48k

Dear festival guest

OFF – Odense International Film Festival takes all employees and guests’ health and safety very seriously, and we wish for you to feel safe in case you pay us a visit in week 35. We of course adhere to the health authorities’ guidelines with regard to Covid-19, and we take all necessary precautions regarding good hygiene and safety.

This means that your visit at the festival will be a little different compared to previous years. As for the big silver screen, however, you can expect a great experience like always.

Furthermore, as a new initiative this year, we have created a digital platform so that no matter your health situation or geographical whereabouts, you will be able to get access to OFF’s amazing films. Check it out here

In order for festival guests to be able to keep appropriate social distance at the screening venues, only every second seat will be sold, which means that there will be fewer tickets than usual available for the screenings, and hence the programmes might sell out faster.

In case the government raises the current limit for the ban on large events and gatherings, more tickets will become available. In case the limit is lowered, guests will be accommodated within the guidelines according to date of ticket booking.

Extra actions this year:

• Valid tickets are mandatory for all programmes at the festival.

• All of our big outdoor events, receptions and parties have been cancelled.

• All venues will be cleaned continuously throughout the week, and hand sanitizer will be available at all relevant spots.

• Only every other seat is sold – and all of our screenings comply with the social distancing guidelines. Read more about the booking procedures above.

We encourage everyone to familiarize themselves with the health authorities’ guidelines, and naturally we ask you to stay home in case you experience any symptoms whatsoever.

The festival will of course adapt to comply with the authorities’ guidelines, should there be any changes. In that case, you can find updates here on our website filmfestival.dk/en

Take care of yourself and each other – and have a great festival!

Keep your distance
Keep your hands clean
Keep a cool head
And a warm heart <3

129 amazing short films from all over the world have been selected for this years OFF20!

See the full list of films here

See the full competition programme here

Submission for this year’s competition programme has ended.
Notification date is May 26th. Please note that selection results will be sent from filmfreeway.com at 3pm Pacific Time and will therefore arrive in your inboxes around the world at different times during the 26th and the 27th.

Danish and international filmmakers, aspiring as well as established, who hope to be part of the competition programme of OFF – Odense International Film Festival 2020, can now take a big step towards reaching this particular goal. As of Friday the 15th of November, 2019 it’s possible to submit your short film and secure a slot before the eyes of the OFF pre-jury.

In the spring of 2020, the pre-jury will send a few hundred short films to the OFF selection jury, who will then watch and evaluate the films before deciding which short works of art will be part of the official selection of OFF20.

Submission

Short films in all genres with a maximum duration of 30 minutes are eligible for submission. The production has to be completed in 2019 or 2020. Submission deadline is the 1st of April, 2020 – but there is an early bird-discount for films submitted before the 1st of January, 2020. Read more about submission, deadlines and technical specifications HERE.

In collaboration with Kunstmuseum Brandts in Odense OFF – Odense International Film Festival creates an installation of short films which focuses on belonging. (Danish: “Et Hjem i Verden”)

Belonging

Where do you belong – a place, a family, a community? A sense of belonging is more than locations and relationships, it is also about feeling at home in a movement, a culture or an environment. The film installation “Belonging” adds a new dimension to the current exhibition “Works of Art” at Kunstmuseum Brandts where it challenges our fundamental ideas of belonging in the world.

Festival Director Birgitte Weinberger is excited about the collaboration with the art museum from Odense and the opportunity to expand the thematic surrounding the exhibit. She believes the sense of belonging belongs to all of us:

“Where do we come from, where do we feel at home – and why? Both the exhibition “Works of Art” and the short film installation “Belonging” touches upon a topic that we all consciously and unconsciously face regularly. And a topic that takes up a large part of a person’s identity. I hope, the audience will take home with them, that belonging is more than soft hills, community centers and wedding anniversaries. A home can also be a community, a family or a special case from the other side of the world.”

Soft hills, repetitive potatoes dishes and cityscapes are in fact represented in the five short films the installation is composed of. But the audience will also see 100-year-old rites of passage, culture clashes and a totalitarian state swallowing itself. The five films in the installation will be played in loop and they are as follows:

“Fantasy” (Finland / 2017 / 10 minutes)

“The End of Time” (Cuba / 2017 / minutes)

“Our Fathers’ Sons” (Denmark / 2015 / 7 minutes)

“The Rabbit Hunt” (USA / 2018 / 7 minutes)

“The Reflection of Power” (France / 2015 / 10 minutes)

More information

The installation will be launched with an opening party – designed in collaboration with students from Design School Kolding – on Thursday the 21^st of November 2019 at 17.00 at Kunstmusem Brandts. At the opening there will be speeches, cool drinks and crispy popcorn. Learn more about the event HERE

The Installation “Belonging” can be enjoyed during the regular opening hours of the museum and runs until spring 2020.

The European Film Academy and EFA Productions have announced the nominations for the award category European short film 2019 – and we are over the moon excited!

At OFF, we are proud to be a part of the nomination process, seeing as OFF is an EFA qualifiying festival, along with a group of other great international festivals around the world. Our festival leader at OFF, Birgitte Weinberger, is also a part of the respective international jury at EFA and has voted for her favourite shorts among the selection of qualified shortfilms. Birgitte Weinberger will also be attending the 32. European Film Awards in Berlin on the 7th of December, where the winner of the short film award will be presented (among others).

The participating festivals, including OFF, have nominated the following five short films:

• DOGS BARKING AT BIRDS (Portugal, Fiction)
• RECONSTRUCTION (Czech Republic, Fiction)
• THE CHRISTMAS GIFT (Romania, Spain, Fiction)
• THE MARVELOUS MISADVENTURES OF THE STONE LADY (France, Portugal, Animation)
• WATERMELON JUICE (Spain, Fiction)

Tonight OFF – Odense International Film Festival culminated in a spectacular award show and this year’s winners of four Oscar-qualifying categories, an EFA-nominee and final Robert nominees were found. It has been a wonderful week of film, love and community. Congratulations to all the winners!

Find the list of winning films in all categories below:

• Grand Prix – HCA Award: “Bache Khor” (“Child Eater”) by Mohammad Kart
• OFF Storyteller Award: “Fun Factory” by Lisa Brooke Hansen and Even Hafnor
• OFF Artist Award: “Nursery Rhymes” by Tom Noakes
• OFF Short Film Candidate for the European Film Awards 2019 (EFA): “Oslo” by Shady Srour
• Best Danish Short Film: “Mount Everest” by Rasmus Nyholm Schmidt
• FilmFyn Talent Award: ”Draget” (”Drawn”) by Christian Bengtson
• Børge Ring Award: “Lidérc Úr” (“Mr. Mare”) by Luca Tóth
• Animation Talent Award: “Animals” by Tue Sanggaard
• Best Short Documentary: “Après Le Silence” (“After the Silence”) by Sonam Larcin
• The Soapbox Award: “Where Chaos Reigns” by Braulio Jatar and Anaïs Michel
• Youth Award: “Ingen siger farvel men alle forsvinder” (“We Are All Leaving”) by Jonas Risvig
• Publikumsprisen: “Ikki Illa Meint” by Andrias Høgenni
• Pitch Me Baby, 1. præmie: “First Night” by Darshika Karunahara
• Pitch Me Baby, 2. præmie: “No Family Photo” by Christian Einshøj
• Robert Prisen Shortlist: “Draget” (“Drawn”) by Christian Bengtson, “Ikki Illa Meint” by Andrias Høgenni, ”Knæler” (”Mantis”) by Roberta Reichhardt, ”Savnet” (”Missing”) by Mads Reuther and ”Under bølgerne, over skyerne” (”Below the Waves, Above the Clouds”) by Katrine Brocks

OFF19 might be over, but there is still a chance to watch all the award-winning films as they are screened from morning to evening on Sunday 1/9 in Odense at Cafe biografen. Find the full schedule here.

Join us for four fantastic film screenings when OFF illuminates the big screen at Amfiscenen (Brandts Klædefabrik) with delectable film treats open for all. Pack a blanket and your picnic basket and enjoy a cozy evening under the stars.

’Hamlet’ (1921): Wednesday. 21.00. Amfiscenen

‘Austin Powers in Goldmember’ (2002): Thursday. 21.00. Amfiscenen

‘Mamma Mia!’ (2008): Friday. 21.00. Amfiscenen

‘The Great Gatsby’ (2013): Saturday. 21.00. Amfiscenen

OFF19 is here! And our six amazing juries are ready to award 13 lucky films at the award ceremony Saturday during the festival. The jury members’ collective resume stretches across all fields of filmmaking and art – meet them all right here!

MAIN COMPETITION JURY

ZINNINI ELKINGTON

Director Zinnini Elkington has been emphasized by film magazines EKKO and Soundvenue as the talent to keep an eye on. In 2017 her pastel-punk teen-comedy Rainbow Girls was shortlisted for a Danish Robert Award, in 2018 she premiered the ambitious eco sci-fi Gaia and won the annual pitching competition at OFF with the dark fantasy short The Changeling, which is now in development.

KIM FUPZ AAKESON

Kim Fupz Aakeson, born 1958, is an author and screenwriter, known for his children’s books, novels and films. His most recent work includes the screenplay for Young Astrid (2018) in collaboration with director Pernille Fischer Christensen.

WAHID SUI MAHMOUD

Wahid Sui Mahmoud is an actor, screenwriter and graduate of The Danish National School of Performing Arts. In 2010 he had his on-stage debut at the Royal Danish Theatre and has since appeared in major Danish theatre and television productions such as Udvandrerne (2018) and Bedrag III (2019).

DANISH COMPETITION JURY

GABE VAN AMBURGH

Gabe Van Amburgh is a Film Programmer and the Film Exhibition Manager for SXSW in Austin, Texas. Since 2011 he has directed all aspects of exhibition including film print traffic, theatre build outs, the transition to 100% digital DCP exhibition. Previously, Van Amburgh worked for seven years in technical roles at the Alamo Drafthouse, SXSW and Fantastic Film Fest.

CARSTEN BJØRNLUND

Carsten Bjørnlund is an actor and graduate of The Danish National School of Performing Arts. He made his debut in the stage version of Thomas Vinterberg’s Festen and has since appeared in major Danish television series such as Forbrydelsen II, Rita, Arvingerne, and Liberty and recently starred in sci-fi drama QEDA (2017).

LOTTE SVENDSEN

Lotte Svendsen is a screenwriter, actor and director and a 1995 graduate from The National Film School of Denmark. Her breakthrough came in 1997 with the award-winning short film Royal Blues and she went on to create the critically acclaimed children’s television series Max, now an international film franchise. Lotte Svendsen is currently a film consultant at the Danish Film Institute.

ANIMATION COMPETITION JURY

CHRISTEN BACH

Christen Bach is a Danish animation director and artist currently living in Berlin, Germany. Working in both analogue and digital media, his personal work mainly focuses on human relations – often told through experimental or stylistic animation – using the absurd or the surreal to highlight emotional expression.

MARIANNE ESKEBÆK LARSEN

Marianne Eskebæk Larsen is a professor in Modern Culture and Cultural Communication at KP, teaching and supervising in the intersecting fields of language, children’s literature and digital culture. She is also the author of several textbooks.

AMID AMIDI

Amid Amidi is the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of CartoonBrew.com, a leading animation industry news resource that recently marked its 15th year of publication. He is the author of numerous books including Cartoon Modern: Style and Design in Fifties Animation, winner of the 2007 Theatre Library Association Award, and The Art of Pixar Short Films. He lives in Montréal.

DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION JURY

ANDREAS KOFOED

Andreas Kofoed, born 1979, is a documentary filmmaker and 2009 graduate of The National Film School of Denmark. He has directed several internationally distributed and award-winning documentaries, including Ballroom Dancer (2011) and Et Hjem I Verden (2015).

METTE HOFFMANN MEYER

Mette Hoffmann Meyer is the CEO and co-founder of THE WHY Foundation; a non-profit organization that produces and distributes documentaries about human rights and sustainable development, reaching hundreds of millions of people across the globe. Selected works: Why Women? (2016), Why Slavery? (2018).

MAYA ALBANA

Maya Albana is a 2007 graduate of The National Film School of Denmark in Television directing. She has been the screenwriter, director and/or director of photography for several screen and television documentaries, most recently Det Sorte Kapitel (2018) and Balletskolen (2019).

YOUTH COMPETITION JURY

8.A. From Munkebjergskolen in Odense would like you all to know that they are thrilled and full of anticipation as they face the important task of judging the films in this year’s Youth Competition. They look forward to their shared responsibility and promise to be fair, constructive – and to have a wonderful time!

PITCH ME BABY JURY

SARA KOPPEL

Award-winning animator Sara Koppel has more than 30 years of experience in feature and short films, commercials, storyboard and character design. In 2002 she founded her own animation studio, Koppel Animation, where she makes hand-drawn animations with complete creative freedom.

CHRISTIAN TAFDRUP

Christian Tafdrup studied acting at The Danish National School of Performing Arts and graduated in 2003. Since then, he has appeared in numerous film and television productions in addition to directing his own short films. In 2016, Christian Tafdrup made his debut as a feature film director with Parents.

LOTTE ANDERSEN

Director, actor and screenwriter Lotte Andersen had her breakthrough as an actor in the original Nightwatch by Ole Bornedal in 1994. Andersen made her own feature debut as director with Oh Happy Day in 2004 and documentary debut with Songs from Ilulissat in 2010.

KIM MAGNUSSON

Since co-founding M&M Productions in 1995, Kim Magnusson is a four-time winner of the ultimate award: An Oscar. Among other things, Kim Magnusson has served as president for the Danish Film Academy and The Danish Producers Association.

ADAM AUGUST

Screenwriter Adam August is a graduate of The National Film School of Denmark and John Trubys Writing Studio in LA. He won a Robert, a “Danish Oscar”, for his script for Fenar Ahmad’s Darkland in 2017 and among his upcoming projects is Valhalla, which will premiere in the fall of 2019.