22 screenings, 22 films and 10 panel discussions with numerous invited guests were enthusiastically received by some 1,500 visitors to the women’s film festival
FrauenFilmTage 2010
which was held from 25 February to 4 March. The two venues consisting of the Filmcasino for the opening and the Filmhaus Kino once again received plaudits.
Many festival-goers had watched the feature films „Nothing Personal”, „UmdeinLeben” and „Im Bazar der Geschlechter” – and „Frozen River”, which received the best reviews. But „33 Szenen aus dem Leben” which dealt with the difficult subject of losing one’s parents also attracted many visitors.
Turning ton documentary films, „Wilde Minze” was sold out and „Küchengespräche mit Rebellinnen”, which we showed as part of the film event “Personale Karin Berger”, as well as the world premiere of „9/11, Marschall Tito, meine Mutter und warum sie auf einmal jüdisch war” also drew packed audiences. We are particularly pleased that themes such as the peace movement in Liberia in the film „Pray the devil back to hell” also aroused a great deal of interest.
The central theme of the 2010 festival was „Unsichtbaren Rebellinnen””, or women as invisible rebels. It encompassed the women peace activists in Liberia we have just mentioned as well as the women partisans in the Second World War and the football playing women and girls in Zanzibar who are consequently making a stand against the traditional societal norm.
Alongside the visitors who had specially travelled to the event from Rome and Berlin, the festival-goers also included a visitor who didn’t miss a single film. And of course we were also pleased that many men displayed considerable interest in the themes.
Our film event Personale”, dedicated to the director and author Karin Berger also met with particular interest. Her films mainly document women and contemporary events which would otherwise be forgotten. The great interest shown in her documentaries and in the open discussions has encouraged us to proceed with this item in the programme over the coming years.
The FrauenFilmTage 2010 festival was held under the auspices of the Austrian President of the National Council, Barbara Prammer.
Back soon when we report on the next special event.