 | |
| Location | Frankfurt am Main |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2008 |
| Awards | Bembel |
| Festival date | April 22 – 27, 2025 |
| Website | www.lichter-filmfest.de |
Established in 2008, the Lichter Filmfest Frankfurt International is a film festival taking place in Frankfurt, Germany and the Rhine-Main region every year in spring. Aside from regional film productions in competition for Best Short and Feature Film, the festival also presents international films, VR film productions and video art.
Under the name of Lichter Filmtage Frankfurt/Rhein-Main, the festival now known as Lichter Filmfest Frankfurt International was initiated by festival director Gregor Maria Schubert in 2008. [1] The festival was founded by Gregor Maria Schubert, Stephan Limbach, Mark Liedtke, Alexander Dumitran, and Cordula Mack. [2] The festival was founded by Gregor Maria Schubert, Stephan Limbach, Mark Liedtke, Alexander Dumitran, and Cordula Mack. Currently, it is headed by Gregor Maria Schubert and Johanna Süss, supported by a team of volunteers.
The festival made its debut as a show for regional film productions. In the years to follow it developed into a show featuring international productions as well as a film competition. The festival changed its location from the former AtelierFrankfurt near the Frankfurt main station to the former cinema Frankfurter Turmpalast in the inner-city of Frankfurt. The attendance increased from 3,300 visitors in 2008 to 13,000 visitors in 2016. [3] So during the festival and beyond, LICHTER plays films and other events at vacant buildings in the city, such as the former diamond exchange or the office building VAU. [4] The Lichter Art Award (founded in 2008 under the name "Kunstlichter," curated by Saul Judd) awards a prize for video art. In the festival center, installations and panel shows present new perspectives and approach the featured topic from a theoretical standpoint.
In 2012, Lichter Filmfest Frankfurt International was distinguished as a "motion sensor" (Bewegungsmelder) by the Federal Government's "Initiative Kultur- und Kreativwirtschaft." [5] In 2013, the festival took place under the patronage of Volker Schlöndorff, in 2014 under the patronage of Leander Haußmann [6] and in 2016 under the patronage of Edgar Reitz. Since 2014, in cooperation with the hessische Film- und Medienakademie and under the direction of Bert Rebhandl, the "Lichter Kritikerblog" offers students the opportunity to discuss the medium of film journalistically. [7] On the initiative of Edgar Reitz, a conference addressed the future of German cinema. Approximately 100 filmmakers developed a concept which recommends pivotal changes in funding and financing, education, distribution and cinema culture – the Frankfurt Positions on the Future of German Cinema.
The festival is financed by public grants, donations and sponsors. In the years 2012, 2016, 2017 and 2018 the festival even used crowdfunding. [8]
Beyond the festival week, the Lichter Filmkultur e.V. hosted the "Frankfurter Sequenzen", "essenkochenfilme" and a movie picnic at the Schwanheim ferry terminal in Höchst. Since 2014, the association hosts the „Freiluftkino Frankfurt“. Additionally, in 2019, the „Sommerkino im Altwerk“ in Rüsselsheim was founded and in 2022 the first edition of "High Rise Cinema" took place.
In 2023, the association and its festival were awarded the Binding Culture Prize in Frankfurt's Paulskirche for their outstanding cultural achievements in Frankfurt am Main and the Rhine-Main region.
Beyond the regional film competition, the festival presents an international film program. Since 2012 this program addresses a certain thematic focal point. In 2013, the key theme was "City", [9] while in 2014 the films addressed the topic "Humor, comicality, and comedy." [10] In 2015, the festival presented films from around the world focusing on "Money" [11] and in 2016 on "Frontiers". In 2017, the international program was focused on the theme of "Truth", in 2018 everything revolved around "Chaos" and in 2019 "Nature" was the main theme for the international program. In 2020 and 2021 the main themes were "Power" and "Change, respectively. In 2022 "Freedom", in 2023 "Love", in 2024 "Future" and in 2025 "Fear".
In addition to the film screenings, the program includes discussion panels and talk shows for the filmmakers of the Rhine Main Area. Aside from film screenings, the year-round events include concerts and talk shows and discussion forums. In addition, the Lichter Filmfest regularly guest in the cinemas both of the region and of Frankfurt's twin cities.
In April 2018, around 100 filmmakers came together during the LICHTER Filmfest in Frankfurt. Moved by their belief in cinema, the directors, producers, cinema and festival organizers, sponsors, distribution executives, actors and critics worked on a conceptual changes for the funding and financing, training and film education, distribution and cinema culture that could enliven German film: the “Frankfurter Positionen”.
One year after starting the “Frankfurter Positionen”, they still made for many discussions. A debate on the future of German film funding followed at the Berlinale. During the 12th LICHTER Filmfest, a day of talks between representatives from politics took place. In the wake of Lichter-On-Demand in the year 2020, the festival initiated a podcast series dealing with the results of right-wing populism and the Corona pandemic on the film sector. This series was continued in the wake of the second On-Demand festival edition in 2021 with an english-language panel on the future of film culture.
The second congress "Zukunft Deutscher Film" (Future of German Film) was planned with the addition of the title "Forum Europa" from the 1 to 3 December 2021 in several of Frankfurts museums and cultural institutions. In cooperation with FERA, the European association representing the interests of film and television directors, guests from numerous European countries were invited, including the Greek-French director Costa-Gavras. Due to the pandemic, the congress had to be postponed at short notice.
In preparation for the second congress, the publication "Das andere Kino" (The Other Cinema) was published in December 2021, dealing with the future of cinema in various texts - by Edgar Reitz, Daniela Kloock, Rüdiger Suchsland, Vinzenz Hediger and Nathalie Bredella, among others.
Starting out with an improvised cinema and 3,300 visitors in its first year, [12] the Lichter Filmfest has evolved into a festival with more than one hundred films and events and 13,000 visitors in 2016. [13]
The diverse film culture in Hessen and the Rhine-Main region is being lauded with the Regional Feature Film and Short Film awards. Since 2011, the Lichter Art Award honors contemporary video art from all around the world. In the internationally advertised VR Storytelling Award, the festival organisers have been searching for extraordinary virtual reality films since 2017.
The winners are awarded the "Lichter-Bembel," a typical Frankfurt earthenware apple wine pitcher. The Best Regional Feature Film Award is endowed with €3,000. For the Best Regional Short, the Lichter Art Award and the VR Storytelling Award, €1,000 are awarded in cash. In addition, the Binding Audience Award with a prize money of €2,000 is awarded. From 2016 to 2018, the festival also honored the best contribution to the International Program with the International Feature Award, which included €1,500.
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
A jury of filmmakers and film experts decides on the winners of the regional categories "Best Feature Film" and "Best Short Film." Since 2016 there is also the category "Best International Feature." Former jury members:
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
The Lichter Filmfest Frankfurt International plays at several cinemas in Frankfurt and the Rhine-Main region. The following cinemas and locations have been used since 2008:
Since 2012, the international program and the accompanying program of the Lichter Filmfest focus on a specific key subject in its lectures, talk show panels, performances and experimental formats of discussion forums.
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