IFFMH Live: Critic's Talk

Two critics, many opinions: Dunja Bialas and Nino Klingler discuss the programme of the 69th International Film Festival Mannheim-Heidelberg, their discoveries, reservations and favourites.

According to the Lexicon of Film Terminology, film critique "is about placing film in aesthetic, technical, economic, sociological or philosophical frameworks and, by means of film, opening a discourse on deep ideological and aesthetic meanings." Critics are discourse-forming and the industry would be unthinkable without them. In the best cases the passion for film is the starting point for their considerations. They can put films into perspective, give them a special push or put them in a new light.

In Cannes there are critics' events in parallel with the Semaine de la Critique and in Berlin with the Woche der Kritik, which take place alongside the main festivals. A FIPRESCI jury consisting of international film journalists meets at the relevant festivals. Sascha Keilholz and Frédéric Jaeger were or are also active as film critics.

When talking about film criticism in Germany, it is hard to ignore Dunja Bialas. She is, among other things, head of the editorial staff and chairwoman of the online film magazine Artechock, spokeswoman of the Association of German Film Critics and co-founder of the Week of Criticism. She also directs the film festival Underdox. Her colleague Nino Klingler studied film and philosophy in Berlin and Istanbul. As a film critic, he writes for Perlentaucher, the Tagesspiegel and critic.de, among others. Nino is also active as a cameraman and editor.