The 12th Filmfest Eberswalde at Paul Wunderlich Haus will be opened by Nick Brandestini’s “Children of the Arctic”, a Swiss film and the first entry to run in the documentary competition.
The soundtrack to the opening ceremony will be delivered by Christopher Rumble.
Barrow in Alaska is the northernmost inhabited place in the USA. Five teenagers who live there are just as torn by dramatic cultural and climatic change as the region itself is. While they want to become – and are expected to be – modern US citizens, they also feel attached to their ancestors’ ways of living and coping with a landscape that, inhospitable as it may seem, has been their home for a thousand years. Is there a way to reconcile both?
Christopher Rumkble is actually a band featuring Demian Kappenstein (drums, perc, noise) and Vincent von Schlippenbach aka DJ Ill Vibe (loops, vinyl, noise).
Rhythmic, energetic and romantic music.
The Short Documentary, Short Feature and Animated Film categories will each contribute their own opening films, made up into a block.
We’ll be showing:
Fizruk, Altyn Zhana Darya (Short documentary, Kyrgyzstan), Isand (Animation, Estonia), Hvalfjordur (Short feature film, Denmark/Iceland)
Our favourite half-breed Finnish pianist playing his (and Finland’s) most beautiful songs.
The province matters
The Eberswalde film festival has given itself the epithet Provinziale, which says a lot about our programmatic line. We wish to explore the light and dark sides of what we call province and to discuss the future of rural and remote areas. Above all, we want to make decisions not subject to the rules of attention dictated by showbusiness but serving civil society here and now.
Provinziale invites you
We have seen in the last years that film is a perfect medium to achieve this kind of communication. But we want to integrate and invite artists from other genres as well to take part in a debate about meaning and content – referring mostly to visual artists based in the region, although this is not an absolute must.
Artists show us their province – the idea
Every year the Provinziale invites an artist to decorate the entrance area of the Paul Wunderlich Haus for the term of the festival. Each work is self-contained and unique in its approach but may also comment on those of the past. Over the years, we thus want to establish a dialogue between artists. The usable area is fixed, but the artists are free in applying any means and techniques they may choose.
This year, Holger Barthel has accepted the Programme Advisory Board’s invitation to design the gateway to the festival.
Gateway to the province 2015
This year’s gate has been designed to stand its ground against the Paul Wunderlich building’s massive bulk of modern architecture.
The artist’s idea gives a textbook example of how urban and rural environments contrast and collide.
Floating, atmospheric paintings of larger-than-life fruit are bound to surprise the visitors. In addition, they provide a link to the market life on the open square beyond. As a kind of signature, the image motif is superimposed with powerful quotes from Thomas Wolfe’s novel “Look Homeward, Angel”, which eloquently conjure a picture of an American sculptor’s lush garden in the provice (Altamont). The text passage praises the profound meaning that can be found in working, the beauty of a garden and nature’s boisterous power. Naming those elements that are really vital to our existence evokes a love of life which is stronger than the consumerist attitude that so often dominates our lives today.
Holger Barthel
sees himself as a creative artist offering art and design services in the broadest sense.
He graduated in design from Heiligendamm Art College. In 2004 he moved from Berlin to Joachimsthal and opened a workshop and exhibition in the Kaiserbahnhof station building.
Award winners in the international competition will be announced at the end of the festival. The judging panels will award the ‘e’ prize in the categories of documentary and short feature films. The Sparkasse Barnim will hand over their award for the audience’s favourite short feature film. The prize funded by the Eberswalde municipality will be awarded by Mayor Friedhelm Boginski to the documentary which has, in the audience’s opinion, best dealt with the subject of province. Further audience prizes will be awarded in the cathegories short documentary film and animation film.
Freelance musician Steve Heather was born in Melbourne and lives in Berlin. In addition to his various musical projects, he works as a sound designer, composer and performer and roams a range of other genres – dance, film and drama – with natural ease.
Steve Heather (drums, perc, electronics)
The last block of screenings is reserved for the jury award winners in the documentaries and short feature films sections.
Our closing party starts in the Festival Club at 10 pm approximately. Once again, we have invited the Time Tunnel Orchestra for a live karaoke show. Everybody have a try and sing along!
