Germany's most unique film festival marks 50 years
Jochen Kürten kbm
October 25, 2016
The Hof International Film Festival is held in a tiny Bavarian village, but draws names as big as Werner Herzog. Germany's most creative film festival, it has lost co-founder Heinz Badewitz, film's friendliest host.
Image: Hendrik Ertel
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World's 'biggest small film festival' in Hof marks 50th anniversary
The Hof International Film Festival it known as the best of its kind in Germany. That has to do with its longtime director Heinz Badewitz, who recently passed away. This year's 50th-anniversary event is dedicated to him.
Image: Evelyn Kutschera
Hof looks into film heaven
Heinz Badewitz, longtime director of the Hof International Film Festival, and filmmaker Wim Wenders have known each other since the festival's early days. Badewitz passed away unexpectedly earlier this year - a shock to the cinema world. This year's festival, running from October 25-30 in the small Bavarian town, is a memorial to him. Wenders presents his new film "The Beautiful Days of Aranjuez."
Image: Evelyn Kutschera
Festival looks back in time
Typically, the renowned retrospectives in Hof concentrate on the work of just one filmmaker. But this year, everything is different. The festival is reviewing its own history - both because it's turning 50 and because founder Heinz Badewitz (second from left) was an integral part of it. He got along with everyone - including Rainer Werner Fassbinder, pictured second from right in Hof in 1971.
Image: Hofer Filmtage
Daring Holocaust comedy
A brand-new film is set to open the festival on October 25: "Die Blumen von Gestern" (Yesterday's flowers). Directed by Chris Kraus, the comedy broaches a particularly touchy subject, the Holocaust, and poses the question: How do people deal with it who were born years after World War II?
New film by Feo Aladag
Director Feo Aladag made a name for herself with her gripping honor killing drama "When We Leave" in 2010. Her fourth film, "Der Andere - eine Familiengeschichte" (The other - a family history) recounts the story of a refugee from Mali, who unexpected crosses paths with a Berlin police officer and his father.
Image: Hofer Filmtage
A search for meaning
The Hof International Film Festival is showing over 120 new productions this year, most of which are international premieres. Documentary films are also included on the program. Director Thomas Riedelsheimer is presenting "Die Farbe der Sehnsucht" (The color of longing). The film journeys through five countries, introducing people along the way who philosophize about issues like home and freedom.
Image: Hofer Filmtage
Love and art
Dominik Graf, a long-time friend of the festival, is bringing his new made-for-TV film "Am Abend aller Tage" (In the evening of all days) to the festival. Graf's films are always suited to the big screen, even if they are planned for television broadcast. This latest work tells the story of a painting that has disappeared and a young man who loses himself while looking for it.
Image: Hofer Filmtage
A globalized film world
The Hof festival also honors the "international" in its name by looking to other European countries and overseas. Serbian director Goran Paskaljevic is showing "Dev Bhoomi, Land of the Gods," in which a man returns to his village and has to adjust after spending a long time in the Himalayas. A Serbian-Indian co-production, the film is an example of growing global collaboration.
Image: Hofer Filmtage
New Italian cinema
Italy's film scene has undergone a bit of a crisis in recent years. But Italian directors are still managing to make small, unspectacular films that offer deep insights into modern, post-Berlusconi society. Director Paolo Virzì is one of the most interesting filmmakers of his generation. His latest work, "Like Crazy," is a portrait of two vivacious women.
Image: Hofer Filmtage
French premiere
French cinema, on the other hand, is a staple in German theaters. This year, the Hof International Film Festival is showing the new film by Philippe Lioret, which is one of his best to date. "Le fils de Jean" (Jean's son) portrays a single-dad who finds out that his birth father, who he hadn't known existed, had died in Quebec. So he takes a trip to Canada with his son.
Image: Hofer Filmtage
The legendary locals
Apart from premieres and recent productions, the 50th edition of the Hof International Film Festival will, of course, also dig into the past. Local directors like Werner Herzog and Herbert Achternbusch, pictured here in Hof's early days, will be in the limelight. Herzog, who is now based in Hollywood, is to make an appearance.
Image: Hofer Filmtage
Memorable moments in Hof
The festival located in rural Bavaria was always a kind of novelty for filmmakers. Who'd have thought that a film like "Zombie - Dawn of the Dead" by horror specialist George A. Romero would celebrate its Germany premiere in Hof in 1978? Renowned German filmmaker Doris Dörrie even served as an interpreter for that premiere.
Image: Hofer Filmtage
Film and football
Hof is not just about film - but also about football. A soccer match is held each year among the participants at the festival. Wim Wenders and Werner Herzog have made their mark in the festival's history as top goalkeepers.
Image: Hendrik Ertel
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Hof International Film Festival may not be the largest in Germany, or the oldest. But it's definitely the festival with the most cult potential. The slogan "Hof: Home of Films" has managed to ingrain itself in the consciousness of the movie scene and accurately represents the annual event held in the tiny Bavarian village. Hof lives and breathes German film.
Located rurally in the central-easternmost corner of Germany, close to the Czech border, Hof is not exactly a whirring hub of activity. Nevertheless, it's home to Germany's most original and significant film festival.
Technically speaking, the Hof International Film Festival began in Munich, rather than Hof. In 1966, a couple of young film enthusiasts wanted to start a festival, but they weren't able to arrange anything with the local cinemas.
So, a year later, they moved to Heinz Badewitz's birth city, Hof. Badeweitz was one of three co-founders of the festival, which got off the ground in 1967 with just a handful of screenings.
The following year, the festival developed further in an effort to keep up with competitors at the Oberhausen Short Film Festival.
Badewitz - a charming, cosmopolitan host
In the 1970s, Heinz Badewitz, with his unbeatable mix of charm and expertise, managed to make Hof what it is today: a key meeting place for both the German and the international film scenes. No other film festival in Germany is as closely identified with the name of its director.
Those who knew him quickly saw what made Badewitz so special: his unparalleled openness and friendliness, paired with a nose for new talent. The dedicated film fan was later able to draw world-famous directors to the tiny Bavarian village to attend the annual event.
New German Film, a movement associated with big names in German film like Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Wim Wenders and Werner Herzog, may have had its sights set on the Berlinale, but its heart beat firmly in Hof. Everyone enjoyed coming there.
During the Cold War, Hof was not far from the East German border. The train connection was poor in getting there, and going by car took hours. Even after reunification in 1989, Hof didn't exactly become an urban hub. But that didn't seem to hurt the festival's popularity.
Badewitz fostered talent at home and abroad
The Hof International Film Festival launched the careers of many German filmmakers, but it also maintained a strong reputation abroad. Year after year, Badewitz invited well known and not-yet-known directors from all over the world - from Europe and the US to Australia and New Zealand.
International guests always enjoyed their time in Hof and a few, who debuted in Hof, were honored years later with a retrospective, including Jim Jarmusch, Amos Kollek and Wayne Wang.
Chris Kraus's latest work opens the festivalImage: Filmfest Hof
In 2010, Hof presented a retrospective on American director Bob Rafelson, an icon of indie film ("Five Easy Pieces"). He sent his best wishes for the festival's big anniversary celebration: "If you spent time with Heinz Badewitz, that will be with you for your whole life. His films were unbelievable, but even more important was his passion for cinema. He changed that way you thought about things, in order to make room for new thoughts. And he was extremely generous. With him, even the sausage tasted good!"
Maren Ade: 'Heinz Badewitz was the festival'
Maren Ade, a rising star in Germany's film scene ("Toni Erdmann") said this about Hof: "My short films and my first feature, 'Der Wald vor lauter Bäumen' premiered in Hof. The great thing about Hof for me was always the fact that everyone really watched the films. I discovered a lot of international things and unforgettable retrospectives like that of Amos Kollek, Paul Morissey or Ulli Lommel."
As far as Badewitz goes, Ade said, "Heinz remains even more unforgettable for me - he was the festival with all of his energy and empathy and love for cinema. It's very sad, but I hope that Hof continues as he would have wanted it."
Hof wouldn't be Hof if it didn't do what Heinz Badewitz stood for: showing new films. This year's festival will be opened on October 25 with "Die Blumen von Gestern" (Yesterday's flowers) by Chris Kraus, an old friend of the festival.
