Category: Best Cinematography ARFF Berlin 2023

Original Film Title: 江米儿

Director’s Name: Chaofeng Pan

Writer’s Name: Chaofeng Pan

Producer: Chaohui Fan

Country of Origin: China

Country of Filming: China

Language: Chinese

Runtime: 1 hour 38 minutes

Film Description:

A young boy’s quixotic dream of buying a white horse launches a summer of misadventures and maturing.Despite his poor mother’s disapproval, Duojie and his friends embark on hilarious schemes to raise money, facing obstacles with pluck and humor. But when calamity strikes, the fantasy horse gives way to harsh reality. Duojie gains courage and wisdom in the struggle to save his family’s hopes, but learns difficult lessons about loss along the way. Whimsical aspirations meet the winding roads of fate, guiding a boy into unexpected maturity through acts of selflessness and sacrifice. Where summer began in innocence, autumn brings him home.

Original Film Title: Вместе веселее

Director’s Name: Anastasia Vasileva

Writer’s Name: Anastasia Vasileva

Producer: Anastasia Vasileva, Anna Yshakova

Country of Origin: Russian Federation

Country of Filming: Russian Federation

Language: Russian

Runtime: 1 hour 56 minutes

Film Description:

A lovelace and a famous instagram coach, Peter, comes over to his parents’ house with his two sisters for the celebration of their 40th wedding day. The relationship among siblings is remarkably uneasy.

Original Film Title: We Move

Director’s Name: Kristofer Norvik, Bankole Imoukhuede

Writer’s Name: Bankole Imoukhuede

Producer: Kristofer Norvik, Bankole Imoukhuede

Country of Origin: United Kingdom

Country of Filming: United Kingdom

Language: English

Runtime: 13 minutes 2 seconds

Film Description:

In the face of consistently growing obstacles, young people continuously have to find the strength and perseverance to overcome them. What is the collateral damage of always having to find a way to get through?

Original Film Title: 蠱惑の瞳

Director’s Name: Junji Hanadou

Writer’s Name: Junji Hanadou

Producer: Noriko Imai

Country of Origin: Japan

Country of Filming: Japan

Language: Japanese

Runtime: 1 hour 20 minutes 10 seconds

Film Description:

Sayaka, a seductive woman who calls herself a web professional who appeared in front of Kanzaki, who runs a psychiatric clinic. Kanzaki was helplessly attracted to her, but Sayaka were mentally ill. Suspense on the theme of narcissistic personality disorder

Original Film Title: La Laguna Rosa

Director’s Name: Juan Arce, Francisco Gallo

Writer’s Name: Juan Arce

Producer: Juan Arce

Country of Origin: Mexico

Country of Filming: Mexico

Language: Spanish

Runtime: 1 hour 22 minutes

Film Description:

Two distant siblings, two different worlds. A journey of familial reconnection, positivity, and valuing the different ways of seeing the world. Mariana is a fiercely independent, twentysomething young woman with Down’s syndrome who loves ballet, art, and living her best life. When invited to participate in a publicly funded dance exhibition in the city of Merida, Yucatan, she visits uptight, estranged brother Arturo with her free-spirited ballet teacher in tow to ask for some assistance getting there. Arturo, initially put out and resistant to doing anything much to help that would distract him from his own life and high-strung fiancée, can’t help but to be swept up by his sister’s profound dignity, sincerity for the world in general, and true passion for dance.

Original Film Title: This is Edik: A tale of a Gifted and Stolen Childhood

Director’s Name: Ivan Proskuryakov

Writer’s Name: Roman Super

Producer: Alexander Urzhanov

Country of Origin: Russian Federation

Country of Filming: Russian Federation

Language: Russian

Runtime: 1 hour 53 minutes 29 seconds

Film Description:

A documentary film about Eduard Uspensky, the brilliant, yet tortured, writer and creator of beloved children’s characters, including Cheburashka. The film includes interviews with Uspensky’s colleagues and family, as well as excerpts from interviews with Uspensky, who is portrayed in the film as an animated character.

Original Film Title: Far Away

Director’s Name: Pablo Knappe Rodriguez

Writer’s Name: Pablo Knappe Rodriguez

Producer: Jonas Zelinka

Country of Origin: Germany

Country of Filming: Germany

Language: German

Runtime: 53 minutes

Film Description:

Moritz lost his mother in a car accident. He always blamed his father for it, who got more aggressive as time passed. Moritz does not see any other solution than running away from home. Right before doing so he meets an unexpected friend.

Original Film Title: Green Drina Red Land

Director’s Name: Thomas Schopp (=Friend of Nitz)

Writer’s Name: Thomas Schopp (=Friend of Nitz)

Producer: Thomas Schopp (=Friend of Nitz)

Country of Origin: Germany

Country of Filming: Bosnia and Herzegovina

Language: English

Runtime: 6 minutes 20 seconds

Film Description:

“Green Drina Red Land” is about the Bosnian War (1992-1995). The video focuses on the civilian casualties of paramilitary units in the Višegrad municipality. In 1992, many bodies were seen floating down the Drina River. The video also describes a search for the remains of missing persons that took place at lake Perućac in the year 2010. The voice-over asks whether the lake with its impressive landscape is a place of remembrance or a place of oblivion for the locals, without finding an answer.