20/05/2024 - The artistic co-directors of the prominent Bavarian gathering offer a first glimpse of the upcoming edition of the festival, unspooling from 28 June-7 July

(© Bojan Ritan)

In just over a month’s time, the 41st edition of the Munich International Film Festival (Filmfest München) is poised to run from 28 June-7 July. We had a chance to engage in an in-depth conversation with the festival's newly appointed artistic directors, Christoph Gröner and Julia Weigl. They provided us with insights into what awaits attendees at this year's edition, shedding light on the challenges they face in their newfound roles, the notable transformations that have occurred, the role of the industry section, and their visionary outlook on the future of Germany's premier summer festival.

Cineuropa: Transitioning into your new roles as co-artistic directors of the festival, what motivated you both to take on this responsibility, and what challenges have you encountered thus far in your efforts to further elevate the festival's profile and offerings?
Julia Weigl: We have both been working with the festival for a long time – cinema and filmmaking from Germany are pretty much written into our DNA! Of course, it helps that we know our structures and processes inside out. We analysed what the festival stands for, revealed the strengths and weaknesses, and examined its potential for the years to come.

Christoph Gröner: We want to be perceived as the number-one platform for German filmmaking, both in Germany and internationally. When I took over the management of the festival, I wanted to focus on how we communicate. We developed a completely new design inspired by the Isar, the river that contributes significantly to the open, summery feeling of the city. This design is intended to remain a constant in the future of the festival, thus increasing its recognisability.

Can you discuss the vision behind reinforcing Munich IFF as the premier destination for German filmmaking, with its competitive strands for New German Cinema and New German TV, and how you plan to further enhance its standing in the industry?
CG: Our New German Cinema and New German TV competitions are the heart of the festival; the awards in those sections have a high international appeal. Many productions start their international journey to success from here. The film All Good [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Eva Trobisch, for example, attracted international attention after its world premiere here, and Ilker Çatak's previous film I Was, I Am, I Will Be [+see also:
trailer
film profile] started its successful journey in Munich, as did Dear Thomas [+see also:
film review
interview: Andreas Kleinert
film profile] by Andreas Kleinert, both of which won the German Film Award later on.

JW: As Germany's biggest summer gathering, the Munich International Film Festival is a firm anchor for premieres for the German film scene and has also established itself internationally as a festival to discover new talent. We want to foster these achievements of the last few years and expand them even further, especially with regard to German co-productions. All eyes on German filmmaking means all eyes on Munich.

The Beergarden Convention, the industry section, plays a pivotal role. How do you envision it evolving to foster collaborations, especially with the focus on Canada and Ukraine at this year’s CineCoPro Conference?
JW: With the Beergarden Convention, we offer a dedicated space for established players and new talents to exchange ideas. It’s a place where decision makers meet top producers, while we also provide room for indies and newcomers at the same time. People can meet in a relaxed atmosphere, in the spirit of the summer beer-garden culture here in Munich. The industry really appreciates this kind of inspiration. That's how many handshake deals have taken place in the history of the Munich International Film Festival.

CG: Exactly, and then there is, of course, our CineCoPro Conference, which we launched three years ago. We contribute to Germany’s role as an initiator of international projects – and we are extremely happy that we will be able to welcome a delegation from Canada as well as Ukraine. In addition, we are particularly proud that we are now able to announce that we will be bringing back our CineCoPro Competition. We will give out the CineCoPro Award, endowed with €100,000, sponsored by the Bavarian Film Fund (FFF Bayern), which goes to the German producer of the winning film. This will send out a strong signal to the world: Germany is an attractive partner in international co-productions!

With the introduction of CineYou and initiatives like the Young Jury, how do you plan to engage and attract younger audiences to the festival while also nurturing their interest in filmmaking, and what strategies are you implementing to ensure the success of these endeavours?
CG: We want to carry the festival into the future and attract young audiences. CineYou is the umbrella for the many offers and events aimed at younger generations. You can think of it as an open lab. There are workshops, offerings for school classes and for students, and a joint party with the Museum Brandhorst: as part of the “Young Night”, for example, open-air films will be presented to accompany the fantastic exhibition “Andy Warhol & Keith Haring. Party of Life”. It’s a free event.

JW: For the first time, we have put together a young jury, which will give out an award to a film from our programme that tells the story of young people's lives in an outstanding way. We want to encourage an active engagement with the medium of film. German director Axel Ranisch, who premiered his series Nackt über Berlin with us last year, shot the trailer for our young programme CineKindl with students this year, for example. We hope that we inspire young people to participate in the art of filmmaking and film loving.

The new design elements, notably the Filmfest Munich CineWaves Awards, are said to reflect modernity and the spirit of Munich in the summer. How do you see this design contributing to the overall identity and experience of the festival, and what inspired its conception?
CG: In the search for an iconography that would reflect our city and the cinema at the same time, we inevitably found the perfect element: water. The incomparable Isar river magically attracts people in summer. It is like an open-air pool that runs right through the city, open to everyone. The water constantly provides something new. It promises inspiration. And the surfers riding the Isar have become world-famous icons of the city.

JW: We are happy that water will be our element from now on and that the festival will be awarding the CineWaves prizes in the future. With the standardised, timeless and modern award design, we are also clearly aiming for a more international and inspiring appeal.

Looking ahead, what are your aspirations for the future of the Munich IFF, and how do you plan to continue innovating and evolving the festival?
JW: By focusing on young target groups, we have taken an important step. This year, we will see how well the participative offerings are received. Expanding them, we think, fits the zeitgeist. We are also continuously expanding our social-media presence and formats. We want to be at eye level, open and welcoming.

CG: Cinema will always be a mirror of social developments. We see ourselves as a festival with an attitude, and want to continue to show a progressive selection of films in the future and allow different voices to have their say, reflect controversial opinions and initiate debates. As festival organisers, we are in constant exchange with both the industry and the audience; our eyes and ears are wide open. It's no secret that AI will have a massive impact on the film industry, and we are very excited to take developments in technology into account in the future.