Berlinale Shorts 2016 unveiled

25 films from 21 countries will compete for the Golden and the Silver Bear at the upcoming 2016 edition of the Berlin Film Festival.

This year the selection will see the return of Jonathan Vinel and Caroline Poggi who won the Golden Bear in 2014 for their short Only Shotguns Remain. Their latest film Notre Héritage is said to cearte a “new cinematic look by combining pornographic archive pictures by Pierre Woodman with computer game aesthetics, thereby casting the old story of a son’s search for his father in a fresh light.” Also on hand in the competition will be renowned experimental filmmakers Christoph Girardet & Matthias Müller – recent recipients of a retrospective at Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur – with the world premiere of their film personne about the individual’s search for itself. Love, the latest film from Réka Bucsi whose animation Symphony Number. 42 took the festival world by storm over the past year, will also receive its World Premiere.

Curator Maike Mia Höhne said of the selection: “Placed together, the films at Berlinale Shorts 2016 constitute one body of work, a cinematic essay – providing scope for an endeavour that reaches far beyond the individual film: The longing for arrival is reflected in many of the selected films – regardless of where in the world they come from. Everyone wants to arrive.”

1976 Mexican film Los Murmullos – a film about workers and farmers which seems especially relevant in light of current TTIP negotiations will be shown out of competition.

The short film jury is comprised of the curator and director of the Sharjah Biennial in the United Arab Emirates, Sheikha Hoor Al-Qasimi, the Greek curator and writer, Katerina Gregos and Israeli filmmaker, Avi Mograbi.

The full list of Berlinale Shorts 2016 is:

Another City, Pham Ngoc Lan, Vietnam, (World Premiere)

Bai Niao (White Bird), Wu Linfeng, People’s Republic of China, (World Premiere)

Balada de um Batráquio (Batrachian's Ballad), Leonor Teles, Portugal, (World Premiere)

El Buzo (The Diver), Esteban Arrangoiz, Mexico, (International Premiere)

Das águas que passam (Running Waters), Diego Zon, Brazil, (World Premiere)

Estate (Summer), Ronny Trocker, France / Belgium, (World Premiere)

Freud und Friends (Freud and Friends), Gabriel Abrantes, Portugal, (European Premiere)

He Who Eats Children, Ben Russell, USA, (World Premiere)

Hopptornet (Ten Meter Tower), Axel Danielson & Maximilien Van Aertryck, Sweden, (International Premiere)

In the Soldier's Head, Christine Rebet, USA / France, (World Premiere)

Jin zhi xia mao (Anchorage Prohibited), Chiang Wei Liang, Taiwan,  (International Premiere)

Kaputt (Broken – The Women’s Prison at Hoheneck), Volker Schlecht & Alexander Lahl, Germany, (World Premiere)

Love, Réka Bucsi, France / Hungary,  (World Premiere)

A Man Returned, Mahdi Fleifel, United Kingdom / Netherlands / Denmark,  (International Premiere)

Moms On Fire, Joanna Rytel, Sweden, (International Premiere)

Los murmullos (Murmurings), Rubén Gámez, Mexico, – Out of competition

Notre Héritage (Our Legacy), Jonathan Vinel in collaboration with Caroline Poggi, France, (World Premiere)

Oustaz, Bentley Brown, Chad, (World Premiere)

personne, Christoph Girardet & Matthias Müller, Germany,(World Premiere)

Prelude to the General, Pimpaka Towira, Thailand, (World Premiere)

Reluctantly Queer, Akosua Adoma Owusu, Ghana / USA, (World Premiere)

Six Cents in the Pocket, Ricky D’Ambrose, USA, (International Premiere)

Tsomet Haruhot (Winds Junction), Rotem Murat, Israel, (International Premiere)

Die Unzugänglichkeit der griechischen Antike und ihre Folgen (The Inaccessibility of Ancient Greece and Its Impact), Gerrit Frohne-Brinkmann & Paul Spengemann, Germany, (World Premiere)

Vintage Print, Siegfried A. Fruhauf, Austria,  (International Premiere)

Vita Lakamaya, Akihito Izuhara, Japan, (World Premiere)