The International Film Festival Mannheim-Heidelberg will officially open on 7 November with the German premiere of ›Sharp Corner‹, an absorbing psychodrama starring Ben Foster and Cobie Smulders, in which a man’s midlife crisis spirals out of control. The festival team, led by Dr Sascha Keilholz, is delighted to welcome the film’s director, Jason Buxton from Canada, to the opening night of its 73rd edition. This year, the curators have chosen as their centrepiece ›April‹ by celebrated Georgian director Dea Kulumbegashvili, whose debut film, ›Beginning‹, was previously screened at the IFFMH. ›April‹ caused a stir at its world premiere in Venice, where it raised the bar on feminist radicalism and cinematic aesthetics and earned the Special Jury Prize. On 17 November, the 73rd IFFMH will conclude ceremoniously with a further German premiere, a screening of the Canadian-French production ›Shepherds‹. This romantic story by Sophie Deraspe is about people escaping the hustle and bustle of modern life.

Festival director Dr Sascha Keilholz says: “We’re delighted at the opportunity to open and conclude the 73rd IFFMH with the German premieres of two outstanding Canadian productions. Five years after ›Antigone‹, Sophie Deraspe is finally returning to the big screen – as well as to her narrative roots and her fascination with stories about people in search of a quiet life.
It took Jason Buxton 12 years to complete his next film after ›Blackbird‹, which received the award for best Canadian debut film when it was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival. ›Sharp Corner‹ delivers definitive proof of the originality of his cinematic work.
The centrepiece of this year’s festival is the latest work by Dea Kulumbegashvili, whose debut film hit us like a bolt from the blue. Since its German premiere at our festival, ›Beginning‹ has reaped the praise it deserves, having been nominated for a European Film Award and an Oscar as well as earning various other awards. ›Beginning‹ is one of those films that almost immediately become classics. Now this gifted director has overcome the greatest challenge of all, which is to make a second film that is no less grand than ›Beginning‹. ›April‹ indeed establishes her voice as one of the most relevant in contemporary filmmaking.
All three works offer a seismographic analysis of the times we live in. Their use of very different formats, styles and artistic approaches symbolises the diversity and plurality of our festival. What they have in common is their precise and objective portrayal of the psychological contours of their respective characters. We empathise with them, share their hopes, fears and doubts, and marvel alongside them. Perhaps we also see a bit of ourselves in them, which is one of the most beautiful and frightening things that cinema can achieve.”

Films about crisis as an opportunity to start over

The protagonists of all three films, each in their own way, have their daily struggles, even existential conflicts, and are desperately trying to cope as their lives seem to be going off the rails. Jason Buxton portrays this condition in his thriller ›Sharp Corner‹ with black humour and a nod to Hitchcock. The sharp corner that lends the film its title is not a mere metaphor; it’s directly in front of the house that Rachel (Cobie Smulders) and Josh (Ben Foster) have just moved into. Even before they’ve finished unpacking, a tragic car accident occurs in their front garden. Josh, who is traumatised by this and is given an Oscar-worthy performance by Foster, does everything he can to prevent further deaths on his property – and winds up in a tailspin himself. Jason Buxton’s stirring and moving psychodrama makes the classic conflict of the home invasion story its subject, giving it new depth.

›Sharp Corner‹ © Corey Isenor

In contrast, Dea Kulumbegashvili’s second feature film, ›April‹, takes us far away from middle-class suburbia to rural eastern Georgia, near the Caucasus Mountains, where Nina, an obstetrician in a small clinic, leads a secluded existence. Her life is a constant struggle, and her profession is the only thing that gives it meaning and stability. A tragic death, however, puts not only her work in the hospital under scrutiny, but her actions in the surrounding farming villages as well, jeopardising her prospects of ever finding employment again. The vividness, the stunning imagery, rich textures and evocative sound make ›April‹ an outstandingly artistic work of cinema in every respect.

›April‹ © No Copyright/Goodfellas

The solitude of the mountains features prominently in Sophie Deraspe’s work as well. In ›Shepherds‹, the mountains are depicted as an idyllic place of refuge where the copywriter Mathyas (Félix-Antoine Duval) finds his escape. Suffering from burnout, he leaves Montréal to start over as a shepherd in the south of France. He doesn’t have a clue about sheep and is off to a difficult start until he meets Élise (Solène Rigot), with whom he attempts to manage a flock of sheep in the Alps all summer long. Straddling the line between romanticised and grounded views, director Deraspe addresses the need for a pre-modern lifestyle and a connection to nature. And in doing so, she skilfully updates the rich artistic tradition of pastoral motifs.

›Shepherds‹ © micro scope 2024

The perspectives offered by these three films are like coordinates that point to the overall programme of the 73rd IFFMH. They tell of very diverse living conditions, of daunting impositions and powerful inner conflicts, of male and female role models, of societal expectations and life-changing decisions. All of them focus on the individual and lead to a profound question that is symptomatic of our age: namely, how to manage one’s own vulnerable existence in an ever-changing world.

Images
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About the IFFMH

With “New Film Experience” as its credo, the IFFMH has been venturing new, interdisciplinary perspectives on and through the art of film since 1952. This makes it the longest-running film festival in Germany after the Berlinale, and it continues to be a major platform for cultural, social and political dialogue. With each subsequent edition, the IFFMH, as a festival for the public in cinemas, invites festivalgoers to discover the rising stars of the international film scene as well as to follow the careers of established filmmakers and to become more familiar with film in the context of other art forms. The 73rd IFFMH will be held from 07 to 17 November 2024. The complete schedule will be available on 17 October.

Media inquiries

Regional media
Rebecca Raab
Media and public relations
e-mail: rebecca.raab@iffmh.de
Tel. +49 621 489262 22

German and international media
Carola Schaffrath
e-mail: c.schaffrath@filmpresse-meuser.de
Tel. +49 69 405 804 0

Anne Schütz
e-mail: a.schuetz@filmpresse-meuser.de
Tel. +49 69 405 804 19

The festival would like to thank its sponsors and partners.