41st Forum

An astounding number of films in the program of the 41st Forum of the Berlinale have to do with the themes of family, relationships and identity. Dealing with the human psyche is the top subject for many independent filmmakers from around the world. Yet most of their films can indeed be interpreted politically, in the context of social transformation and radical political changes.

The artist Kelvin K. Park, for instance, in his documentary CHEONGGYECHEON MEDLEY, places the looming demolition of a traditional quarter of Seoul, in which many metal-processing companies are seated, in the complex context of Korean history and social structures. The Dutch film DE ENGEL VAN DOEL deals with the destruction of an entire town to expand the port of the Belgian city of Antwerp and the devastating consequences, particularly for the older residents.

The three Czech and Slovakian contributions to this year's program connect the private and public. In the documentary NESVATBOV (Matchmaking Mayor) by Erika Hníková, the efforts of an energetic mayor to counter the decrease in population by means of a large-scale matchmaking program remains futile. The debut movies OSMDESAT DOPISU (Eighty Letters) by Václav Kadrnka and DOM by Zuzana Liová tell of families torn apart - one against the background of the late-socialist era, the other in the context of present-day economic and psychological depression.