SCHLINGEL brings internationality to the city

Film Festival SCHLINGEL

The SCHLINGEL International Film Festival for Children and Young Audiences is starting its 21st year. Seven young film enthusiasts from Karl-Schmidt-Rottluff-Gymnasium are in the thick of it. The pupils from the eleventh and twelfth grades make up the festival's youth jury. Anton, Emily, Julia, Lena, Carolin, Sarah and Franz have a special interest in SCHLINGEL and film. Together with their teacher Jürgen Pinkert, they embark on a week full of exciting stories and different cultures. We met with the youth jury beforehand and talked about films and the SCHLINGEL.

Why did you decide to take part in SCHLINGEL as a youth jury?
Anton: A few years ago, I was part of the junior jury. Then I bought a SCHLINGEL flat rate and took part almost every year. At SCHLINGEL, you get to see different, unusual films that you wouldn't necessarily see in the cinema otherwise. It's always something very special and, above all, youth-orientated.
Franz: I can only agree with Anton. Films interest me. There are some really unusual and courageous films that make you think. And I admire the courage of the directors to do something different.
Lena : We were all asked by our art teacher, Mr Pinkert, if we would like to take part. Like Anton, I was already on the junior jury in 2013. And now I'm keen to join the youth jury.

What is your task as a youth jury?
Carolin: We watch seven different films and decide which film deserves the award and which films unfortunately have to go home empty-handed. That is sometimes very difficult. Because the films all have potential. We discuss a lot to come to a common conclusion in the end.

How do you watch such a film? Do you have a strategy for how you evaluate it?
Anton: Well, first of all, everyone watches the film for themselves and lets it sink in. We usually get together straight after the film to discuss it. Then we evaluate the film. Of course, you know that you're a jury member and that you have to think carefully about the film.
Sarah: I was on the jury last year, for example, and I always took notes at the beginning to summarise the content. But then I realised relatively quickly that it's better if I watch the film first.

Did you ever have the subject of film criticism at school, which you might be able to apply now?
Franz: We had it in seventh grade. In German, we also studied film once and watched "Der Club der toten Dichter". We looked at the stylistic devices used in the film. At SCHLINGEL, I try to evaluate the films in two parts. Firstly, how the film is realised: how is the camera, what is the visual power of the film. Does it impress me or not? And secondly, of course, I evaluate the plot. A simply made film can really be a masterpiece.
Julia: We watch three films on the first day of the festival. That's definitely exhausting in the long run. You try to find symbols that you might not otherwise pay attention to. You do notice them, but not consciously. You think a lot during the film.
Emily: For me, acting is the most important thing. I also have a lot to do with theatre in my private life, so for me it's a bridge to film. It's important that an actor is convincing and embodies the character and the plot. I will also pay a lot of attention to that. For me, the essential thing about a film is not necessarily the plot, but whether the film moves me.

You choose a winner in the youth film category. What can they win?
Jürgen Pinkert: There is a cash prize, although the SCHLINGEL has more of a symbolic meaning. The assessment of the junior jury and the youth jury is direct feedback from the target audience for the filmmakers. The films shown at the SCHLINGEL are mostly foreign films, all of which are shown in their original version, at best with subtitles, and are dubbed in German. If a film wins an award here, there is a chance that a film distributor will buy the film and dub it. Otherwise, the films have little chance of reaching the German market. I've been involved with SCHLINGEL for five years now. We've seen a lot of great films, but unfortunately they've never been shown in German cinemas. The aim of the festival is to encourage TV stations and distributors to buy films for cinema or television. The award-winning films in particular usually all find their way onto television, DVD or cinema.
Julia: The last time I was on the junior jury, a Canadian film won. The film was about ice hockey, which is not so exciting for the German film market. However, I happened to see the film on television. I was very happy about that because I hadn't expected it.

What is your favourite film?
Lena: "Fight Club"! I think this film criticises everything that Americans have in their society and culture. And in a very harsh way. I find the idea of letting go of everything and starting again, of reaching a zero point for everyone, very interesting and exciting.
Emily: I'm going in a completely different direction. My favourite film is "Perfume - The Story of a Murderer". It's such an exciting story that shows the abysses of a human being. It's also an absurd story in which a man wants to develop a perfume that smells like "man". It's fascinating and chilling at the same time.
Franz: For me it's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", the film version with Johnny Depp is simply fantastic. It impressed me from an early age. - It's this fantastic, fairytale-like quality and things that make you think.
Carolin : It goes in a similar direction for me: I love "Alice in Wonderland" by Tim Burton. There are so many philosophical themes in it.

Pinkert has been selecting the jury for the SCHLINGEL for five years. In the first few years, he put together the junior jury, now the youth jury. "You always weigh up: Does it fit? Does the jury work? What's the best way to put it together? I think it's going to be a really great job and I'm really looking forward to it." Each jury member has their own distinct opinion. That's what makes it special for him.

Franz: You can generally see that interest in film is increasing among young people. For example, the series that are favoured by young people in particular.

The films you just mentioned tend to be big film productions. At SCHLINGEL, foreign productions are shown in their original language. Do you also watch films or series in their original language in your private life?
Lena: I now ask myself how I used to be able to watch films and series in German dubbing. It's a completely different feeling in the original languages: you have the actors' dialects, for example. That makes the whole thing much more authentic. That's why I think it's great that we can watch the films at SCHLINGEL in the original languages. Then the actors' emotions come across much better.

What added value does the International Children's and Youth Film Festival have for the city of Chemnitz?
Franz: SCHLINGEL is one of the most important international children's and youth film festivals in the German-speaking world. - And it's definitely a big deal for Chemnitz. You could also imagine it taking place in Dresden or Leipzig. But it is a Chemnitz festival. It attracts film connoisseurs from all over the world. The SCHLINGEL is like a window that's open a crack, through which you can look to broaden your horizons. That's something very necessary in the times we're living in.
Carolin: The SCHLINGEL brings an international flavour to this city. Many people are engaging with different cultures. Chemnitz can show how cosmopolitan it is.
Anton: It's really great that this film festival is at home in Chemnitz. When the SCHLINGEL takes place, there's really something going on here. When you walk through the Galerie Roter Turm, you get that SCHLINGEL flair, which is so special and unique. This week embodies something that you can really feel. That's what's so special about SCHLINGEL.