Film tips for May

From 2 to 5 May, the Kino Kosova Film Festival will take place at Riffraff for the fourth time. The short, documentary and feature films on show are by both experienced filmmakers and up-and-coming talents from Kosovo and Switzerland. The programme includes more than 30 films that present a variety of perspectives on the Balkan region. They shed light on various aspects that characterise Kosovar and European society, including topics such as migration, gender, visas and the law. In addition to film screenings followed by discussions, guests can look forward to exclusive events and concerts.

2 to 5 May 2024 | Riffraff Cinema | 18:30

With Maria Schneider, 1983 (2022), Xenix opens its monthly programme "Making Worlds", which is dedicated to works that oscillate between documentary and fictional approaches. Elisabeth Subrin's short film is a reconstruction of a real interview in which actress Maria Schneider reflects on the male-dominated film industry. Subrin recreates the interview in three versions, in each of which a different actress slips into the role of the title character. Art and film scholar Friederike Horstmann, who presents the film, discusses how this trick affects our viewing habits.

One of the most famous feuds in film history is the one between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, which has lost none of its fascination to this day. In Whatever Happened to Baby Jane (1962), this duo played an ageing pair of sisters who drove each other crazy. In this psychological thriller, the then almost forgotten actresses play roles that are very different from their usual repertoire. This makes it all the more possible to recognise metatextual references between the characters and their actresses. As part of the "Re:Vision" lecture series, the film will be scrutinised by Thomas Binotto at the Filmpodium.

As a foretaste of the Iranian Film Festival in September, a special event will take place at the Debattierhaus Karl der Grosse. Two films will be shown that deal with human rights and the lives of women* in Iran - this year's focal points of the festival programme. The drama Circumstances (2011) by Maryam Keshavarz tells the story of the forbidden love of two Iranian women. The documentary Nasrin (2020) by Jeff Kaufman follows Iranian human rights activist Nasrin Sotoudeh, who campaigns for women and minorities in her home country.