Internationales Forum des Jungen Films

Internationales Forum des Jungen Films
Name	Internationales Forum des Jungen Films
Location	Berlin, Germany
Founded	1978
Founded by	Oberhausen, Forum founders
Host	FIPRESCI (historical associations)
Language	German language, English language, multilingual

Contents

Internationales Forum des Jungen Films is an annual sidebar festival affiliated with the Berlin International Film Festival, presenting international avant-garde, experimental and independent cinema. Established in 1978 amid debates surrounding the Berlin Film Festival and the New German Cinema movement, the Forum has showcased early works by emerging filmmakers and radical screenings by artists from France, United States, Japan, Brazil and Iran. It functions as a laboratory for form and politics, intersecting with institutions such as the Deutsche Kinemathek, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, European Film Academy and the German Film and Television Academy Berlin.

History

The Forum was created in the context of late-1970s debates involving figures like Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Werner Herzog, Agnès Varda, Jean-Luc Godard and institutions such as the Berlinale and Oberhausen Short Film Festival. Early programming reflected dialogues with the New German Cinema scene, the Cannes Film Festival offshoots and the experimental circuits of Anthology Film Archives, Centre Pompidou and the Institute of Contemporary Arts. Throughout the 1980s the Forum engaged with transnational currents from Mexico (Guillermo del Toro-adjacent commercial trends), Soviet Union émigré cinema, and the documentary revival associated with names like Frederick Wiseman and Gillo Pontecorvo. In the 1990s it intersected with the digital shift championed by proponents linked to Sundance Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, Locarno Film Festival and universities such as Goldsmiths, University of London. The 2000s and 2010s saw connections to movements around Pedro Costa, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Kim Ki-duk and platforms like Filmfest München and Rotterdam International Film Festival. Institutional debates involved cultural bodies including the German Federal Cultural Foundation, European Union funding instruments and the Goethe-Institut.

The Forum's program historically comprised thematic strands comparable to Critics' Week and retrospectives like those at the Museum of Modern Art and Tate Modern. Sections often include experimental programs associated with Fluxus artists, video-art surveys linked to Nam June Paik, restored retrospectives connected to Ludwig Foundation donors, country focuses highlighting cinema from Iranian Revolution-era directors, and co-productions involving ARD and ZDF. Collaborative formats echo curatorial practices of Sundance Institute, European Film Market and regional showcases such as Berlinale Shorts. The Forum also organizes panel discussions with representatives from FIPRESCI, CICAE and the International Documentary Association.

The Forum premiered early works by filmmakers who later appeared at Cannes Film Festival, Venice Film Festival and Sundance Film Festival, including figures associated with Dogme 95 and the Golden Bear circuit. Screenings have featured films by auteurs linked to Pedro Almodóvar, Wim Wenders, Chantal Akerman, Ousmane Sembène, and experimental programs invoking Stan Brakhage, Chris Marker and Harun Farocki. It also hosted provocative premieres from regions represented at IDFA and the International Film Festival Rotterdam, and presentations of restorations from the National Film Archive networks and collections like the Cinémathèque Française.

Although primarily non-competitive, the Forum has conferred special mentions and collaborated with prizes from organizations such as FIPRESCI, Ecumenical Jury, NETPAC and the German Film Critics Association. Filmmakers who premiered at the Forum later received accolades including the Golden Bear, Palme d'Or, Golden Lion and awards from the European Film Awards. The Forum's selections have influenced year-end lists by publications linked to Cahiers du Cinéma, Sight & Sound and critics at The New York Times and Le Monde.

Administration involves executive directors, programmers and advisory boards similar to governance structures at the Berlinale and other major festivals like Cannes. The Forum coordinates with municipal bodies in Berlin such as the Senate of Berlin cultural department, and institutions like the Deutsche Filmakademie, Goethe-Institut and international partners including the British Council and Institut Français. Programming decisions engage curators from organizations like Haus der Kulturen der Welt and archives such as the Bundesarchiv and the British Film Institute.

The Forum has been at the center of controversies paralleling disputes at the Berlin International Film Festival and the Venice Film Festival over screenings by contentious figures associated with political conflicts like the Iran–Iraq War era cinema, films addressing the Holocaust, and works banned or censored in countries including Turkey, Russia and China. Incidents involved protests and interventions by representatives from Amnesty International, Reporters Without Borders and cultural diplomats from the European Commission, while debates echoed controversies around the Documenta exhibitions and legal disputes seen in cases involving the German Constitutional Court.

The Forum's legacy is evident in the careers of directors who later gained recognition at institutions like the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the European Film Academy, and festivals including Cannes, Berlin, Venice and Rotterdam. It shaped curatorial practices now standard at venues such as the Museum of Modern Art, Tate Modern and contributed to the international circulation of works preserved by bodies like the Film Foundation and the National Film Preservation Board. The Forum continues to influence discourses alongside networks like IDFA, Sundance Institute and International Film Festival Rotterdam, remaining a reference point for programming experimental and politically engaged cinema.

Category:Film festivals in Berlin Category:Film festivals established in 1978