Short Film Ping Pong: Germany - New Zealand

Short Film Ping Pong: Germany - New Zealand

Short Film Ping Pong: Germany - New Zealand showcases award-winning shorts from Germany and New Zealand, in response to each other. A New Zealand short replies to a German one and vice versa. In dialogue, the films produce illuminating insights into each country’s cultures, styles and preconceptions.

The film programme will be enriched by discussions with filmmakers, who will give first-hand information on the short film world. An exciting evening is planned, with lots to discover, lots to talk about, surprise guests and a fascinating range of films to enjoy.

Short Film Ping Pong: Germany - New Zealand is presented by Hamburg-based curator and filmmaker Stefanie Reis, in cooperation with the Goethe-Institut and New Zealand Film Commission, and supported by the Film Archive.

“There seems to be a common ground, on which Germans and New Zealanders move,” says Reis. “There doesn’t seem to be a cultural gap, at least from a German perspective. New Zealand short films regularly screen in German movie theatres as preludes to feature films, and they are well received.”

Among the films to be screened is Schwarzfahrer / Black Rider (1993), a fictional short. The film, which picks up on an everyday situation on a tram somewhere in Germany, won an Academy Award in 1994. It is a witty, timeless piece on prejudices, social norms and standing up for oneself. It was directed by renowned German director Pepe Danquart, and based on a short story by Rolf Brednich - who will be present during the evening as a guest.

Jason Stutter - director of Predicament (2010), Tongan Ninja (2003), Diagnosis Death (2010), and the breathtaking short films Careful with That Axe (2008), Careful with that Power Tool (2009) and Careful with that Crossbow (2010) - will also attend the screening to share some insights into his work. All three shorts received wide theatrical distribution in Germany.

The programme for the evening also includes Michelle Savill’s recent short film, Ellen Is Leaving (2012). Ellen is cool. She is recycling stuff before she heads overseas including her boyfriend. She decides to gift him a new girlfriend, but can she really give him up? The film was shown at the Chicago International Film Festival in 2012 and Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival in 2013. It was a finalist in the New Zealand Best Short Film category at the New Zealand International Film Festival 2012.

The Short Film Ping Pong: Germany - New Zealand programme will screen at the Film Archive, Wellington, at 7.15pm on Wednesday March 27.

Reis, Brednich and Stutter will be at the Film Archive for informal discussion before the screening, from 6.45pm, and will contribute to the conversation between the short films.

For further information visit www.filmarchive.org.nz

ENDS

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