Berlin’s biggest short film festival, interfilm, is preparing for its 2016 edition which will run November 14-20 at multiple cinemas and venues (including the planetarium) across the city. Amid the 500 films and 60 programs which have been curated for the event, interfilm is showcasing animation in five dedicated programs — including two foreign focuses on Italian and Chinese animation.
On the animation menu for interfilm 2016:
Focus on China: Animate Matter
Nov. 18 at 3 p.m., Babylon 2 | Nov. 20 at 7 p.m., Roter Salon
Animated film is such a beloved course of study in China that the universities are almost drowning in students, and the thematic diversity of new work is matched only by the diversity of aesthetic and technique.
Focus on China: Chinamation – A History of Chinese Animation
Nov. 18 at 8 p.m., Babylon 3 | Nov. 20 at 5 p.m., Babylon 2
A selection of extraordinary animated short films that throw light on China’s long tradition of animated film. Philosophical themes are paired with unique styles and innovative material, offering perspective on the Zeitgeist in which the films were created.
Focus on Italy: Animatalia
Nov. 17 at 9 p.m., Babylon 2 | Nov. 19 at 9 p.m., Gruner Salon
Enchantingly creative and bursting with expressive force, new Italian animation embraces the tradition of past masters while enriching it with innovative ideas. See the latest work of Blu, Roberto Catani, Igor Imhoff and Simone Massi.
Focus on Italy: La Linea Animata – A Retrospective of Animated Shorts from Italy
Nov. 20 at 3:30 p.m., Babylon 1
From dark and gripping to exuberant and colorful, the masterpieces of this genre from the last 70 years bubble with ideas and creative richness. The styles are as diverse as the makers, among them Bruno Bozzetto, Manfredo Manfredi, or Simone Massi.
International Competition: Animated 1 – Crossing Worlds
Nov. 17 at 2:30 p.m., Babylon 1 | Nov. 19 at 3:30, Babylon 1 | Nov. 20 at 7:45 p.m., Eiszeit
Positioned on the fringes of mainstream, the animated short presents variety and formal diversity that are hard to beat. Includes Ainslie Henderson’s Stems, Georges Schwizgebel’s Eriking, Alberto Vazquez’s Decorado.
International Competition: Animated 2 – Searching for Sense
Nov. 16 at 4:30 p.m., Babylon 1 | Nov. 18 at 10 p.m., Hackesche Hofe 2 | Nov. 20 at 7:30 p.m., Babylon 1
Animations that place their respective protagonists before a challenge and simultaneously test the viewer. Includes Jan Saska’s Happy End, Franck Dion’s The Head Vanishes, Isabel Herguera’s Amore d’inverno.
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