Special thanks to Bryn Mawr College Film Studies Department for awarding me a fellowship as well as the Dean’s Office and Career Development Office for offering me grants to go to see my film at the Backup_Festival in Weimar, Germany!
The Backup_Festival, or Kurzfilmfestival, runs through Bauhaus University with the help from current students. The festival showcases a wide range of films created by students from universities all around the world! The location of the festival mostly takes place at Gaswerk, an outdoor art venue, about a twenty minute drive from Bauhaus University. Featured filmmakers come from all over the world, from places like Singapore and Spain, to join in the festivities.
My film, To My Motherland, screened for Backup audiences on Sunday, May 21st. It screened under the special programing “Trautes Heim, Glück Allein,” or “Home Sweet Home” in English, a set of eleven curated films pertaining to belonging and acceptance. After the screening, there was a short Q&A with filmmakers. One question that I found particularly difficult was “Where is home for you?” which is the very question my film tries to figure out. My response: “Where I can feel comfortable and where I can find yummy FOOD!”
One of my favorite features of the festival (other then the films and the vast amounts of food the very hospitable staff offered) was the catalogue that offered both English and German summaries of films! (Find my film on pg. 212 of the catalogue below!)
It was such a pleasure and absolute dream come true to see my film being shown for an international audience all the way in Weimar, Germany! Thank you so much to the support from Bryn Mawr College and the hospitality of the Backup_Festival staff!
If you want to check out the Backup_Festival catalogue on the go, make sure to download the Backup Festival app!
Kristal Sotomayor 