/ WELCOME !

Between 2 and 7 November 2004, interfilm hosted its 20th international short film festival. A total of 3800 films from 91 countries entered to take part in the festival. 500 films from 43 countries were selected.

The competition programme came with fiction, animation, experimental and documentary films. The international competition was composed of 104 films in ten programs, structured by theme. An international jury awarded the 'interfilm Short Awards' to the all over best film, best camera and best animation. Special juries chose the best documentary and the best film 'against violence and intolerance'.

The German competition also focused on local short film productions. In addition, a children's jury chose the best films for kids. And for the seventh time, the public selected their surreal favourites in the 'Long Night of the Unexpected - Eject.'

The Immaginale, the Italian film programme, is another audience competition. The special programme on Italian films represents a competition in its own right for festival guests. The Immaginale was part of the short film festival for the third time already. The prize had been offered by Associazione Culturale Lavori in Corso e.V.

And for the first time ever, a competition for short films made using mobile phones. interfilm Berlin and Siemens mobile invited entries for the prize from young filmmakers worldwide. Mobile phones with an integrated camcorder were supplied by Siemens mobile for the MicroMovie AWARD. Invitations to apply were sent to renowned film schools and select producers all over the world. Besides several European countries, China, Australia, India, South Africa and Canada were among those that took part. 140 films were entered for the 90-second contributions, from which a jury nominated 20 films for the competition.

In order to show off the variety of short films more specifically, interfilm spotlighted productions from Spain, Portugal, Argentina, and Australia in country focus programs.

And as in previous years, other German and international film festivals such as the Cottbus Festival of Eastern European Films, the Némo Festival from Paris or the St. Kilda Festival from Melbourne had been invited with selected pieces.

From a total of 18 Special Programs, 4 are particularly mentionable here: "Music Videos - Ninja Tunes & the Director's Bureau", including clips from Roman and Sofia Coppola, "Oscars in Animated Shorts", with Oscar-winning animation films, "Upside Down", a retrospective of the renowned experimental filmmaker Tony Hill, and "AsiAnima", with a closer look at the growing area of animation production in East Asia. Not to miss were both Super 8 Programs, dedicated to the beginnings of the Festival, which started out as a Super 8 Festival ("Alle Macht der Super 8") in 1981.

What started out 23 years ago as an international festival for super-8s has since become one of the most important film festivals in the world and is the main short film attraction in Berlin and in the Berlin-Brandenburg region.

Outside of the festival in November: interfilm co-initiates the annual subway festival "Going Underground" and the "ZEBRA Poetry Film Award". The monthly short film run "Shorts Attack!" has secured interfilm a place in Berlin's cultural calendar. Selected entries and highlights from the interfilm festival will be presented at the worldwide 'Festival on Tour'. With 5000 short films entered each year, interfilm Berlin acts as a short film promoter, distributor, content agent and network.


Heinz Hermanns,
Festival director
and the interfilm team