Focus on ANNA VASOF at Independent Film Festival Athens 2023

Anna Vasof builds machines and constructs mechanisms, always in search of the essence of cinematographic movement, she creates surreal body-object hybrids or bangs her head against columns or walls in various world cities to explore their sound. With always a lot of humor, Anna Vasof undertakes investigations into the illusion machine that is cinema. The Independent Film Festival Athens (March 2-5, 2023) is now dedicating a comprehensive retrospective to the media artist: IFFA 2023

The cinematic work of Maria Lassnig in a comprehensive show at the Anthology Film Archive in New York

"For Lassnig, film was by no means just a pastime or an excursion into low or popular culture. Like other 20th century artists, she embraced film as a unique means of expression. As the artist herself put it, while it is only ever the final layer of a painting, that is, the ‘finished’ image, that remains, film allows the unfolding of time itself to be depicted, frame by frame, film image by film image. Yet Lassnig’s film work is hardly just ‘painting in time’…. Her work reflects her engagement with the medium, its history, and its narrative techniques, ranging from Hollywood cinema via American independent film and animation all the way to television."

Filmprogram Anthology Film Archive
Book launch: MARIA LASSNIG: FILM WORKS (FilmmuseumSynemaPublikation)
Maria Lassnig at INDEX-edition for streaming and purchase

"ANQA" by Helin Çelik and "De Facto" by Selma Doborac @ 53rd Berlinale Forum

sixpackfilm is very happy to announce two more world premieres at the upcoming Berlinale: With ANQA, Helin Çelik achieves a delicate approach to three women in Jordan, each one a survivor of male violence. Her film "does not tell the stories of these women, but outlines their post-traumatic situation in striking, poetic film images."
Selma Doborac's De Facto deals with perpetration – in the form of a "realistically arranged chamber play" with two dramatic figures, and based on witness and survivor testimonies, court verdicts, whistleblower confessions, and the like, on the textual level.

Links to -> ANQA and -> De Facto play dates.

We congratulate the filmmakers and their teams on their selection and look forward to the Berlinale. Hope to see you there!

Mo Harawe gewinnt International Grand Prix in Clermont-Ferrand

Mo Harawes Erfolgsgeschichte setzt sich fort: WILL MY PARENTS COME TO SEE ME gewinnt den International Grand Prix des Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival! 

Herzliche Gratulation an Mo, aber auch allen anderen Gewinner:innen!

© Baptiste Chanat

HAPPY DOOM by Billy Roisz in competition at Berlinale Shorts

sixpackfilm is very pleased to announce that HAPPY DOOM by Billy Roisz will be part of the line-up of Berlinale Shorts at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival (February 16-26 2023).
HAPPY DOOM is an "audiovisual poem, an ode to color frenzy and vertigo. The screen a vibrating membrane simultaneously spewing and swallowing colors and noisy beats - a hypnotic deformed circumpolar psychedelic short trip".
Billy Roisz is a filmmaker, musician, performer. She has already presented her films zounk! (2012), darkroom (2014) and THE (2015, co-directed by Dieter Kovačič) in the Berlinale Shorts competition. In 2021 she has received the Austrian Art Award for Film.

We would also like to share the good news that VALIE EXPORT's short Lust (1986) will be shown during Critics' Week (February 15-23 2023).

Six films from sixpackfilm celebrate premieres at the International Film Festival Rotterdam 2023

No less than six new films will celebrate their international or world premieres at the upcoming International Film Festival in Rotterdam (Jan. 25-Feb. 5, 2023), including two feature-length films. In addition to Norbert Pfaffenbichler's second part of his underground trilogy entitled 2551.02 THE ORGY OF THE DAMNED ->, the latest video work by renowned artist Friederike Pezold REVOLUTION OF THE EYES -> has also been selected for the program of this year's festival. In the short film section new films by Josef Dabernig (PASTRY FRIDAY ->), Anna Vasof (ISSUES WITH MY OTHER HALF ->), Lukas Marxt (MARINE TARGET ->) and Siegfried Fruhauf (CAVE PAINTING ->) celebrate their international premieres. We are very happy ! Details @ IFFR

Comprehensive retrospektive of RUTH BECKERMANN in Spain

Austria's grand dame of documentary film, Ruth Beckermann, is currently being honored with a comprehensive retrospective in Spain's San Sebastian at the Tabakalera International Cultural Center. The show will run over the coming months including a masterclass with Ruth Beckermann.

GRAND PRIX to Peter Tscherkassky's Train Again at Aix-en-Provence

Lovely Festival-News: Peter Tscherkassky has been awarded for TRAIN AGAIN –> with the GRAND PRIX in the Compétition Expérimentale at Festival Tous Courts in Aix-en-Provence ! –>

Retrospectives ! Retrospectives !

In the coming weeks, a number of filmmakers represented by sixpackfilm will be receiving extensive tributes at various international festivals.

The first will be Eve Heller and Peter Tscherkassky at the Thessaloniki Film Festival (–> 3.-13.11.22) – Unfortunately, the master classes had to be cancelled at short notice due to health reasons. The film programs will be shown, of course.
The prestigious Short Film Festival Winterthur (–> 8.-13.11.22) in Switzerland dedicates an extensive special to Kurdwin Ayub, presenting a selection of her short films as well as the award-winning documentary PARADISE ! PARADISE !.
Last not least Ruth Beckermann will be shown for the first time in Italy with a comprehensive overview of her work at the Filmmakers Festival in Milan (–> 18.-27.11.22), including a master class by the grand dame of Austrian documentary filmmaking.

nach der Viennale auf in die Kinos !!!

Gleich nach dem Festivalreigen beginnt die intensive Kinozeit: dringend empfohlen und nicht zu verpassen:

IT WORKS II von Fridolin Schönwiese, ab 4. November österreichweit -> filmdelights

UNCOMFORTABLY COMFORTABLE von Maria Petschnig, NUR am 4. November NUR im BSL Breitenseer Lichtspiele, Wien --> BSL

MUTZENBACHER von Ruth Beckermann, ebenfalls ab 4. November österreichweit  --> filmladen

ELFRIEDE JELINEK - DIE SPRACHE VON DER LEINE LASSEN von Claudia Müller, Kinopremiere am 8. November, danach österreichweit --> Polyfilm

NICHTS NEUES von Lennart Hüper, NUR am 9. November im Metro KinoKulturhaus (Living Collection sixpackfilm) --> mehr

PARA:DIES von Elena Wolff in Kollaboration mit Julia Windischbauer, am 12. und 14. November im Stadtkino im Künstlerhaus, Wien --> mehr