INDEPENDENT DAYS | 19. International Film Festival Karlsruhe with top-class program

150 films from 43 countries lure into the Schauburg

The international independent film industry meets from Wednesday 3 rd to Sunday 7 th April 2019 at INDEPENDENT DAYS | 19. International Film Festival Karlsruhe. A total of 150 films from 43 countries will be shown, including many World, European and German premieres. Karlsruhe is valued by the filmmakers and the audience as a platform for controversial discussions, socio-political debates, but also through the wide range of different content and creative positions of cinematic expression.

 

The short and feature films of the program trace important questions that are currently being discussed in public. But there will also be very sensitive, highly personal works that enrich the film discourse. This will become clear in the opening program on April 3 at 5 pm, which sets the direction of the festival program every year anew. Generational conflicts of an aging society, the outbreak of the social straitjacket, the everyday stress in the workplace with the threat of burnout: the supposedly tragic topics wrap the filmmakers in pleasingly funny therefore coming short films, entertaining, amusing, with no morally raised index finger. Hopeful bright spots in a seemingly always gloomy reality!

 

Thanks to the support of the MFG Baden-Württemberg, the festival also takes a look at environmental issues with the program "Green World" on Thursday, 4 April, 12 noon, which consists of a short film program and a panel discussion in which Questions about regenerative energies, the problem of waste or ecologically sustainable nutrition are scrutinized. Admission to this short film program and panel discussion is free!

Five-day film program invites to a cinematic journey through the world of independent cinema

This year, several short film programs with a focus on different countries, regions and continents, for example "The Voice Of Africa!" on April 6 at 15 o'clock attract with African short films, which were curated by the Ngalabi Short Film Festival in Uganda. Thanks to the support of the Karlsruhe Economic Development Agency, a program with Indian short films can also be shown. "India Shorts" runs on Saturday at 13 o'clock. Due to the strong focus on European cinema, the short film program "Vive la France!" will be shown on Thursday, April 4, at 3 pm. There will also be an exchange with film music composition professors and students from the Music Academy International from Karlsruhe's sister city Nancy , which will be accompanied this year by students from Valencia and Copenhagen, who will hold a four-day film music workshop. A highlight is the lecture of the internationally renowned composer Lucio Godoy ("The Others", "The Hidden Face") on Saturday, April 6, at 11:30.

 

A teenage short film program titled "Exclusion? There's no such thing! "Will be available on Friday, April 5, at 3 pm: Sensitive stories that address the hopes, concerns and needs of teenagers and show why it makes sense to be courageous, too to improve one's own situation and to be accepted by other people. The film program is free for young people up to the age of 18 and is funded by the federal program "Democracy Live!" Of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth. The film presentation also takes place with inclusive subtitles "WaveFont", which were developed by the Ettlinger company Silicon Surfer in order to make also emotions in the writing visible for deaf and hearing-impaired people.


A total of twelve film prizes will be awarded to INDEPENDENT DAYS, including the two main prizes, the Filmstiftung der Kulturstiftung der Sparkasse Karlsruhe and the Karlsruhe Film Prize, the Georg Fricker Award for Best Eastern European Film, the Female Award for Best Female Directorial Work and the Indie Award for Best Feature Film, ZEUS Award for Best Acting Performance and Roncalli Forum Film Award and Die Kleine ID. For the first time, these prizes will be awarded this year with a new trophy: the KARLINA, a little pug-lady, who will also be the future face of the festival in its entirety. The big Award Gala will take place on Saturday, April 6, at 9 pm, before that, at 7 pm, the final of the Audience Competition will take place. Spectators have the opportunity to purchase a discounted bundle ticket for these two program items. Festival Sunday shows various Best Of programs with the nominated films and winners, so that many top-class films attract.

Press Service

Graphics and filmstills of this year´s festival edition you can find here.

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