_{Pink Moon by Floor van der Meulen}

Floor van der Meulen's debut feature film Pink Moon** celebrates its German premiere in Braunschweig's main competition. The film, which is produced by Keplerfilm, world premiered at Tribeca and also screened at Sarajevo, Guanajuato and Gijón among others. Pink Moon tells the story of Iris, who completely out of the blue is told by her father Jan that he has had enough of life and wants to die. She is forced to face the total absurdity of the situation. As the unsettling deadline approaches, Iris decides to ignore her brother’s watertight action plan. Instead, she strong-arms her father into answering the one question that matters to her: why? Without ever getting a satisfactory answer, she eventually sets out to find a way to deal with her father’s last wish. Sales are handled by Urban Distribution International.

Oeke Hoogendijk and Witfilm's documentary Light - Stockhausen's Legacy* screens in the Sound and Screen programme. Brilliant. Megalomaniac. Unstageable – some words to describe the opera cycle Licht, the most radical project in the history of music theatre, written by the legendary and controversial composer Karlheinz Stockhausen. The Dutch National Opera and Holland Festival staged Licht in 2019. Oeke Hoogendijk documented the path to this frenzied opera spectacle. The film recreates Stockhausen’s musical universe through the making of the opera, against the backdrop of his dramatic life story.

Short film AYOR* by Tom Bakker and Dutch Mountain Film is part of the short film programme Polidoc. In AYOR, during the national commemoration of Remembrance Day in 1970, two young men try to make a statement against gay discrimination. In the moments before and after the incident, their doubt, fear and firm belief become clear.

The ultra short animation Piece of Art* by Erik Verkerk, Joost van den Bosch and Ka-Ching Cartoons is included in the programme #Short After Breakfast. Sales are handled by SND Films. A burglar breaks into a museum and breaks more than he wants. As he tries to escape he can't help but burn, tear and crack the stolen painting until we are left with nothing but a small piece of art.

In addition, there are three Dutch minority co-productions screening in Braunschweig: 

• Feature film My Dad is a Sausage**, directed by Anouk Fortunier and co-produced by The Film Kitchen, is selected for Children and Youth Films
• Feature animation film Best Birthday Ever**, directed by Michael Ekblad and co-produced by Submarine, is selected for Children and Youth Films
• Short film The 2 Shoes*, directed by Paul Driessen and co-produced by Anikey Studios, is selected for Dance of the Damned

For more information 36th edition of Braunschweig International Film Festival, click here.
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*Film is supported by the Netherlands Film Fund
**Film is supported by the Netherlands Film Fund and Film Production Incentive