Country Focus Portugal
From 11 to 20 November 2022, the 35th edition of exground filmfest will once again be presenting an extensive film and supporting program in Wiesbaden, Germany, featuring both short and feature-length works in the categories of fiction film, documentary, animation and experimental film. The diverse selection of German and international film productions will be accompanied by numerous discussions, exhibitions, readings, concerts as well as a new edition of exground youth days. 

This year, exground filmfest will be taking a closer look at Portugal: encompassing ten fiction features and documentary films as well as 14 short films, the Focus section places a host of young filmmakers centre stage, while also connecting the dots between past and present. Thematically, the Country Focus on Portugal explores how the will to create emancipatory art and lived democracy, amidst challenging social ruptures and the heavy legacy of more than 35 years of dictatorship, is reflected in particular in the cinematic work of a new generation. The young Portuguese film scene is especially remarkable for its courage in transcending established boundaries, such as that between documentation and fiction. Aside from the presentation of current short and feature-length productions, exground filmfest is devoting a retrospective to the work of filmmaker Teresa Villaverde, an internationally renowned director whose films are still relatively unknown in Germany. 

Opening Film WILL-O’-THE-WISP by João Pedro Rodrigues
exground filmfest 35 will open with WILL-O’-THE-WISP by João Pedro Rodrigues, a passionate musical in which two firefighters kindle a relationship. Alfredo, white and of noble blood, and Alfonso, black and from a working-class background, fall in love in a firehouse, where wild dancing and kissing occurs and the naked colleagues re-enact the works of famous painters in tantalising poses. Alas, for all its tongue-in-cheek satire, the film also manages to sketch out the social prerequisites for a successful fight against climate catastrophe: namely, sowing a new crop in the scorched terrain of gender, race and class.

Alongside numerous works of Portuguese cinematic art, exground filmfest will also be screening films both from the remaining states of Europe and beyond the continent’s borders. With the ensemble drama MARS ONE (BRA 2022), the Wiesbaden-based film festival features another work in Portuguese, this time a production from Brazil revolving around a family in flux – equally poetic and painful, the film follows the inner and outer struggles of the individual family members. Selected to represent Brazil at the 2023 edition of the Oscars, MARS ONE is characterised by queer love, parental expectations and political instability. The documentary A TASTE OF WHALE (FRA 2022) provides a rare glimpse into the practice of whaling on the Faroe Islands. In haunting images, the film reflects on an important global topic by focussing on the hunt for pilot whales. Sharing the perspectives of both whaling practitioners and anti-whaling activists, the film invites the viewer to examine and question the bloody tradition of “the grind”. BONNIE (USA 2022) pays tribute to the underappreciated and often misunderstood role of casting directors in the film industry by placing Bonnie Timmerman and her unique contribution to the filmmaking process in the spotlight. The documentary film illustrates how the renowned casting director’s work and devotion to authentic auditions have shaped today’s film and television landscape.

Photo Exhibition at Murnau-Filmtheater 
As part of the supporting program, from 12 to 19 November the exhibition TALE OF TWO CITIES featuring the work of Portuguese documentary photographer Gonçalo Fonseca will be on display in the foyer of Murnau Filmtheater. A combination of the series New Lisbon and How Portugal Won the War on Drugs, the exhibition sheds light on two key social topics. On one hand, the artist accompanies individuals affected by Lisbon’s housing crisis, camera in hand – unfortunately, as the Portuguese capital’s popularity has grown with guests from abroad, Lisbon’s families have increasingly suffered from the Airbnb industry, the exploding prices in the housing market and low wages. In addition, in his work Fonseca also explores the consequences of the decriminalisation of drugs in Portugal, documenting in the scope of a project realised between 2017 and 2021 the work of mobile assistance teams and monitored consumption spaces for addicts, who are now no longer approached as criminals, but instead primarily as individuals in need of help.

Streaming Option Following Live Festival 
As in the previous year, in light of the continued risks of the Covid-19 pandemic, the organisational team is planning a two-track program, by conceiving the upcoming festival as a hybrid event. On one hand, the film and supporting programs are scheduled to take place in front of a live audience at Caligari FilmBühne, Murnau-Filmtheater and inside the Marktkirche crypt, in accordance with the public health and safety regulations in force for November, of course. Thanks to the further development of an on-demand model, the films and short-film programs will be exclusively available for streaming online within Germany for a limited period following the festival, using geo-blocking technology (21-24 November).

The complete program for exground filmfest 35 will be revealed at the festival press conference (on 27 October, 11 am, at Caligari FilmBühne), after which it will be available at www.exground.com.

exground filmfest would like to thank all its supporters and co-operation partners!

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End of press release

Press contact:
Wiesbadener Kinofestival e. V.
exground filmfest
Marina Andrée
presse@exground.com
www.exground.com