Kurzfilme Border Lines

Conflicts are ubiquitous. They often appear out of the blue or break over us like an earthquake. But earthquakes are natural phenomena, conflicts, however, are man-made, and it is man that must find a way of solving them. The following short films show how conflicts arise, how people avoid conflict situations and how they deal with their own personal conflicts. (Curated by Stefan Staub) CHRIGI, Anna Kofmehl, CH 2009, 7’ (Animation) A young woman recalls her childhood and her mysterious cousin. This innocent child’s view guides the viewer through an unfathomable story dealing with adventure, mercenaries and war. WARAMUTSEHO!, Auguste Bernard Kouémo Yanghu, F/CAM/BEL 2009, 21’ (Drama) The two Rwanden students Kabera and Uwamungu share an apartment on the outskirts of Toulouse. Genocide breaks out in Rwanda and the two become innocent victims of the conflict when Kabera discovers that members of his family have massacred the family of his friend. KWA HERI MANDIMA, Robert-Jan Lacombe, CH 2010, 10'30’ (Documentary) Robert-Jan Lacombe spent the first years of his life in Zaire. He was 10 years old when he left his homeland and waved goodbye forever to his friends Watumu, Angi and Amosi. Lacombe has created a gripping collage of childhood memories using the yellowed photographs of his departure. WEIL DER MENSCH EIN MENSCH IST, Stephan Hilpert & Frauke Finsterwalder, DE 2007, 28’ (Documentary) Summer holidays at a self-organised camp. The children democratically elect a parliament, but 11-year-old representative Nils draws the short straw: as in real politics, others already have their eye on his position. An oppressive film about the emergence of power structures, mobbing and violence. PRAYERS FOR PEACE by Dustin Grella, USA 2009, 8’ (Animation) Dustin Grella remembers his younger brother, who died fighting in the war in Iraq. This film is drawn frame for frame onto a chalkboard, thus making it an intimate examination of personal loss and a metaphor for the volatility of life. WAGAH by Sepuyo Sen, DE/IND/PAK 2009, 13’34 (Documentary) Each evening, the frontier between India and Pakistan becomes the venue for an unusual event: thousands of people gather on the 1000 km long strip to attend the ritual closing of the border. WAGAH was the public’s favourite at the 2009 Winterthur International Short Film Festival.