Strange Days
by Shelly Schoeneshoefer

I made a bad decision with my first selection…  I asked my logically thinking husband to join me for the section entitled Strange Days. This category is a three-part series that started in Vienna then went to Winterthur and finally landed in Hamburg. It was an international look at different points of view which incorporated unusual camera technics, lighting and off the wall stories. I realized for the first time that short films are not everyone’s cup of tea. I think it was between the films, Stardust and Secret Strike Rabobank that my husband looked at me and said, “So what am I supposed to get out of this?” I wanted to say “hmm perhaps it lays in the difference between a left- brain thinker and a right one? Or, maybe I have developed a strange sense of humor?” By the time we saw the film The Strange Ones and then as the film This is Alaska came to an end, my husband turned to me and said, "And you go willingly to watch these films for fun? Uh, right!" And, with the closing film Zwischenzeit it seemed to answer all his questions as he smiled at me and said,” I think I will leave you on your own to enjoy the rest of these films. I am like a fish out of water here.”

My final selection was the Leiblings Section which I thought would be the best of all the films. Unfortunately it turned out that each curator chose their favorite film which they want to see again. Then they attempted to explain why it was so amazing. I was accompanied by Agnes who actually likes short films and we expected a good and sound answer from the different curators but after each discussion, we turned to each other like two puzzled people realizing we would never get a good answer. Luckily for us our evening had not yet come to an end. We then proceeded to the Festival center located at Kolbenhof Factory at Halle 5. It was the first time I had been there but I found the atmosphere very cool filled with both young and old cultural intellectuals. The main floor had a café and bar where everyone gathered to discuss their ideas. Armed with a drink in hand, Agnes and I explored our new environment. Upstairs was a small and cozy cinema where they were showing the winners of the festival. There also is the No Budget Hotel as well as an Open Air screen outside. On top of that there is a Horrorkeller where you can see frightening films in the basement. They also have workshops and special events during the week as well. Everything sounded so interesting but you have to be organized and sign up before the festival starts. We were now waiting for the end performance and this turned out to be the highlight of the festival for me.