In line with this being the 72nd edition of the festival, 72 films were screened in the main programme this year. These included films from Singapore, Indonesia, North Macedonia, Pakistan, Kenya, Congo, Nepal and Lebanon. This also makes the IFFMH an important platform for countries whose films are hardly ever seen in German cinemas. 23 of these films were screened as German premieres. Nearly 100 guests from all over the world attended the festival. These included Hollywood star Jack Huston and this year’s guests of honour: cinematographer Agnès Godard, to whom the HOMAGE was dedicated, and writer-director Nicolas Winding Refn, who received the Grand IFFMH Award. The presentation of these honours was accompanied by master classes in which the audience was able to gain an in-depth insight into the work of both filmmakers and ask questions of them. Further guests included director Wei Shujun from China, this year’s Locarno winner Ali Ahmadzadeh and German actors Lars Eidinger, Antje Traue and Hanna Hilsdorf.
This year, the IFFMH counted 25,607 audience members in the cinemas, 1,668 users of the IFFMH Stream and 5,690 attending the supporting events, including panel discussions, performances, exhibitions, master classes, concerts and other events. The festival thus welcomed a total of 32,965 attendees. The 425 accreditations were also a new record for the IFFMH.
Festival director Sascha Keilholz said: “We couldn’t be more satisfied with the 72nd edition of our festival. We not only matched the high level of recognition and appreciation that audiences, the press and the industry showed in previous years; we were able to surpass it yet again. The concept involving the new lounges and the supporting programme in the Stadthaus Mannheim and the Karlstorbahnhof Heidelberg was extraordinarily well received. This has enabled the IFFMH to enhance its status as a forum for the arts in the metropolitan region. In addition to the Cutting Edge Talent Camp, events organised by the AG Filmfest, the Hauptverband Cinephilie, the Baden-Württemberg Festival Network, the Rhine-Neckar Film Association, CinEuro and others were held, allowing the IFFMH to re-establish itself as a place where the industry meets. In addition, we are especially pleased that we were also able to send an important political message. We are thus very optimistic about editions to come.”
The 73rd IFFMH will be held from 7 to 17 November 2024. |
