Dresden “Schmalfilm” Days 2023

Dresden “Schmalfilm” Days 2023

Old acquaintances at the International Competition of the 24th Dresdner Schmalfilmtage

Last weekend, the Schmalfilmtage took place in Dresden for the 24th time, with the International Competition as the main program item on Saturday evening.

A total of 13 films were shown in the competition, the only thing they had in common was that they were shot on 8 or 16 mm wide small format film. Otherwise, the films had the most diverse artistic approaches, qualities and content.

The majority of the films were screened as digital versions with a video projector. Besides my own Super 8 competition entry, only one other 16 mm film was shown in analog with a film projector. For another 16mm film, “real” film projection was also originally planned, but since the filmmaker was unable to attend the competition in person, digital projection was chosen here as well. Most of the other films shown digitally were also not even available as screenable film due to digital post-production.

The award winners of this evening are old acquaintances at the Schmalfilmtage and the Super 8 scene in general:

The audience award and at the same time the “honorable mention” of the jury went to >Motivational Film No. 751 – Job Description: Concrete Worker< by the well-tried and well-rehearsed team Manuel Francescon and Michael Sommermeyer.

Jury member Rasmus Gerlach presents the audience award to Michael Sommermeyer (in profile)

In equally tried and true humorous style typical of the two filmmakers, we see a vocational film about concrete workers, borrowing from the tradition of FWU films, combined with a rap music video.

The jury prize was won by Dagie Brundert, Germany’s best-known Super8 filmmaker, with her very personal film <i-am-a>, which, like so many of her films, was developed in bio-chemistry (in this case: algae).

Unfortunately, Dagie could not be there in person. Her winning film can be seen here.

After the competition, the results of the Bolex 16 mm workshop from the same afternoon could be seen in an informal atmosphere, followed by a program of feature film shorts on Super 8, compiled and moderated by Joachim Schmidt, known as >off2< on youTube and the website of the same name.

Klaus Schreier

hört Platten, fotografiert Kleinbild, filmt Schmal und dilettiert in der Dunkelkammer und am Schneidetisch

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