IDFA Competition for Student Documentary
I Am
Soy Denise Kelm Soares
World Premiere
As the international press pours into Havana, Cuba to report on the death of Fidel Castro, a little girl proudly holds a large cardboard sign over her head on the Plaza de la Revolución. In a fascinating shot lasting almost 12 minutes, we watch this girl— braids, red dress, white knee socks, fighting against the wind—as she experiences her moment in the spotlight. We can’t see what’s written on the sign because she’s being filmed from behind. Armed with cameras and cell phones, the people around her are taking countless photos and uninvited selfies with her. As the minutes tick by, our unease grows. Placed in the role of an ignorant spectator, we have time to contemplate the omnipresence of the camera—and we become desperate to know what’s written on that sign.
Cuba, Brazil, 2017 DCP, color, 12 min Director: Denise Kelm Soares Cinematography: Denise Kelm Soares Editing: Denise Kelm Soares Sound: Denise Kelm Soares Sound Design: Daniela Fung
Denise Kelm Soares:
Eleonora (2011) Invisble Picture (2012) Chinese Looks All the Same (2014) Sara and the Corn (2015) Awake (fiction) (2016) a.o.
Macchi, Luiz Lepchak Production: Matheus Mello, Denise Kelm Soares for Haver Filmes Executive Production: Matheus Mello World Sales: Haver Filmes Screening Copy: Denise Kelm Soares
Impreza – The Celebration Impreza – Das Fest Alexandra Wesolowski
With a 50th wedding anniversary fast approaching, the whole family is preparing for the celebration. Even Ola, the couple’s twentysomething niece, has come all the way back to Warsaw from her new home in Germany. But her visit isn’t the homecoming she hoped for, because she quickly senses that something fundamental has changed in her homeland—and in her very own family. The Polish elections are around the corner, and Ola discovers that almost everyone has become more conservative than ever. She finds herself embroiled in heated discussions about contentious issues such as the European Union, abortion, migration and propaganda. In the days leading up to the party, the camera roams unnoticed from one family discussion to another, revealing how Ola is becoming increasingly estranged from her loved ones. Meandering conversations about oatmeal, nail polish and homemade food easily switch to politics, gender issues and Islam. This intimate glimpse into the hot cauldron of family emotions also raises many questions about politics and the news. Is there such a thing as objective news or truth? How can you know if you’re consulting the right sources of information? And where does ideology have its roots?
92
Germany, 2017 DCP, color, 75 min Director: Alexandra Wesolowski Cinematography: Denis D. Lüthi Editing: Martha Ewa Wojakowska,
Benjamin Vornehm, Alexandra Wesolowski, Martha Ewa Wojakowska Sound: Emilia Sniegoska Sound Design: Nora Czamler, Rudolf Pototschnig Music: René Dohmen Production: Julian Anselmino for DREIFILM Co-production: HFF Munich Screening Copy: DREIFILM
Alexandra Wesolowski:
Rebelote (2012) Kinder der Oase (2013) Die schändliche Untätigkeit der Magdalena Krol (2016)
Alexandra Wesolowski & Marie Elisa Scheidt: Fliehkraft (2011)
Alexandra Wesolowski, Niklas Hoffmann and Nina Wesemann: First Class Asylum (2014)