A special thematic focus of the Film Festival this year is the genre Neo Western. Originally initiated by New Hollywood stars like Sam Peckinpah, Arthur Penn and Robert Altman, in recent years, prominent exponents such as Tarantino or the Coen brothers have helped the genre gain more popularity. If Peckinpah’s brutally nihilistic THE WILD BUNCH from 1969 can be seen as an even more radical farewell to the media legend à la John Wayne, then the selection of films in the series NEO WESTERN with, among others, three debut films, shows that certain genre conventions that go beyond the limits of the American process of dealing with the past, have become set pieces, which will also become even more popular with a young international generation of film makers. DOGS and COYOTE for example relocate the Wild West to the European hinterland, where the heroes have to protect themselves from intruders and dispossession. IN MY SWEET PEPPER LAND and MARLINA – DIE MÖRDERIN IN VIER AKTEN (THE MURDERESS IN FOUR ACTS) strong women take a stand in patriarchy dominated by violence. DEN MENSCHEN SO FERN tries to fathom the question of justice and freedom of choice in times of war.