After its third edition in Berlin, Visionär will be in Mainz for the first time from the 5^th to the 9^th of June with a selection of films and short films presented in Berlin. CinéMayence and Kunsthalle Mainz will be our host.

The aim of the festival is to support and network emerging young directors from all over the world and filmmakers from Germany, as well as to promote an exchange between them and the public. The young directors, with their subjective point of view which can be read in the imagery and the stories told, provide insights into different cultures and realities of life. They are critical ambassadors of their countries of origin, who provide current insights into everyday life and bring viewers closer to other cultures by addressing differences and commonalities. They are called to share their ideas of a homeland with the spectators. The medium of film is more suitable than any other media for transporting stories and emotions that anyone can understand. The images arouse feelings that speak a universal language. The selected films are diverse, heterogeneous, sometimes contradictory, always surprising – and that’s why they’re so exciting.

From Chile to Kazakhstan, traveling through Hungary and France, this edition in Mainz takes on different topics, including: Social classes clashes and the dis-illusion of a new possible society; the role of women and the exploration of femininity in a still patriarchal society which doesn’t deny its stereotypes and abuses; the lucha of a queer body fiercely opposing his own farewell.. and much more!

The Homage will be dedicated to Agnès Varda, our beloved visionary auteur. “Avant-garde but popular, intimate yet universal, her films have led the way” (Cannes 2019). Visionär Film Festival wants to thank her for her vision, empathy and engagement presenting her first film, shot when she was just 26: La Pointe Courte (1955). Her first film could be considered the forerunner of the French Nouvelle Vague, for its documentary realism, feminist issues and social commentary with an experimental style. Varda’s work was central to the development of the French Nouvelle Vague: her locations and work with amateur actors were unconventional and groundbreaking in those years.

August 1954: La Pointe Courte is an impoverished seaside fishing village in southern France, where the fishermen scratch a living trawling for shellfish. In the summer light, Silvia Monfort and Philippe Noiret explore their fragile love.

As a multimedia event, Visionär will present Kino Sonico: a film concert where on an experimental and silent short film by Stan Brakhage, Frau W will compose and plays an original score.

Feature Films:

1. Bad Bad Winter by Olga Korotko (Kazakhstan, France, 2018)
2. Cassandro The Exotico! by Marie Losier (France, 2018) – Jury Award at 3. Visionär Film Festival Berlin
3. One Day (Egy Nap) by Zsofia Szilagyi (Hungary) – Audience Award at 3. Visionär Film Festival Berlin
4. Too Late to Die Young (Tarde para morir joven) by Dominga Sotomayor (Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Netherlands, Qatar, 2018)

Short Films:

1. Anniversary (Salveger) by Angelica Germanà Bozza
2. Happy Birthday by Savio Debernardis Audience – Award at 3. Visionär Film Festival Berlin
3. Home? By Elliot Blue
4. The most peculiar and human of all expressions (Wenn Angst die Arme vor deinem Verstand verschlägt) by Scarlett Nimz
5. Sweet discomfort of missed connections ( سلسلة اختفات وعلاقات غير مريحة ) by Hussen Ibraheem