Experiencing Germany

Hof is a city in Upper Franconia with 50,000 inhabitants. Every year for 43 years now it has been transformed for a few days into an understated Mecca for international filmmakers. Heinz Badewitz, Director of the Hof International Film Festival, tells us about his hometown.

Mr. Badewitz, you founded the Hof International Film Festival back in 1967...

Well, the festival wasn’t actually founded in that sense. It all began as a way for young filmmakers to sort of help themselves. We simply needed to show the films we had made. At the time I was living in Munich like a lot of other filmmakers. It was the capital of the new German cinema then. But we couldn’t find theaters to run our films. The owners always told us they didn’t want anything to do with us “long-haired gorillas”.

So how did you end up deciding on Hof?

I come from Hof. I knew a theater owner there and he let us use his space. It was a coincidence. But it was brilliant from the very beginning there. In 1967 we featured a 2 1/2-hour program of short films. The theater was full – 300 people in their Sunday best. That’s how it was back then. After the films we went to the swimming pool to continue our discussions. At the time nobody seriously thought it would actually continue. But in the years that followed the festival sort of grew spontaneously based on the demand of filmmakers – Wim Wenders, for example, called me at three in the morning and said: “Heinz, I’ve finished a film.” It wasn’t until the 10th year that I knew it would be a consistent event.

Is there anything that visitors absolutely should not miss in Hof?

There are some very nice walks, sort of in the footsteps of the writer Jean Paul, from the town square in Joditz to the castle square in Hof. The path beautifully shadows the Saale River. The landscape in general is just lovely around Hof. The city is nestled in hilly countryside between the Franconian Forest, the Ore Mountains and the Fichtel Range. It’s a great place to go for hikes.

And in the city itself?

St Michael’s Church and the Hospitalkirche church are worth seeing. You know, Hof is not really blessed with antiquities. A large part of the city burned down in a fire in 1823. And Hof was also a Biedermeier city. That means it has a lot of beautiful interiors but the houses often look pretty similar from the outside. That’s pretty democratic, but it is also why one first sees the true beauty of the city upon second glance.

Which spot is your personal favorite?

When I’m here I’m sort of everywhere and nowhere. In Theresienstein, the oldest peoples’ park in Germany, you can go for a nice walk, or go drink a coffee and have a piece of torte at Jean Paul Café.

Wim Wenders once said that for him, “Hof is the Home of Films”.

Yep, and Werner Herzog once said, “Hof is like the sitting room of German film.” Hof is the place where filmmakers most like to spend their time.” The festival is now 43 years old. The entire history of new German cinema happened in Hof, along with the history of international independent film.

What is it that international filmmakers who come to Hof like about it?

The atmosphere and the close contact with the public. There are no bodyguards. Everyone is free to do what they like. There is also no main program or alternative program, no pigeonholes. Famous and unknown directors are together in one program. We have been able to preserve that atmosphere of the 1960s and 70s. Hof is still a festival by filmmakers for filmmakers – and of course for the public.

Are the people of Hof a good audience?

Excellent! They’re superb. A very thankful and knowledgeable audience – as well as very engaged. Many people from Hof that don’t live here any more even come back for the festival to either work with the organizers or just watch the films.

Hof was one of the former German border stations. Can you still feel that?

Hof profited quite a lot in the first few years after the Wall. People from the east came to shop here. In the first days and weeks after the opening of the borders the town’s population would double during the day. It was unbelievable.

But like other border towns in the former west, Hof has the problem that all state funding ended up going to the former east. Many local companies moved to Saxony and Thuringia to profit from the tax incentives. Hof is still suffering from that. The city didn’t deserve that.

The Signs of Fame Park in Hof is a pretty large collection of street signs from all over the world.

Well, that’s not really my style. But if people like it …

Do people get itchy feet in Hof?

No, we’re already pretty far out in Hof. I can’t imagine that people here dream of Canada or Bali. You’re just here and you like it.