Whether it’s about sculpting one’s own body, staging a market compatible farmer
identity, about nerve wrecking relationship work or about the erotically charged fascination for
a mountain – the four films in the program THE IDEAL IMAGE investigate processes of image
making, of picturing and of imagining. A world-class bodybuilder meditates on his sport as a
form of art; a young filmmaker is looking for the most marketable way of presenting her family
business online; a living painting talks of demystified relationships and a photographer
searches for a teacher.
Bodybuilding and action film icon Arnold Schwarzenegger is interviewed by an art historian. During the Mr. Olympia contest “Arnie” talks his work on his body as an artistic practice: When one's own physicality becomes material, the bodybuilder turns into a sculptor. In her art installation “Sculpting the Body” filmmaker Babeth VanLoo presented Arnold Schwarzenegger as a living work of art: some of the poses were reminiscent of Rodin’s The Thinker. In this short film she reanimates the original recordings in a new cut.… >>>
- Director: Babeth M. VanLoo
Fritz detests change. Despite challenges posed by price dumping, droughts and digitalisation, he keeps running his small farm as he always has. Unlike Fritz, his daughter Amelie doesn’t want to accept the status quo and tries to improve the financial situation of the farm. In search of a second source of income, she begins selling stock footage video clips of everyday farming life. Even though her dad, brother and sister-in-law are not exactly fond of cameras, production starts smoothly. But just when things are looking up, the family comes to realize: no matter where, whether online or offline, business invariably functions according to someone else’s terms and conditions.… >>>
Premiere:
World Premiere
Nominated:
A38-Production Grant Kassel-Halle
A woman and a man pose for a portrait, he on the left, she on the right, sitting upright, in elizabethan garb with stiff collars and pointy shoes. What comes across as a detailed reconstruction of a painting of an aristocrat couple changes its tone once its subjects start to speak. ICH SCHENKE DIR EIN LÄCHELN investigates the mechanisms and strategies that are inscribed in relationships over the course of time.… >>>
Premiere:
World Premiere
- Director: Carolin Schmitz
A few times a year, a beautiful phenomenon called Diamond Fuji occurs when the rising or setting sun aligns with the peak of Mt. Fuji, causing Mt. Fuji to shine bright like a diamond.
Fascinated with that promise, Sasha departs on an expedition to Japan, driven by a question of whether Diamond Fuji can be seen with a naked eye or if it’s just an optical illusion that can be seen only through the camera lens. At the foot of Mt. Fuji, Sasha encounters numerous amateur photographers, and the Master Ohyama-Yukio, who has been photographing Mt. Fuji for over 40 years. Sasha gradually shifts his lens towards those behind the cameras, trying to reflect his own fascination through local photographers, interactions with nature, and his small digital camera.… >>>
Premiere:
Europe Premiere
