Filmfest Hamburg's new director now pointing way

"Cinema is far better than Netflix and the like which is surprising because streaming services use algorithms to analyse the audiences’ preferences and often give subscribers variations of the same old thing," Rabahallah pointed out. However, "streaming services cater to a global audience and thus create new opportunities. The success of ‘Parasite’ from South Korea might not have been possible otherwise," she conceded. In fact, “Parasite” (2019) a social satire directed by Bong Joon Ho, became an international box office hit and scooped six Oscars in 2020. This is the kind of film that Raballah would like to screen during this year’s Hamburg Film Festival underway from September 26 to October 5. "Films that are socially important and that make the audience laugh and cry, simply put, films that touch people. That's the only way to build bridges, open up new perspectives and more importantly raise awareness."

Emotions shared in a cinema link up people, especially when the themes are explored in greater depth through discussions with the directors, Rabahallah believes. "When that happens among people from different countries, it fosters global understanding." Around 120 films from almost 50 countries are due be screened during this year's film festival. They include world premieres, European premieres and German premieres such as “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” by Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof, who lives in Hamburg. The drama about Iman, an investigating judge struggling with paranoia and political unrest in Teheran, won several awards during the 2024 Cannes Film Festival backed by the Moin Film Fund. The movie was edited and post-produced in Hamburg.

Last year, Moin Filmförderung invested EUR 14.8 million in 258 projects including 26 feature films, 15 short films, 12 documentaries and four series. The return on the investment has tripled, as all the funded productions must spend at least 150 per cent of the investment in Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein. The return was even higher in 2023, according to the  Moin Annual Report 2023. "Every euro we invested thus generated EUR 3.40 for the economy in Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein."

The EUR 30,000 for Hamburg’s film festival, whose parent company is Moin Filmförderung, is money well spent, Rabahallah said, adding: "We bring international filmmakers to Hamburg and organise guided tours of the city. I see myself as an ambassador who raises Hamburg’s profile as a film centre and location." In 2023, films were shot on 1,741 days in Hamburg and on 2,292 in the region -  a rise of 20 per cent over 2022. Rabahallah now hopes to continue this positive trend and bring even more international productions to Hamburg. This is familiar territory, as she was responsible for international co-productions and collaborations during her time at Moin Filmförderung. Her different periods of residence in the United States, Canada, Costa Rica and England make it easier to negotiate on an equal footing.

Networking will top the agenda of the festival’s Industry Days from September 30 to October 3 when experts, directors and producer mull all the latest developments. The Explorer Conference kicks off with a Risk & Reward segment on September 30, 2024. Emphasis is on  rising costs, increasingly fragmented markets and the status of public funders such as broadcasters and funding institutions. These issues and especially technological developments sparked by artificial intelligence will be addressed in various keynotes, panels and deep dives. While AI is opening up entirely new possibilities, it also raises questions about managing creativity, marketing, copyright and ethics. Several accolades which will be handed out during the 32nd Filmfest Hamburg this year. A total of EUR 125,000 in prize money was awarded in 2023 including the Hamburg Producer Awards for International Cinema Co-Productions and German Cinema Productions worth EUR 50,000 and donated by the Ministry of Culture and Media in Hamburg.

The Encourage Film Talents Industry Day on October 1 will shine the spotlight on young and up-and-coming filmmakers as an extension of the international talent scheme Filmfest Hamburg Atelier, which launched to great acclaim in 2022 in co-operation with the Cannes Film Festival’s Semaine de la Critique. "We want to bring talented young people from German film academies closer together with professionals from all over the world and focus on their recipes for success," said Rabahallah. Talks will centre on innovations, collaborations and new projects presented in pitches. The top priority is to nurture talented young professionals, she stressed. "This industry is driven by passion, but doesn't make it easy for the protagonists. Filmmaking takes courage, but it's worth it. That's what we want to show with the Hamburg Film Festival."
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