Welcome to our 10th Festival Edition

We are delighted to welcome audience members, old and new, back to Moviemento Kino for the 10th edition of Down Under Berlin!

The pandemic has been a challenging period for most of us. Our festival took a 2-year hiatus, in which time we not only came on as the new directors, but also reflected upon the atmosphere amongst our audience, and in our communities in general. We found the isolation and distance many experienced, while uncomfortable and scary, offered a window of introspection in which we could return to our nature. And now with travel possible again, we can literally return back to our roots. This theme seems prevalent in many of our selected films, where stories depict the journey back “to one’s true nature”, in both a literal and metaphorical sense.

Our opening Australian feature Blueback follows the story of Abby, a girl who fights to defend the ocean by which she lives and which forms a core part of her identity, from overfishing. Our New Zealand special screening of the comedy Nude Tuesday, explores with wit and intelligence, the nature of our closest relationships (amongst beautiful nature, in our natural nude state!).

The short film section this year offers a diversity of styles, genres and issues, all of which hone in on this theme as well. They Saw The Sun First is a BAFTA-winning short by Australian filmmaker Stefan Hunt which beautifully explores the nature of ageing. New Zealand short film Disrupt by Jennifer Ward-Lealand sends us on a journey of a young man lost. It is his roots that bring him solace and a new direction.