Archive notice: This article was originally published on January 25, 2008. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
The high attendance rate, after nearly sold-out competition and late screenings in the previous year, indicated particularly strong acceptance of side programmes and the new competition for 30- to 65-minute fiction and documentary films.
Cultural affairs official Erik Schrader called the new medium-length-film competition a major success. Artistic director Philipp Bräuer said the number of submissions had exceeded expectations and that media attention and audience interest confirmed the need to respond to current film-production trends.
The “Film & Career” programme had five screenings moved to larger auditoriums after selling out quickly. Four films shown in the series—Liebesleben, Frei nach Plan, Absurdistan and Meine Mütter – Spurensuche in Riga—received 23 German Film Award nominations across 13 categories. The “Nebenan” series of Luxembourg productions and co-productions received a positive response beyond the border, while the “Sprint” short-film series remained heavily attended.
The festival presented 147 different short and feature films in 10 cinemas and four venues across 166 programme slots, plus 14 accredited and press screenings and seven school screenings. It accredited 1,086 industry visitors and press representatives. Central advance ticket outlets and online sales improved access; 13.8 percent of individual tickets were sold online. The third Speed Dating event organised 15-minute meetings for 92 industry participants, averaging 12 appointments each over four hours.
