Filmforum Shorts 2: Signs of Life

Beginning and end, past and future. The search for traces of life, and for the traces life leaves behind. Animated, documentary, and experimental worlds are an invitation to see and to hear. A Lot Happens If Nothing Happens Germany 2024, 9 min., no dialogue R: Karsten Wiesel, Kristine Tjørgersen K: Karsten Wiesel P: Astrid Schmeling, Worldpremiere The tracks of the old harbour railway have not been travelled for many years. Overgrown and hidden in the dense greenery, they form a mysterious corner of the world that stretches along the rusty tracks in the middle of the unassuming city. It's a microcosm with its own rules and laws, tones, sounds, and noises. A collaborative image-sound composition, created in collaboration with the ensemble L'art pour l'art. Papillon Germany, IT 2024, 18 min., ital., germ. (mòcheno) ov, germ. st R: Francesca Bertin B: Max Sänger K: Leonhard Kaufmann D: Ilaria Di Carlo (Alice), Vincenzo Tosetto, Stefano Marchel P: Francesca Bertin, Fünferfilm Worldpremiere A bear escapes; hunting parties go searching for it through a northern Italian valley. Bear M49, also known as "Papillon", is loved and feared, a myth and a projection. People at the local inn are sceptical. How did he get away, they ask Alice the biologist, who's here to track him. The search leads from the lab into the wooded mountains. Butterfly Maneuvers Germany 2024, 7 Min., without dialogue R: Gor Margaryan P: Gor Margaryan German Premiere Old, private film footage of fighter planes, delicate shots of butterflies in various stages of development, and a spherical sound collage combine to create an impressive film experience and a thought-provoking reflection on war, destruction, and the fleeting beauty of life. Factory Drop Germany 2024, 15 Min., without dialogue R: Petja Pulkrabek B: Petja Pulkrabek K: Monika Plura, Tobias Meik D: Anne-Marie Warburtan (Mia), Preslav Mantchev (Juri) P: Jana Pulkrabek, ManusArts In a dystopian future, there are those who live in luxury and those whose everyday lives are reduced to grey monotony and routine. Human interaction isn’t allowed in the factory with the din of the machines. A coincidence brings music and hope to this world, awakening the desire for freedom. Created in collaboration with the dance ensemble Freie Tanzkompanie Kiel. Zoopticon Germany 2023, 29 Min., engl. ov, engl., germ. st R: Jon Frickey, Thies Mynther, Sandra Trostel B: Jon Frickey, Thies Mynther, Sandra Trostel, Christoph Mathieu P: Sandra Trostel, Fairy Bot Productions W: Square Eyes Loaded with cultural and biological artefacts, the spaceship Zoopticon was sent out as Earth’s ambassador and has been flying alone in space ever since. An incident brings some of the valuable cargo to life and now five mutated animals populate the Zoopticon. A stylishly animated, colourful space-pop opera full of references, songs, empathy, and confidence.