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Spot fragt in der Branche nach und will wissen, wie Ihre Woche filmisch aussieht. Dieses Mal antwortet Helen Peetzen, Pressechefin des Filmfest Hamburg aber auch selbständig als PR-Profi in Film, Medien und Kultur mit ihrer Agentur Peetzen Kommunikation.

Helen Peetzen (Credit: Jasper Ehrich/Efp)

Was steht für Sie in dieser Woche auf dem Programm?

Helen Peetzen: Direkt am Montag startet in Hamburg das sechstägige Play – Creative Gaming Festival, für das mein Kollege Luca Gerdes und ich die Presse- und Social Media Arbeit übernommen haben. Es ist das in seiner Ausrichtung weltweit einzige Festival, welches die Bereiche Medienkunst, Diskurs und Bildung mit der Kultur digitaler Spiele vereint. Film spielt dabei auch eine Rolle – so gibt es im Machinima Cinema Filme zu sehen, die innerhalb von Videospielwelten entstanden sind. Aber sonst stehen natürlich Games und das gemeinsame Spielen – in diesem Jahr zum Thema Politik und Spiele – im Vordergrund. Ab Donnerstag liegt unser...

I don't want to discount the possibility of the supernatural, since there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in our philosophy, but most 'monsters; do turn out to be human. And more often than not, a human with very specific characteristics. But there is no doubt that a theory of monsters, perhaps, can be helpful - or at least, there is a healthy fear that can come from that fear, that would hopefully drive some to action. Part coming of age story, part supernatural, part romance, Spirit in the Blood follows a somewhat familiar path, though with a different eye, asking us to rethink how we might view certain characters that are often presented without depth in horror films. This...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Carly May Borgstrom’s debut film Spirit in the Blood is messy but likable. As a psychological horror thriller, Borgstrom tries to deliver something new. At first, it was not quite clear what she was aiming for—is the focus on the cult-like community or the impact of dysfunctional households on teens?—but gradually she found her voice and stuck to it. Summer H. Howell is brilliant as the timid teen, Emerson Grimm. Other than a few glitches, Spirit in the Blood is an enjoyable, visually alluring, feminist horror film.

The Grimm family moved to a suburban town in Canada. Julian had spent his childhood in the small town, and after years of living outside the community, he realized that he had to return home. The church community was tight-knit, and everyone respected and followed the guidance of Pastor Carl. Julian’s daughter, Emerson, was not impressed by the town and its people.

The 2024 edition of Filmfest Hamburg was the biggest in the German festival’s 32-year history, posting approximately 59,000 admissions to screenings, up from last year’s record-breaking total of 52,700.

This included the preceding open-air Binnenalster Filmfest, which ran from September 19-22.

The 10 days of the festival closed with the gala screening of Pedro Almodovar’s The Room Next Door on October 5.

“So many of my dreams for this first year have come true. It feels truly magical,” said festival director Malika Rabahallah. “It was overwhelming to see so many renowned directors, actors, and filmmakers in Hamburg, all enjoying the special festival atmosphere with us.

Hamburg-based production company Junafilm is marking its 15th anniversary this year with the world premiere of English-language thriller Spirit In The Blood on home turf at Filmfest Hamburg.

The Hamburg connection runs strong in Spirit In The Blood, which is directed by Canadian-born, Hamburg-based Carly May Borgstrom.

It was also backed by new Filmfest Hamburg director Malika Raballah in her previous job as head of funding at regional fund Moin.

“Malika had been a great supporter from the very beginning,” says Junafilm founder Verena Gräfe-Höft. “She saw the film in a very early phase at a test screening when she...

Filmfest Hamburg has unveiled the full programme for its 32nd edition, which is set to open with Louise Courvoisier’s Cannes prize-winner Holy Cow and close with Pedro Almodovar’s Golden Lion-winner The Room Next Door.

French filmmaker Courvoisier will be accompanied by lead actors Clément Faveau and Malwéne Barthelemy at the opening gala on September 26 for the German premiere of her debut feature, which premiered in Un Certain Regard at Cannes where it won the Youth Prize. The coming-of-age film will be released by Pandora Film in German cinemas on January 2.

The Filmfest’s new director Malika Rabahallah and...