The 73rd IFFMH will open with ›Sharp Corner‹, put ›April‹ as the centerpiece and close with ›Shepherds‹

The Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film Festival will officially open on November 7 with the German premiere of ›Sharp Corner‹, an absorbing psychodrama starring Ben Foster and Cobie Smulders, in which a man's midlife crisis it gets out of control. The festival team, led by Dr. Sascha Keilholz, is pleased to welcome the film's director, Jason Buxton, from Canada, on the opening night of its 73rd edition. This year, the curators have chosen as their centerpiece ›April› by celebrated Georgian director Dea Kulumbegashvili, whose first film, ›Beginning,‹ was previously screened at the IFFMH. ›April‹ caused a stir at its world premiere in Venice, where it raised the bar for feminist radicalism and film aesthetics and won the Special Jury Prize. On November 17, the 73rd edition of the IFFMH will solemnly conclude with another German premiere: the screening of the French-Canadian production ›Shepherds‹. This romantic story by Sophie Deraspe is about people escaping the hustle and bustle of modern life.

Festival Director Dr. Sascha Keilholz says: “We are delighted with the opportunity to open and conclude the 73rd IFFMH with the German premieres of two outstanding Canadian productions. Five years after ›Antigone“, Sophie Deraspe finally returns to the big screen, as well as to her narrative roots and her fascination with the stories of people in search of a quiet life.
It took Jason Buxton 12 years to complete his next film after ›Blackbird“, which received the award for best Canadian debut when it screened at the Toronto International Film Festival. ›Sharp Corner‹ offers definitive proof of the originality of his cinematographic work.
The centerpiece of this year's festival is the latest work of Dea Kulumbegashvili, whose first film hit us like a bolt from the blue. Since its premiere in Germany at our festival, ›Beginning‹ has garnered the praise it deserves: it has been nominated for the European Film Award and the Oscar, in addition to winning other awards. ›Beginning‹ is one of those films that almost immediately become classics. Now this talented director has overcome the biggest challenge of all: making a second film no less great than “The Beginning.” ›April‹ in fact establishes her voice as one of the most relevant in contemporary cinema.
The three works offer a seismographic analysis of the times we live in. Its use of very different formats, styles and artistic approaches symbolizes the diversity and plurality of our festival. What they have in common is their precise and objective depiction of the psychological contours of their respective characters. We empathize with them, share their hopes, fears and doubts, and marvel alongside them. Maybe we also see a little bit of ourselves in them, which is one of the most beautiful and terrifying things that cinema can achieve.”

Movies about the crisis as an opportunity to start again

The protagonists of all three films, each in their own way, have their daily struggles, even existential conflicts, and are desperately trying to cope as their lives seem to go off the rails. Jason Buxton portrays this condition in his thriller “Sharp Corner” with black humor and a nod to Hitchcock. The sharp corner that gives the film its title is not a mere metaphor; It's right across the street from the house Rachel (Cobie Smulders) and Josh (Ben Foster) just moved into. Before they have even finished unpacking, a tragic car accident occurs in their front yard. Josh, who is traumatized by this and given an Oscar-worthy performance by Foster, does everything he can to prevent more deaths on his property, only to end up in a tailspin himself. Jason Buxton's moving and moving psychodrama makes the classic conflict of the home invasion story its theme, giving it new depth.

›Sharp corner ‹ © Corey Isenor

By contrast, Dea Kulumbegashvili's second feature, ›April,‹ takes us far from the middle-class suburbs to rural eastern Georgia, near the Caucasus Mountains, where Nina, an obstetrician in a small clinic, runs a isolated existence. His life is a constant struggle, and his profession is the only thing that gives him meaning and stability. However, a tragic death puts not only his work at the hospital under scrutiny, but also his actions in the surrounding farming villages, jeopardizing his prospects of finding employment again. The vividness, stunning visuals, rich textures and evocative sound make “April” an exceptionally artistic work of cinema in every respect.

›April‹ © No Copyright/Goodfellas

The loneliness of the mountains also figures prominently in the work of Sophie Deraspe. In ›Shepherds“, the mountains are represented as an idyllic place of refuge where the editor Mathyas (Félix-Antoine Duval) finds his escape route. Exhausted, he leaves Montreal to start over as a shepherd in the south of France. He knows nothing about sheep and has a difficult start until he meets Élise (Solène Rigot), with whom he tries to manage a flock of sheep in the Alps all summer. Straddling romantic and grounded visions, director Deraspe addresses the need for a pre-modern lifestyle and a connection with nature. And in doing so he skillfully updates the rich artistic tradition of pastoral motifs.

›Pastors‹ © microscope 2024

The perspectives offered by these three films are like coordinates that point to the general program of the 73rd IFFMH. They speak of very diverse living conditions, of discouraging impositions and powerful internal conflicts, of male and female role models, of social expectations and life-changing decisions. They all focus on the individual and lead to a profound question that is symptomatic of our times: namely, how to manage one's vulnerable existence in an ever-changing world.

Images
You can download images from our press area using this link:

About IFFMH

With the motto “New cinematographic experience”, the IFFMH has been exploring new interdisciplinary perspectives on and through the art of cinema since 1952. This makes it the oldest film festival in Germany, after the Berlinale, and remains an important platform for cultural, social and political dialogue. In each subsequent edition, the IFFMH, as a festival for film audiences, invites attendees to discover the rising stars of the international film scene, as well as to follow the careers of established filmmakers and to become more familiar with cinema in the context of other forms of art. The 73rd IFFMH will be held from November 7 to 17, 2024. The full schedule will be available on October 17.

Media inquiries

Regional media
Rebecca Raab
Media and public relations
email: rebecca.raab@iffmh.de
Tel. +49 621 489262 22

German and international media.
Carola Schaffrath
email: c.schaffrath@filmpresse-meuser.de
Tel. +49 69 405 804 0

Anne Schütz
email: a.schuetz@filmpresse-meuser.de
Tel. +49 69 405 804 19

The festival would like to thank its sponsors and partners.