The BEST OF BIFF is over - new impressions and images, interesting exchange and important support for the good cause remain. "With the BEST OF BIFF event of the 35th festival in the indoor swimming pool Wolfsburg, the Filmfest Braunschweig started its event program for 2022 this week," explains Thorsten Rinke, Chairman of the Board of the Filmfest Association. "As a permanent cultural fixture in Braunschweig, we want to establish the Filmfest as a year-round cultural provider with a wide range of events in cooperation with cultural institutions from the surrounding area," he emphasizes.
As part of the past cooperation between the Braunschweig International Film Festival and the Hallenbad Wolfsburg, donations were collected - and it was also decided to donate the entire proceeds of the event to the Free Ukraine Braunschweig Association and thus to those affected by the currently ongoing Ukraine conflict. This is another reason why Florence Houdin, chairwoman of the Filmfest Association, was pleased with those who attended the event: "We very much appreciate the renewed cooperation with the indoor pool, also because the cinemas have had more freedom only a few days ago, which makes the movie experience even more enjoyable." Audience reactions also reflected this development, "It was great to see how impressed and moved the audience was by the award-winning films. Especially the screening on March 8, International Women's Day, was well attended - showing THE GIRL WITH THE GOLDEN HANDS by director and Gifhorn native Katharina Marie Schubert."
Cohesion: fundraiser for Ukraine
On Monday evening, the drama THE THIRD WAR was shown by director Giovanni Aloi, who received both the KINEMA Film Award and the Volkswagen Financial Services Award for it last year - a film title could probably hardly be more fitting in the current times: Even if the regional cooperation with the Hallenbad Wolfsburg serves the cinematic pleasure for loyal festival fans, the current political situation was also present during this event. BIFF and Hallenbad Wolfsburg take the current events seriously: "We have jointly decided to donate all proceeds of the event to the non-profit association Freie Braunschweig Ukraine," explains Houdin on the occasion of the current situation. Thorsten Rinke also adds, "As a sign of support for Ukrainian film culture and its representatives*, we as the International Film Festival are donating the proceeds from this event in Wolfsburg as a first measure." Further supporting actions are to follow.
Looking ahead: preparations for the 36th BIFF are underway
Despite current global political developments - or perhaps because of them - cultural institutions like BIFF must continue their work. Meanwhile, the date for the next Braunschweig International Film Festival has already been set: from November 7 to 13, 2022, the renowned film festival will take place for the 36th time in Braunschweig and the surrounding area. The official "call for entries" for the upcoming festival will also start soon, then filmmakers from all over the world can submit their projects to BIFF.
For more information and updates on the upcoming 36th Braunschweig International Film Festival, please visit www.filmfest-braunschweig.de and also the social media platforms at www.instagram.com/filmfestivalbraunschweig and www.facebook.de/filmfestivalbraunschweig.