Anna Henckel-Donnersmarck on the Art of Programming
Q&A with the Head of Berlinale Shorts
By Niccolò Montanari
I had the pleasure to attend this year’s Berlinale, which marks its 73rd edition. As Curation Hour primarily focuses on the short format, I treated myself to the five short film screenings curated by the Head of Berlinale Shorts, Anna Henckel-Donnersmarck. Twenty films in total - that is four short films per programme, with the selection spanning across narrative works, experimental pieces, documentaries and animation.
Taking place at Cubix Alexanderplatz, one of the biggest cinemas in the heart of Berlin, I was curious to find out how a leading world festival such as the Berlinale went about programming shorts. In order to provide more transparency and insight into the film festival circuit, I spent some time with Anna so that I could share her insights on Curation Hour. Our ninety-minute conversation drifted from her background and programming approaches to how she felt about this edition while sharing tips for directors looking to submit. Here’s my take.
It’s a Date by Nadia Parfan
Anna studied film at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, focusing on animation and documentaries. Initially, she became involved with local film festivals as curator and moderator, which led her to meet Maike Mia Höhne - the filmmaker who was to become the Head of Berlinale Shorts before her.
Rather than following a more traditional path and gaining experience in the film industry, Anna was more interested in working with the moving image in a different way. She began as a video artist, focusing on video installation for performances and exhibitions. It is something she continues to do in the summer when she is not involved with the Berlinale. Most of her work is temporary and is difficult to present out of the context, It is commissioned by institutions such as the Berlin Philharmonie or the Bauhaus Archiv Berlin and generally explores socio-historical themes (see also annahd.net). However, she also has an understanding of the film festival circuit, having created work that has run as part of international festivals.
Anna initially joined the Berlinale Shorts team in 2008 when Maike, who by that point had become Head of Berlinale Shorts, invited her to join the selection team. In 2019, Maike decided to leave to head the Kurzfilmfestival Hamburg and teach. The new Artistic Director of the Berlinale Carlo Chatrian, appointed in the same year, asked Anna to lead the Berlinale Shorts and continue building on Maike’s work.
La Herida Luminosa by Christian Avilés
“The house was already set up, I just had to enter”, says Anna, jokingly translating a German expression. Maike had, in fact, campaigned to elevate the shorts programme to the same level as features. In practice, that means screenings at the biggest cinema, presenting the premieres already at the beginning of the week, having a Golden Bear for shorts, and the short film awards being announced in the same ceremony as features. “Maike also established the section to be about artistic freedom and independence. There is no specific brief from the head of the festival that needs to be fulfilled”, states Anna. From our conversation, it was clear that Anna sees the short film medium as an artistic piece of its own, in its own right “A short film is like a poem”, continues Anna, “something you can go back to and that opens up another layer with every viewing”.
Every film festival has its setup when it comes to selecting work. And I couldn’t miss the chance to learn how the Berlinale worked. So here it goes. Every short film submitted (that is approx. 4,200 this year alone) is watched by a minimum two programmers, who are part of a larger group picked for their expertise and backgrounds. We are talking about fellow filmmakers, artists, film scholars, historians, curators and event managers in the cultural sector. Anna assured that they watch every single submission that comes through, but there’s a catch: in the initial stages, they don’t have to watch the whole film. It may sound unfair, but the reality is that these programmers are selected for their ability to assess quickly whether a film has the potential to be part of the programme. The programmers decide whether a film should move forward or shouldn’t be selected. Then every ten days to two weeks, the programmers and Anna get together to watch the pre-selection; this is where the whole length is watched and discussed in great detail. This setup allows them to invite films as they go along, taking into consideration that they need to be international or world premieres. So the sooner a filmmaker knows, either way, the better, since a rejected film can then still be submitted to other festivals.
Happy Doom by Billy Roisz
And speaking of quality, Anna and her team value the craft and care placed into the creation of a film. Her background as a filmmaker means that she has the tools to assess the artistry of the piece and whether it’s well-executed. If something isn’t up to standards, which doesn’t automatically translate as a lack of high-production values, then it’s out. “We want to see that care has been put into the different aspects of filmmaking; it includes skills and precision”, confirms Anna. In addition to the internal selection set-up, I questioned Anna as to whether we can define the style, profile and personality of her curatorial direction. I was fully aware, having read previous interviews, that she doesn’t look for anything in a film, but rather she looks at the film. But I was curious to learn if, in her opinion, the programming had changed since she had taken over. “Maike was way more experimental than me”, states Anna, “according to the audience, the programming does feel different. We show more fiction films than Maike used to do. And we show less films in general, this year it was only 20 films compared to more than 25 in the past .
Bear (Ours) by Morgane Frund
Something to keep in mind is that the Berlinale is an audience festival. So the types of people it attracts are cinema lovers of all ages and backgrounds, including people who have little or nothing to do with the industry. It is an open-minded and intelligent audience that likes to be challenged. I asked Anna if she considers the audience when programming. What transpired is that even though they wouldn’t programme something because of a certain demographic, it is something that they take into account. “Some of the feedback we’ve received is that the mix of four to five intense experiences can be too much. Hence, we have decided to cut down each programme from ninety minutes to sixty-seventy minutes. When putting together the order of the films within a programme, I try to understand what kind of energy each film has: is it slow or fast, contemplative or expressive, warm or cold, light or heavy, for example. And what effect does this energy have on the next film? What will be the energy in the room, and what kind of emotions will the audience have? Therefore, I must consider the order of films being shown and the possibility to give the audience the chance to breathe after each film, for example, through a Q&A”.
“The main thing I consider is energy: what kind of energy does the film have? What does this energy do with the next film? What will be the energy in the room, and what will I do with that energy? ”
Zoning in on this specific edition and programming, one thing I noticed and shared with Anna, is that the overall programme had a unique fascination with the connection between the real and the unreal. It is something I have also recently experienced in content and events outside of the film industry, including at this year’s Venice Biennale with The Milk of Dreams, whose conversation revolved around what we imagine to be real and what isn’t. Perhaps, this is indeed a reflection of the times we live in.
I was also particularly interested in whether there is a red thread running across her programming. If so, how does that come about? Approaching each film as a blank slate, Anna confirms they don't look for a trend or topic to explore. “Berlinale is a film festival, not a trends festival”, explains Anna, “We don’t look for themes, but often good films also explore culturally relevant topics. Thus, a red thread does emerge naturally”. It is also clear that Anna and her team are not looking to teach, educate the audience, or provide a seal of approval. It is a question of carefully sifting through the films, finding the gems for the audience and seeing what they do with them.
A Kind of Testament by Stephen Vuillemin
To conclude, I asked Anne about tips and suggestions for directors looking to submit to the next edition. Unsurprisingly, she confirmed it is best to submit early. To provide some context, for a month or so after the submissions open they still don’t have enough entries to fill a whole day of work and then it accumulates right after the deadline in mid-November and becomes pretty stressful before the end of year. “It would be nice, if the submissions came in earlier, so that we can start watching them earlier as well” she says. Also, even though the Berlinale tends not to focus on the mainstream, it is best to avoid looking for a specific topic simply to please the festival.
Once the film is selected, a media kit with good stills is important. On that point, she suggests having someone else select the stills as an outsider’s view is often more beneficial - and good subtitles, as often work is lost in translation. On a final note, Anna confirmed that knowing programmers at least in the case of the Berlinale Shorts does not make a difference - they do have delegates and collaborators recommending work, but every submitted film is watched and likewise considered.
Submissions to the next edition of the Berlinale will open in September 2023, stay tuned via the festival’s website.