Our 2018 film programme will take place at the Abaton, which will function as the Reeperbahn Festival cinema during the festival’s four days and will screen all films several times a day. This will give you more flexibility as you plan your personal festival timetable!

The focus of this year’s programme is on cultural outlaws and their stories. Women with a political consciousness that goes beyond the #MeToo debate, bouncers who provide food for thought, sapiosexual songwriters, and many others find a voice in this year’s film selection. The programme comprises a total of ten films, including eight premieres and two special screenings with cast & crew.

In “Play Your Gender” producer and musician Kinnie Star goes in search of the reasons for the conspicuous gulf between the talents of female music producers and their level of media recognition – female music producers are passed over for awards (Grammys, for example) and they are missing from industry discourse. Melissa Auf der Maur of the Smashing Pumpkins, Tank Girl Patty Schemel, songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk, and other successful women offer some truly profound insights into an industry that has been turning a blind eye to sexism for far too long.

“Here To Be Heard – The Story Of The Slits” is also about women fighting tooth and nail for their place in the music business without ever really being embraced by it. The film draws on archival footage, previously unreleased videos, and interviews with band members and British punk legends to tell the story of the Slits, one of London’s most influential punk bands.

The documentary “Shut Up And Play The Piano” looks at the life of composer and piano virtuoso Chilly Gonzales – from his early years as a band leader in Canada to his time as a dance-oriented rapper in the Berlin underground scene to his performances of modern classical compositions in the concert halls of today. Interviews, concert footage, fictional scenes, and previously unpublished material make for a film truly worth seeing even if you’re not a big fan. The film’s director, Philipp Jedicke, will be at the premiere on 19 September.

The story of Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam, better known as M.I.A., is a similar tale of tumult and (multi)talent. Since the early 2000s, the singer, who’s also known for her social activism, has been cultivating a musical style that’s inspired by street art and a wide variety of cultural influences – producing a beat-blend between UK hip-hop, electro pop, and dancehall. But she actually originally wanted to be a documentary filmmaker. How and why she ended up in music – and started using it as a political mouthpiece – is explored in the documentary “Matangi / Maya / M.I.A.”.

Like M.I.A., Joan Jett – feminist icon and frontwoman of The Runaways and Joan Jett & The Blackhearts – was and is an activist and, at least in some respects, a “bad girl”. She’s had many hit songs – but how did the Godmother of Punk also end up becoming one of the leading figures in the struggle for gender equality? “Bad Reputation” sheds light on a very modern career path paved with grit and determination.

 

Also confirmed:
Desolation Center | Das schönste Mädchen der Welt | 3 Tage in Quiberon | Türen | Whitney