festival
Cinema “more important than ever” – Hof Film Days before the start
The logo of the Hof International Film Festival is projected onto the ground in Hof city center. photo
© Daniel Vogl/dpa
To escape the world to the cinema in view of all the dramatic developments on the globe? Of course, the Hof Film Festival doesn’t make it that easy.
Every year at the end of October, Hof in the very north of Franconia becomes one of the most important meeting places for the German film industry – and in a time of crisis, the Hof Film Festival wants to celebrate the cinema as a place of emotion and coming together this year. Cinema is more important than ever “especially now,” said festival director Thorsten Schaumann before the start of the event. “What we experience here, we experience together. We see that we form a community.”
The 57th edition of the Filmtage opens on Tuesday (October 24th) with the film “15 Years” by Chris Kraus – it is the sequel to “Four Minutes”. This film premiered in Hof in 2006. And that’s what it’s about: The pianist Jenny (Hannah Herzsprung is serving 15 years in prison for a murder she never committed. When she is released, she learns that her childhood sweetheart, who is responsible for her imprisonment, has become a celebrated star. The need for revenge grows. The film stars Hannah Herzsprung, Hassan Akkouch, Albrecht Schuch, Adele Neuhauser and Stefanie Reinsperger, among others.
Numerous other feature films, documentaries and short films by national and international directors will follow until October 29th. Traditionally, the Hof program also includes a retrospective. This time it is dedicated to Maria Schrader. The festival films can be seen not only in Hof cinemas, but also on a streaming platform throughout Germany.