Short Film Compilations

Short films have their finger on the pulse of time: agile, precise, poetic – and at the same time radically free. In a present marked by ideological tensions and rapid technological change, the short format has the ability to quickly reflect, contextualize, and critically question developments. At the same time, it opens up new possibilities, rethinks established forms, and challenges our expectations of seeing and understanding. The 21 short film programs of the 42nd Kassel Dokfest explore the instability of our current lives, its triggers, consequences, and the strategies developed in response. We encounter a tension between loud political anger and quiet, personal vulnerability. Insomnia and unrest, triggered by wars, surveillance, arbitrary state power, and all the unresolved questions about the future and the environment, are powerful side effects. Music, as a vehicle for resistance and a sign of belonging, takes on a special role. And in a wide variety of (auto)biographical works, filmmakers explore their own history, present, and future. Ways out, dead ends, and possible routes through the labyrinth that seems to grow every day are offered and opened up. And we are not alone in the cinema either! Navigating responsibilities and problems is a collective endeavor, as is laughing and crying together. The people sitting next to us become companions on the many journeys of discovery that lie ahead. The short films of the 42nd Kassel Dokfest invite us to renegotiate responsibility and the future together – politically and privately, in relation to our environment and to ourselves. Let us connect! In accordance with the curatorial concept, the films are presented within the compilation in the order in which they are projected in the cinema.

The 21 short film programs of the 42nd Kassel Dokfest explore the instability of our current lives, its triggers, consequences, and the strategies developed in response. We encounter a tension between loud political anger and quiet, personal vulnerability. Insomnia and unrest, triggered by wars, surveillance, arbitrary state power, and all the unresolved questions about the future and the environment, are powerful side effects. Music, as a vehicle for resistance and a sign of belonging, takes on a special role.

And in a wide variety of (auto)biographical works, filmmakers explore their own history, present, and future. Ways out, dead ends, and possible routes through

the labyrinth that seems to grow every day are offered and opened up. And we are not alone in the cinema either! Navigating responsibilities and problems is a collective endeavor, as is laughing and crying together. The people sitting next to us become companions on the many journeys of discovery that lie ahead.

The short films of the 42nd Kassel Dokfest invite us to renegotiate responsibility and the future together – politically and privately, in relation to our

environment and to ourselves.

Let us connect!

In accordance with the curatorial concept, the films are presented within the compilation in the order in which they are projected in the cinema.

Watchlist