“I try to be a half-decent person every day – friendly and approachable. In everyday things too. To everyone” explained the actor Ullrich Matthes at the Film Without Boarders talk in the ‘culture barn’ of the Eibenhof estate. Alongside Ullrich Matthes and actor Charly Hübner, the rbb program manager Martina Zöllner, politician Cem Özdemir plus the moderators Barbara Schöneberger and Felix von Boehm discussed this year’s fesival theme – decency. And that in front of a full house! But it wasn’t just the traditional discussion round on the festival’s Sunday that wowed the audience. At the grand opening on Thursday the public celebrated this year’s guest of honour, the screenwriter and film producer Wolfgang Kohlhaase, with a standing ovation. Three further inspirational days followed – with 3 German premiers – with interesting film-oriented conversations carried out in the shining sun on the yard and continuing with campfire discussions.
Well over 2000 visitors came to Bad Saarow for this year’s festival at Scharmützelsee. Prominent actors like Henry Hübchen, Ronald Zehrfeld and actress Ulrike Krumbiegel, as well as international film makers from Israel and Syria were attracted by the special festival atmosphere as equally as the audience. Alongside the main films, the public could watch two premiers from the youth programme: the filmed results of this year’s workshops for refugees and Brandenburg youngsters who engaged with their stories, homes and identity in a very different way (more on this in our youth programme).
We would like to thank all our helpers and supporters – our main sponsors Daimler, the Berlin-Brandenburg Media Board, the Antonius charity and all that added to the success of the festival. Without this lasting support, Film Without Boarders couldn’t have developed such an outreach within only six years. We would like to extend our special thanks to the team at Deutsche Welle who presented a very positive angle of Without Borders Festival in their cinema special. Full of impressions and with new vigour, we now start our preparations for next year’s festival which will take place from the 29th of August – 1 of September 2019.
Foto: BorisTrenkel/FILM OHNE GRENZEN
