Flammen und Asche
This short film program of the International Short Film Week Regensburg offers a gripping journey through the fascinating, sometimes destructive power of fire. However, active volcanoes on this island do not only bring glowing lava to the surface of the earth. The social and political impacts of fires and natural disasters also emerge, leaving gaps or providing the breeding ground for new things. In very different forms, the short films tell stories about fragility and chaos, tradition and symbolism, and address the eternal question of the relationship between civilization and nature.
Total playing time 80 minutes.
VULKÁNSZIGET // VOLCANO ISLAND, Anna Katalin Lovrity, Hungary 2017, 9 min, no dialogue
On an island in purple, pink, turquoise, bright yellow, and deep black, the volcano is simmering mightily. It spits pink clouds, coloring a yellow tigress in magical dark red. Henceforth, she is pursued by a love-struck white tiger. Mysterious laws of nature unleash explosive forces. The eruption of the volcano, which paints the colorful island with its lava, appears like a cleansing thunderstorm.
NA CINZA FICA CALOR // THE ASHES REMAIN WARM, Mónica M. Nunes, Germany, Cape Verde, Portugal 2016, 21 min, original version with English subtitles
Robbed of all possessions by the last volcanic eruption, the inhabitants of Chã das Caldeiras are forced to rebuild their lives. A subjective narrative of loss, symbiotic relationship, and the possibility of eternal return.
MATCHES, Géza M. Tóth, Hungary 2019, 11 min, original version with English subtitles
We are all individuals, even me. - A lonely boy plays with his colorful matches. While he talks about his dreams, fears, and hopes, the matches bring his visions to life.
CAREFUL WITH THAT AXE, Jason Stutter, New Zealand 2008, 2 min, no dialogue
A boy tries to chop firewood with his father's razor-sharp ax. He finds the ax incredibly heavy, so heavy that he balances it by resting his bare foot on the chopping block ... uh-oh!
BONFIRES, Martin Bureau, Canada 2017, 6 min, original version with German subtitles
Every year on July 12, Protestants in Northern Ireland ignite huge bonfires as part of the celebrations for the anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. They pile up pallets, tires, and trash. For the Protestants, the fires are a commitment to their identity; for the Catholics, they demonstrate arrogance and humiliation.
FEUER IN PAPPSTADT // FIRE IN CARDBOARD CITY, Phil Brough, New Zealand 2017, 9 min, original version with German subtitles
Skyscrapers, cars, frantic people in the streets: Since everything in this world is made of cardboard, flames spread after an accident. When even the extinguishing water catches fire, the catastrophe is complete.
LE MAL DES ARDENTS // ARDENT OTHER, Alice Brygo, France, 2023, 16 min, original version with English subtitles
An astounded crowd faces a fire. The threat has no name, a diffuse terror spreads. The fire of Notre-Dame has shaken an entire nation – and the eyewitnesses even more.
LAVA, James Ford Murphy, USA 2014, 6 min, original version
On a lonely island in the Pacific, a volcano follows the love life of the animals living there and longs more than anything to be happy with a partner. He sings his song every day while spitting his lava and gradually sinking into the sea. He doesn't realize that beneath the sea surface, a female volcano lies dormant, captivated by his song and in love with him.
Host:
Gabriel Fieger, Co-Director International Short Film Week Regensburg
Photo: Phil Brough
Doors open at 7:00 p.m.
Hallo, ich bin Maya.
