Student films at the 44th Max Ophüls Preis Film Festival
20 students from Motion Pictures went on a excursion to the festival Max Ophüls Preis- and two from them tell about their experience.
An entry by Agnes Alves Olivo
Tuesday, February 28, 2023
Motion Pictures
The 44th Max Ophüls Preis Film Festival – a mesmerising experience
A gray, cold and rainy day in January. A good time to sit in a dark, warm and cozy cinema at 9:50 a.m.. Although yesterday’s evening was long and a bit exhausting due to all the great conversations with other filmmakers at Lola’s Bistro, I somehow find myself comfortable in the cinema when the feature film “Tamara” by Jonas Walter appears. I immerse into her exciting world while I start to forget my tiredness. For me, a small childhood dream comes true: Watching thrilling movies in the cinema all day long, and that three days in a row!
For the first time after the Corona pandemic, the Max Ophüls Prize film festival for young German-speaking films is held again in presence. There were a total of 18 awards for young filmmakers at its 44th edition, with a total prize money of 118,500 Euros.For me it is the first time at the film festival! Together with 19 fellow Motion Pictures students from different semesters, I got the amazing opportunity to receive an accreditation to the festival with accomodation for the entire period, which was financed by the Hochschule Darmstadt. My personal highlight at the film festival was definitely the Austrian feature film „Breaking the Ice“ (2022) by Clara Stern (writer and director). The film is about Mira, the captain of an ice hockey team named „Dragons“ – being on ice makes her able to forget her worries about her grandpa with dementia and the never-ending work at the winery for a while. She faces the daily pressure with toughness and discipline, but when the new player Theresa joins the team, her rigid worldview is challenged. The women fall in love and Mira finds the courage to take her life into her own hands. The film received three awards: Best Screenplay, Socially Relevant Film and the Youth Jury Prize. Director Clara Stern shared in a video message: „Just having the German premiere at this special festival was an insane gift. And now to receive an award means very, very much to me.“The long days and little sleep absolutely paid off. In addition to interesting short, mid-length and feature-length films of different genres, I also participated in inspiring panels, such as „Beyond Diversity Trends – how sustainable are we in the industry?“, in which experts from the industry with a migration background talked about their experiences and approaches to solutions.I can only recommend all filmmakers to visit the Max Ophüls Preis Film Festival and encourage them to submit their own films. This year, for example, the short film drama „Manchmal will ich schreien„ by Vanessa Rösgen (writer and director) and Christoph Manderscheid (camera) from our course at the Hochschule Darmstadt was shown in the Short Film Competition. Also the LGBTQIA* short film drama „Weil ich Leo bin„ by Tajo Hurrle (script and directing) and Marius Kast (camera) from our course was shown in the guest program „Filmreif!“ Bundesfestival Junger Film.Small tip: At the Max Ophüls Preis Film Festival, you can expect a huge and challenging offer of films, panels and so on! It’s tempting to want to take in as much as possible, but plan rather breaks in between to take a breath, and to process the new impressions and experiences you’ve gained.
The main crew from „Weil ich Leo Bin“: Patrick Büchting (producer), Marius Kast (cinematographer), Tajo Hurrle (director and writer) and Eline Weßkamp (production coordinator) at the festival.
The crew from „Manchmal will ich schreien“: Vanessa Rösgen (director, writer and producer), Jakob Bauer (editor), Christian Schuler (sound assistant), Jennifer Nedin (set designer) and Eline Weßkamp (continuity und make-up artist).
