Where is the short film today? Lars Henrik Gass directs since 1997, the International short film days in Oberhausen. You talk to him about the Festival and the future of the short film, there are surprising findings.
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63. International Short Film Days Oberhausen
International Competition
That Classical culture and the avant-garde need not be at odds, the Film shows the “horse Tits” by Katrina Daschner. Based on Arthur Schnitzler’s “dream Novella” the Director of the “ambiguity of fiction and reality and the tensions of the left-lived sexual desire of a bourgeois married couple”. The Film is in international competition.
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63. International Short Film Days Oberhausen
The Ruhr area as a meeting place for the avant-garde
The international competition is the focus of the 63. The output of the traditional Festivals that the people are faced with a film format that from the normal cinema of everyday life largely disappeared. And yet, the short film in many places and in many formats: live operating today, especially on the Internet, but also in art, in museums – and, of course, on television.
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63. International Short Film Days Oberhausen
20-year anniversary
This year, the head of the festival’s anniversary celebrations. In 1997 Lars Henrik Gass joined to the top of the event in Oberhausen, Germany. Then, after the short film was already gone from the cinemas, many doubted that he still has a future. But Gass has managed since then to open the Festival of new formats and forms of this genre.
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63. International Short Film Days Oberhausen
Music videos from all over the world
One of which is the introduction of the section’s MuVi (music videos), the Gass in 1999, integrated in the program of the short film days. This year, twelve Videos applying in Oberhausen to prices. Submitted 272. Among the dozen also the Video of the English Director Phil Collins (not to be confused with the musician), who illustrated the music of Welsh singer Cate Le Bon.
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63. International Short Film Days Oberhausen
Strong German participation
Of course, the Festival shows in the heart of the Ruhr area, especially many of the short films of German Directors. There’s a competition to be selected this year, 22 films from almost 1200 entries. In the finals, it has also managed Tim Nowitzki with his Film “La Box”, of the French Box-Olympic team in France and in Eastern Germany.
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63. International Short Film Days Oberhausen
Between Oscar and young
The film young at the NRW competition at the center. There, among other things, “Ayny” of Ahmad Saleh, who won in 2016, the student Oscar in this year 234 productions. Of such award Patrick Praschma, is involved with “Some problems” can dream, so far only. Praschma deals in his Film with the personality determination of adolescents.
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63. International Short Film Days Oberhausen
Images for Kids
A anniversary this year with the short film to celebrate the days. For 40 years, is in Oberhausen, the children decidedly – and youth cinema in focus. 2017 48 productions were selected for the shorter Format, they come from 24 countries. With cinema-grade images from the post “Event Horizon” from Joséfa Celestin is a French-British production.
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63. International Short Film Days Oberhausen
What will the future bring?
The short film is presented today, especially on the Internet. On podiums, but also in film programmes, the international short film festival under the title “Social media before the Internet” with this phenomenon. This show is also Historic, as “Piazza Virtuale” of four media artists. The had already thrown in the beginning of the 1990s, a look in the Computer and Internet of the future.
-
63. International Short Film Days Oberhausen
International Competition
That Classical culture and the avant-garde need not be at odds, the Film shows the “horse Tits” by Katrina Daschner. Based on Arthur Schnitzler’s “dream Novella” the Director of the “ambiguity of fiction and reality and the tensions of the left-lived sexual desire of a bourgeois married couple”. The Film is in international competition.
-
63. International Short Film Days Oberhausen
The Ruhr area as a meeting place for the avant-garde
The international competition is the focus of the 63. The output of the traditional Festivals that the people are faced with a film format that from the normal cinema of everyday life largely disappeared. And yet, the short film in many places and in many formats: live operating today, especially on the Internet, but also in art, in museums – and, of course, on television.
-
63. International Short Film Days Oberhausen
20-year anniversary
This year, the head of the festival’s anniversary celebrations. In 1997 Lars Henrik Gass joined to the top of the event in Oberhausen, Germany. Then, after the short film was already gone from the cinemas, many doubted that he still has a future. But Gass has managed since then to open the Festival of new formats and forms of this genre.
-
63. International Short Film Days Oberhausen
Music videos from all over the world
One of which is the introduction of the section’s MuVi (music videos), the Gass in 1999, integrated in the program of the short film days. This year, twelve Videos applying in Oberhausen to prices. Submitted 272. Among the dozen also the Video of the English Director Phil Collins (not to be confused with the musician), who illustrated the music of Welsh singer Cate Le Bon.
-
63. International Short Film Days Oberhausen
Strong German participation
Of course, the Festival shows in the heart of the Ruhr area, especially many of the short films of German Directors. There’s a competition to be selected this year, 22 films from almost 1200 entries. In the finals, it has also managed Tim Nowitzki with his Film “La Box”, of the French Box-Olympic team in France and in Eastern Germany.
-
63. International Short Film Days Oberhausen
Between Oscar and young
The film young at the NRW competition at the center. There, among other things, “Ayny” of Ahmad Saleh, who won in 2016, the student Oscar in this year 234 productions. Of such award Patrick Praschma, is involved with “Some problems” can dream, so far only. Praschma deals in his Film with the personality determination of adolescents.
-
63. International Short Film Days Oberhausen
Images for Kids
A anniversary this year with the short film to celebrate the days. For 40 years, is in Oberhausen, the children decidedly – and youth cinema in focus. 2017 48 productions were selected for the shorter Format, they come from 24 countries. With cinema-grade images from the post “Event Horizon” from Joséfa Celestin is a French-British production.
-
63. International Short Film Days Oberhausen
What will the future bring?
The short film is presented today, especially on the Internet. On podiums, but also in film programmes, the international short film festival under the title “Social media before the Internet” with this phenomenon. This show is also Historic, as “Piazza Virtuale” of four media artists. The had already thrown in the beginning of the 1990s, a look in the Computer and Internet of the future.
Deutsche Welle: For 20 years, you are the head of the oldest short film festivals in the world. Have you thought at the time, in fact, that 20 years later still interest in the short film could be? Finally, films were short in 1997 a rarity in cinema.
Lars Henrik Gass: I confess quite frankly that I am neither in 1997, nor today, as a specialist for the short film. I am of the opinion that you do not need to even know what a short film. We could as well do something else, the specific claims pursued. Then, in 1997, there were many forces that wanted to preserve the short film, even in its function as a cinema film. It is now, I think, thank God, moved away. It is always a pity that you tried to restore art forms in a very conservative way, and keep it on the market.
I find it much more interesting to look at in which forms of the developed short film. That is why we have facing us at the time, very much the pop culture and especially the music videos. This is, of course, now, after 20 years, is also history. No one is surprised any more about it, that shows music videos at film festivals. That was 20 years ago different. I can remember heated arguments about the question of whether it is opportune, at a music Festival, “entitled” advertising to show films of this kind. But I think that the type of movies and music videos that we have selected, also showed what we mean by this.
Analog film coils versus the digital age: the old film archive of the international short film festival Oberhausen
You have opened the Festival, new developments included new formats in the program selection integrated – what are the main innovations were, in your opinion?
I think the biggest challenge was – and still is – a really very difficult product such as the short film always re-appear alive. And to identify the target groups. This is our main task and the greatest challenge. In certain Genres of film, there is a relatively stable base with professionals, for example, in the case of documentary, animation and of course film festivals. In the area of short film there is a tremendous turnover, with the filmmakers and producers themselves, but also in the area of the professional audience.
Therefore, we have thought in the past few years, about which groups could associate with the short film, and perhaps in a surprising connection. That is why we have also raised more people from the art scene, curators working with Film. So, as we have tried it at the time, with people from pop culture. That is to say: The question of where the short film moves back – we are solid. We want to help ensure that the short film is something that brings the development of the film language awareness.
The legendary culture Manager Hilmar Hofmann once founded the Festival in Oberhausen
Short film = the Internet is today the most common formula, keywords: short films at YouTube? It is an integral part of the program?
This is of course an interesting aspect that has us also very: Namely, the question of whether a film festival is generally all the suitable Format in order to view moving images. We are pursuing a development in the television, especially public television, is faced with the problem that, in a deregulated labour and leisure world people are watching your films, whenever you have the desire and time, and not when they are broadcast. The massive technological and social changes that affect large parts of the society.
We think, however, that film ahead of festivals, the Internet in General, at least two things. One is that Film is a cultural technique, not to use this somewhat well-worn word that consists of only one just the moving image. But the experience in the cinema, in a darkened room and with other people, completely different than alone in front of the screen. This is something that can be a film festival as an attractive offer. If you win this, people, is, of course, on a different sheet.
… and the second reason?
It’s about – it’s often confused with the question of digitization of movie that you think you can save the cultural Film heritage or preserve, that you digitize the films. But movie is not like the Picasso, you can simply scan. If you have to do with the movie, then you need to think about as always the entire culture of technology. The Film begins to exist for us all, if he is on the big screen. Only then can I know him, Yes, sensual. This is what film festivals are very good.
Interfaces: one to The short film festival in 2017, to present an exhibition by Khavn De La Cruz, a Filipino artist and film-maker
The shape of the collectivity of the Whole, so generally speaking, the Form of participation, which is proclaimed always on the Internet, it is very, very rudimentary on the ‘Likes’ and ‘Don’t Likes’ is limited. There is simply a greater complexity in these social spaces and at film festivals, in the theatre …
The are two important aspects of such events is still very attractive. There are also, amazingly, and luckily, always a new audience.
We take a look into the program in 2017 – as the popular question following the Trends, of course. There is the show at the wide range of films?
This is an absolutely legitimate question, with which we are dealing with constantly. However, there are no annual trends. You can’t say: this year is different than last year, because…. It’s always about long-term developments. What we have been saying for many years on the press conferences, namely that the boundaries between film, dissolving of Genres, which is also in the feature-length film, in the meantime, very significantly, this is also in the short film greatly.
A wise head that makes the future of Film and the cinema of thought, here in 2016, on the side of the state Minister for Culture Monika Grütters: Lars Henrik Gass
The certain reasons, because the institutions and the evaluation forms of the Film very greatly changed. This was also in the music videos of the case: In the Moment, as the music television was gone, there was an aesthetic deregulation of the genre, which was also very fruitful. There is, therefore, on the one hand, aesthetic development, which I find very exciting …
…and the short film is subject to a Yes in the Internet age, a new Definition!
The other I find almost more interesting. This is a recent development That there are now very many people – not only in the field of art, but generally in small production units -, not to create your Work at all, with a view to screening in the cinema. There is a kind of – pardon the word – post-cinematographic reality with which one is engaged. That is, the Work is sometimes very, very long, perhaps because they are thought of as a Loop. Because it is not aimed at that, 20 minutes in the cinema, sitting through, but because they are designed for an exhibition and because it’s at a Festival or in a Museum, maybe two minutes of it. The change is also very strong, the dramaturgy of a work. Because it is no longer about the beginning and the end of and a development from point A to point B, no matter of what nature. It’s basically more of a look, can enter a work at any time, whether on the Internet in very short units, or in an exhibition as a Loop. This is also reflected in the Aesthetics of the Work is noticeable.
The interview was conducted by Jochen Kürten.