Authors in Conversation
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We continue our series in support of artists and authors during the pandemic with a group of young filmmakers who have recently produced award-winning short films: Jannis Alexander Kiefer with
Meeting, Daniel Theiler with
Top Down Memory, and Borbala Nagy with
Land of Glory. They will be joined by Brandeis alumn Benedikt Reynolds, ‘19, founder of Boston Student Film Festival.
Land of Glory
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A school somewhere in Hungary. An ordinary literature class with unextraordinary, indifferent students. It feels like a normal day, except that the Hungarian Prime Minister is about to visit. The school secretary, the mastermind of the ceremony, tries to keep everything under control, especially the celebratory cake, which doesn’t fit in the fridge. While the cooks struggle to fix the problem, 17-year-old Márti, who is supposed to greet the Prime Minister on stage, hesitantly prepares her little rebellion.
Director: Borbála Nagy
Germany, 2020, 27 min.
Hungarian with English subtitles.
Festivals: Max Ophüls Prize, Saarbrücken 2020, Filmfest Dresden 2020, Achtung Berlin 2020, Cologne Short Film Festival 2020, Poitiers Film Festival 2020, Premiers Plans Angers 2021.
Awards: Best Medium-Length Film, Achtung Berlin 2020; Third Jury Award & Audience Award, Cologne Short Film Festival 2020; German Short Film Award 2020
Meeting
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3 minutes before the online meeting: The welcoming joke is well thought out, the bottle is neatly tucked into the underwear and the internet connection is premium - what could possibly go wrong?
Director: Jannis A. Kiefer, Germany 2020, 08:40 min
Awards: German Short Film Award / Deutscher Kurzfilmpreis 2020 - **Winner** Best Live Action Film under 10 minutes
Top Down Memory
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The work deals with the manipulation of history in the context of the reconstruction of the Berlin Palace (“Humboldtforum”). Starting from the confusions surrounding an alledged proclamation of a socialist republic from one of its balconies in 1918, the film examines other political events that occurred on balconies. Reenactments of iconic political and cultural events on the original balcony raise questions about authenticity and manipulation. Who is writing our history? How do we deal with our past? How does collective memory work? The balcony is the central motive of the work, representing hierarchies and power politics.
Experimental Documentary Short, Germany, 2020, 12 min.
Director/Screenplay/Producer: Daniel Theiler
German with English subtitles
Festivals: Stuttgart Filmwinter 2021
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