FROM BIARRTIZ TO KASSEL: A TWO-WAY EXCHANGE
They cooperate regularly in research, school and vocational training, economic development and culture. Two festivals, FIPADOC and Kassel Dokfest join forces to link the art schools of their towns, the l’École supérieure d’art Pays Basque and the Kunsthochschule Kassel.
This partnership bridges two different teaching approaches: not only by offering students an opportunity to have their work shown outside their respective schools, but also by providing them with a framework within which they can collaborate on shared artistic projects. Workshops are tutored by directors/teachers Sara Millot and Jan Peters. This exchange culminated in a dual exhibition by the French and German students, in both Kassel and Biarritz.
FIPADOC presents At the margin, directed by Sita Scherer Sarah Hüther from Kunsthochschule Kassel, in the New Talent category.
This initiative is supported by the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region and the State of Hesse.
Golden Hercules at China Academy of Art | Hangzhou
By the invitation of Ursula Panhans-Bühler, Festival Director Gerhard Wissner Ventura has reviewed the programs of the last 17 years for the Golden Hercules, to create a compilation for the expo exchange project between the Kunsthochschule Kassel and the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou. The program aimed to showcase the cinematic creativity at the Kunsthochschule Kassel and was representative for the selection process of the Golden Hercules competition.
The two curated programs comprised a total of 32 works from 16 years. All works were created by students of the Kunsthochschule Kassel and were usually produced during their studies and presented on the big screen within the context of the Golden Hercules. The spectrum ranged from animated films to dedicated documentaries and experimental video works to ambitious short feature films.
Of the selected works, 23 films and videos were premiered at the Kassel Documentary Film and Video Festival. Again, five of these productions were awarded the Golden Hercules, two received a honorable mention.
Above all, the selection included films that work without dialogue or conveyed their concerns with little text. The exceptions are the films " Postcolonialism in 30sqm", "Stoneflies" (original title: Steinfliegen) and "The Long Distance Runner" (original title: Der Langstreckenläufer), which provided an indispensable pillar for the content of the programs and have been given Chinese subtitles. Each of the two short film programs could have been be regarded as a feature film: From the first to the last film, a formal and substantive theme was recurrent. But even the spontaneous immersion of the viewer in an exhibition setting was possible for the reception of the individual films.
Above all, the program AGAINST THE NORM addressed personal resistance towards the expectations of society and the family. Numerous works have shown ways to undermine compulsory norms such as uniformity or appearance in order to preserve one's own view of things and life. Many films were inspired by the idea that one should not submit to common everyday rituals and actively oppose the exclusion of others. PATHS OF LIFE started and ended with films that, on one hand, focused on filmmaking and observing lifestyles and, on the other hand, had a strong relation to Kassel. Central to the other works of the compilation was the consideration of different stages of life, from birth until old age. Using various artistic and cinematic means, the foundations and conditions of communication were examined in order to find their own "happy" and fulfilling way through life.
The programs were shown in the museum on the campus of the CAA Hangzhou from 12 to 22 September 2018 in a screening room specifically set up for this event.
Program 1 - AGAINST THE NORM
Es geht auch anders (There is another way)
Germany 2013 / 00:43 Min. / No dialogues
Director: Jan Heise
Ego sum Alpha et Omega
Germany 2005 / 07:00 min. / No dialogues
Director: Jan-Peter Meier
Beyoncé
Germany 2013 / 05:09 min. / No dialogues
Director: Lisa Dreykluft
PINK CUTS PINK
Germany 2016 / 01:53 min. / No dialogues
Director: Alma W. Bär
Altern (Aging)
Germany 2016 / 04:30 min. / No dialogues
Director: Joey Arand
Maria durch ein Dornwald ging (Maria Walks Amid the Thorns)
Germany 2008 / 03:40 min. / German / No subtitles
Director: Frauke Striegnitz
Postcolonialism in 30 sqm
Germany 2015 / 14:30 min. / Spanish, German / English and Chinese subtitles
Directed by: Clara Winter, Miguel Ferráez
X
Germany 2005 / 06:30 min. / No dialogues
Director: Raphael Wahl
Honorable mention Golden Hercules 2005
Trapped
Germany 2015 / 05:04 min. / No dialogues
Directed by: Theresa Grysczok, Florian Maubach
Emily Must Wait
Germany 2016 / 12:00 min. / German, English / English and Chinese subtitles
Director: Christian Wittmoser
Winner Golden Hercules 2016
Hidden Track
Germany 2013 / 06:36 min. / German / Chinese subtitles
Director: Elisabeth Zwimpfer
Cat Sleeping on the Piano
Germany 2009 / 03:20 min. / No dialogues
Directed by: Tilman Hatje, Lukas Thiele
LUCKY
Germany 2015 / 11:00 min. / No dialogues
Directed by: Kirsten Carina Geisser, Ines Christine Geisser
Sperrmüll (Bulky waste)
Germany 2002 / 03:37 min. / No dialogues
Director: Slawomir Elsner
Sog (Undertow)
Germany 2017 / 10:14 min. / No dialogues
Director: Jonatan Schwenk
Winner Golden Hercules 2017
Program 2 - PATHS OF LIFE
Entrissen (wrested)
Germany 2013 / 00:47 min. / No dialogues
Director: Daniel Maaß
documenta Resonanz - Wang Bing
Germany 2017 / 05:11 min. / Chinese, German / Chinese subtitles
Director: Tobi Sauer
Kassel 9.12.
Germany 2016 / 07:51 min. / No dialogues
Director: Arianna Waldner Bingemer
documenta Resonanz - Marina Gioti
Greece/Germany 2017 / 03:38 min. / English / Chinese subtitles
Directed by: Till Krüger, Julia Allnoch
Minecraftolia
Germany 2014 / 07:56 min. / No dialogues
Directed by: Jasper Meiners, Leonard Bahro
Emil
Germany 2014 / 05:08 min. / No dialogues
Director: Martin Schmidt
Winner Golden Hercules 2014
Steinfliegen (Stoneflies)
Germany 2008 / 12:00 min. / German / Chinese subtitles
Director: Anne Walther
Honorable mention Golden Hercules 2008
EMPTY LANDS
Germany 2013 / 15:00 min / No dialogues
Directed by: Benjamin Brix, Steffen Martin, Felix M. Ott
Winner Golden Hercules 2013
From Dad to Son
Germany 2012 / 05:12 min. / No dialogues
Director: Nils Knoblich
The Old Man and the Bird
Germany 2015 / 07:04 min. / No dialogues
Director: Dennis Stein-Schomburg
Tracing Coyotes, a Dog Crosses My Way
Germany 2016 / 03:30 min. / No dialogues / Chinese subtitles
Directed by: Theresa Grysczok, Eeva Ojanperä
Frankfurter Strasse 99a (99a, Frankfurt Street)
Germany 2016 / 05:05 Min. / German / English and Chinese subtitles
Director: Evgenia Gostrer
Honorable mention Golden Hercules 2016
Der Langstreckenläufer (The Long Distance Runner)
Germany 2015 / 15:00 min. / Amharic / English and Chinese subtitles
Director: Zuniel Kim
Winner Golden Hercules 2015
muddle-headed
Germany 2011 / 01:30 min. / No dialogues
Director: Fabian Koppenhöfer
CopyCat Pack 2.0
Germany 2008 / 06:04 min. / No dialogues
Director: Jan Bode
Promised Land
Germany 2013 / 11:21 min. / No dialogues
Director: Julia Charlotte Richter
autoluminescent
Germany 2016 / 03:05 min. / No dialogues
Director: Olga Holzschuh