PLASTIC TOUCH von Aitana Ahrens

European Short Film Competition

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The heart of the Filmfestival Münster offers a colorful mix of animated films, documentaries and short feature films from 12 different countries – from Finland to Portugal.

Well over 800 works from 35 European countries were submitted for the competition. A total of 32 short films between 3 and 30 minutes in length will be screened in six programs. The productions from 2022 and 2023 were either made at film schools or independently and can all be seen in Münster for the first time. The winner of the Filmwerkstatt Grand Prize, determined by an expert jury, will receive prize money of €3,000.

In addition, the audience chooses its favorite and the winning film receives prize money of €1,000, donated by the Münstersche Filmtheater-Betriebe.

What was striking in this year’s viewing of the short films was the creative handling of many socially pressing topics such as the climate crisis, right-wing extremism, sexualized violence and #metoo, homophobia or the unrest in Paris.

Even though the competition primarily features up-and-coming filmmakers, they have been able to engage renowned actors for their works. Among others, there are films with Adriana Altaras, Simon Schwarz, Godehard Giese and this year’s Berlinale award winner Thea Ehre. And we look forward to the return of Stefan Langthaler and Patrick Müller, whose previous films were in the 2021 Competition.