmes containing the most intelligent mainstream and the best experimental films available.

There are already loads of short films to be seen at the cinema. The only thing is - they are almost all adverts. Our small selection of contemporary German short films shows that there's still plenty of room for a whole lot more life on the big screen. Look! There! Right in the space before the main feature comes along.

MADE IN GERMANY 1

Saturday, 2nd June 2001, 10 p.m., Metropolis
Thursday, 7th June 2001, 5.30 p.m., Zeise1

1. Gone Underground
Su Turhan, Germany 2000, 9 Min., 35 mm, color, ohne Dialog, Short fiction
2. Abwärts
Gerhard Tietz, Germany 2000, 6'30 Min., 16 mm, s/w, dt. OF, Short fiction
3. Immer mir
Sylke Enders, Germany 2001, 14'55 Min.,16 mm, s/w, dt. OF, Short fiction
4. Wie Zeit fliegt
Sigrun Köhler/Wiltrud Baier, Germany 2000, 11 Min., 35 mm, color, hohenloh. OF m. dt. UT, Dokumentarfilm
5. Passion Fatale
Alla Churikova, Germany 2001, 4 Min., 35 mm, color, dt. OF, Animation
6. Siemensstadt
Felix Randau, Germany 2000, 15'10 Min., 35 mm, color, dt. OF, Short fiction
7. Covered with Chocolate
Ansgar Ahlers, Germany 2001,1 Min.,35 mm, color, engl. OF, Animation
8. Hydronephrose
Dirk Gerbode, Florian Klos, Germany 2001, 9'44 Min., 16 mm, color, dt. OF, Short fiction
9. Demokratie
Carsten Strauch, Piotr J. Lewandowski, Germany 2000, 3 Min., 35 mm, color, dt. OF, Animation

MADE IN GERMANY 2

Sunday, 3rd June 2001, 5.30 p.m., Zeise1
Friday, 8th June 2001, 3.00 p.m., Metropolis

1. Kann ich was abhaben?
Klaus Reinelt/Johannes Kaßenberg, Germany 2000, 15 Min., Betacam SP, color, DM 15000, ohne Dialog, Fotoanimation
2. Der Pilot
Oliver Seiters, Germany 2000, 6 Min., 35 mm, Dolby Stereo Digital, color, engl. OF, Short fiction
3. Beziehungsabend
Jan-Martin Scharf, Germany 2000, 3 Min., 16 mm, color, dt. OF, Short fiction
4. The Day Slows Down as it Progresses
Thomas Bartels, Germany 2000, 13'30 Min., 35 mm, color, ohne Dialog, Essayfilm
5. Spanische Galeere
Frank Henne, Germany 2001, 3 Min., Betacam SP, color, dt.OF, Animation
6. Das Ende des Krieges
Andi Rogenhagen, Germany 2000, 13'47 Min., 35 mm, Dolby Stereo Digital, color, dt./franz. OF m. engl. UT, Short fiction
7. Oberstube
Sebastian Winkels, Germany 2000, 6 Min., 35 mm, color, ohne Dialog, Short fiction
8. Das Taschenorgan
Carsten Strauch, Germany 2000, 11 Min., 35 mm, color, dt. OF, Short fiction

MADE IN GERMANY 3

Sunday, 3rd June 2001, 8.00 p.m., Metropolis
Thursday, 7th June 2001, 8.00 p.m., Zeise2

1. Rhapszódia in Fish Minor
Marcus Bauer, Matthias Hoene, Germany 2000, 5'30 Min., Betacam SP, color, ohne Dialog, Animation
2. Wilde Ehe
Kathrin Feistl, Germany 2001, 13'45 Min.,35 mm, Dolby SR, color, dt. OF m. engl. UT, Short fiction
3. Die Büste
Eva Sütterlin, Germany 2001, 8'10 Min., 35 mm, color, dt. OF, Short fiction
4. Militärisches Sperrgebiet
Bernd Lange, Sibylle Baier, Germany 2000, 4'30 Min., Betacam SP, Dolby Stereo, color, dt. OF, Filmgedicht
5. Die Wurstverkäuferin
Stefan Hillebrand/Oliver Paulus, Germany/Schweiz 2001, 20 Min., Betacam SP, Dolby Stereo, color, dt. OF m. engl. UT, Short fiction
6. Hessi James
Johannes Weiland, Germany 2000, 6 Min., 35 mm, Dolby Stereo Digital, color, hess. OF, Animation
7. Fast nackt
Birte Meesmann, Germany 2000, 9'55 Min., 35 mm, color, dt. OF m. engl. UT, Short fiction
8. Germany Year 00
Emil Stang Lund, Norwegen 2000, 11 Min., 35 mm, color, dt. OF m. engl. UT, Short fiction