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| Lesben Film Festival Berlin began more than two decades
ago as a week long curated film programme for lesbians. The festival grew
out of the desire to create a space for lesbian film enthusiasts who were
dissatisfied with the prevailing cinematic landscape and who were seeking
to create something of their own in the medium of film. Screenings included
mainly films with positive portrayals and images of lesbian lifestyles
in context. As time went on film and especially video - due to its low
production costs - became an increasingly significant means of communication
and documentation to underrepresented societal groups. Lesbian women were
empowered through their appropriation of the medium of film and video.
Following initial attempts, the content and issues addressed multiplied
and divisified. This also led to a variety of genres being explored.
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In the meantime the Lesben Film Festival Berlin has grown to be, next
to Paris and Bologna, one of the three largest Festivals of its kind in
Europe, presenting an important cultural event to the public. Film and
videoproductions from all genres are screened - from Narrative and Documentary
films to Animation and Experimental films - predominately by lesbian filmmakers
from all over the world. One look at the film world reveals the low interest
in women and correspondingly in lesbians. The underground film scene and
the mainstream film industry are both still a manís domain, leaving
considerable difficulties for women - much less lesbians - in breaking
into the film world. Above and beyond this fact, a deficit has been established
through the invisibility or deranged descriptions of homosexuality in
cinematic history. Even in comparison with the Gay Film Scene, a Cinderella
positioning of lesbian film is quite apparent. Although collaboration
between gays and lesbians is both necessary and meaningful, despite the
superficial commonality of homosexuality, one still cannot take for granted
that the same circumstances exist for lesbians. For this reason it is
important to the Lesben Film Festival Berlin to create a specific space
which exclusively showcases and supports the work of women/lesbian filmmakers.
In addition we want to meet the needs of female cineasts who are dissatisfied
with what mainstream cinema has to offer. Norms and rolemodels set by
the standards of dominant society and the overproportional amount of heterosexually
themed films restricts the work of actresses and the reception by women
and lesbians. To combat this phenomenen, the Lesben Film Festival Berlin
appeals directly to female cinema audiences as its main target group.
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| The Lesben Film Festival Berlin screens Narrative and
professionally produced films of all genres - also no-budget and small
productions in order to open up the possibility to young filmmakers to
present their films and videos to an interested audience. Many film students
and self-taught filmmakers screen their work for the first time at the
Lesben Film Festival Berlin.
In order to promote productions from the Germanspeaking scope next to
the international film selection, the Lesben Film Festival Berlin annually
presents a series on ëGerman/Swiss and Austrian Shorts with the most
current films from these countries.
Other film series are curated thematically to particular emphases. In
addition the Lesben Film Festival Berlin offers an overview of the works
of already well-known Filmmakers. |
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The Lesben Film Festival Berlin presents a Forum for an international
exchange among filmmakers and others working in diverse areas of the film
world. It also provides a showcase for films and videos from many different
countries each with diversified cultural backgrounds. One of the festivalís
aims is to stimulate and support an inter-cultural exchange. Another special
component of the festival is to screen films with as many of the filmmakers
in person as possible, hold discussions and special receptions to encourage
exchange and networking possibilities. The Lesben Film Festival Berlin
works together with other Film Festivals and special interest associations
to promote gay and lesbian film. It is our goal to present as wide of
a spectrum of international films and videos that are not shown or are
seldom shown in the mainstream film world. In this also lies a deeper
goal: to initiate a dialogue adressing aesthetic and social issues between
people working in all areas of the film world and the audience.
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The organizers of the Lesben Film Festival Berlin work free of charge.
The festival is financed by public and private contributions, donations,
private lendors and through ticket proceeds.
To ensure the continued existence and development of the festival, the
Lesben Film Festival Berlin must rely on additional monies. The ever growing
resonance of the audience as well as the press demonstrated that the Lesben
Film Festival Berlin is working within a successful concept and is making
a name for itself, evolving into an important cultural event in Berlin.
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