IKFF Snippets #1
by Becky Tan

Statistics: The 33rd International Short Film Festival (Internationales Kurz(Short)Film Festival or IKFF Hamburg) showed June 6-12, 2017. Over 15,000 fans saw 350plus films from over 38 countries in six cinemas around Hamburg. There were 600 special guests including 120 filmmakers. Approximately 100 open-air events and concerts, workshops, panels, and lectures were offered. This was all possible with the help of 150 hard-working festival team members who worked diligently the whole seven days.

Kolbenhof: For the last seven years, the well-loved site for meet-ups, concerts, closing award ceremony and open-air films was the 100-plus years former Kolbenhof factory grounds in Hamburg-Bahrenfeld, a short walk from Zeise Cinema. This was the last year these grounds were available, as the buildings are already being torn down, and a whole new neighborhood of apartments is already under construction. Naturally, at city expense new streets, i.e., more traffic, in an already badly zoned area. It will be a challenge to find a new site with a comparably inviting, absolutely perfect atmosphere. Not to be discouraged, the festival team is already on the move to solve this problem in time for next year’s festival which will be June 5-11, 2018.

Statistics: The 19th Mo&Friese Kinder(Children)KurzFilmFestival (Children’s Short Film Festival) is a popular part of IKFF and ran June 4-11. Four thousand film enthusiasts of all ages enjoyed 68 films from 29 countries, 35 events, and film workshops. School, and daycare center and preschool screenings were especially popular with the budding cinéasts.