"The decision to go online this year was not an easy one", admit Florence Houdin and Thorsten Rinke, presidents of the festival's board. "Many different factors needed to be taken into account, first and foremost the health of our audience", adds festival director Andreas Lewin.
"Due to the unforeseeable development of the pandemic only the online version provides the necessary planning reliability. Also, it is questionable whether festival atmosphere can be created under the restrictive conditions for cultural events in inside spaces", explains Lewin, who also considers the online version as a test for the sustainability for new forms of presentations.
"Not least, it was important for us to show solidarity with film makers and film distributors, for whom online festivals in the last months have become a new hope", says Lewin, who heads the festival since March.
„Security, solidarity and the work on new forms of presentation, that is what we considers the key elements to future success of Braunschweig International Film Festival“, states Andreas Lewin.
„If the situation allows, we will catch up on the presentation of the award winners including international guests at the beginning of the new year - in cinemas", announced Florence Houdin and Thorsten Rinke. „We would like to thank all our sponsors and patrons, the nordmedia as well as the city of Braunschweig, who assured their support. Special thanks go to our main sponsor Volkswagen Financial Services, who supports us to the full extent."
Their head of communication, Dr. Frank Woesthoff, completes: "We would like to provide the best start possible for the festival's new director and his team under these difficult circumstances. The online version allows to reach additional audiences – a perspective for future growth. Let's look forward to exciting films in November – which can surely be found this time again - just like the life time achievement award "The Europa" for a European actress or actor at the 35th edition!"
The festival will announce the detailed programme in early October.
Download press release.