The Berlin International Film Festival, also known as Berlinale, is the city’s most glamorous even, attracting the world’s elite of the film industry. But in a city famous for it’s underground alternative art scene, you would expect no less than the Berlin Independent Film Festival.
The epicenter for low-budget filming
The Berlin Independent Film Festival (BIFF) is the epicenter to find low-budget filmmaking in Europe. It runs at nearly the same time as its glamorous older sister and draws on some of the film power gathered at that event.
The BIFF festivities take place at the Babylon Cinema in the heart of the city, an important cultural landmark. Visitors can enjoy a lineup of indie films, workshops, networking events, and advice from fellow filmmakers. As well, the BIFF is developing into a vital event for developing in the low-budget film industry.
The emphasis of the event is to showcase the unknown filmmakers looking to make a name for themselves with a budget that are a tiny fraction of Hollywood movies. As well, it helps to create connections and networks between filmmakers and colleagues as well as give local Berliners a taste of the global low-budget film scene.
When does the BIFF take place?
Screenings are at 6pm, 8pm and 10pm each night, and cost 8 euros per show. The films are shown in either English, German or in the original format with English subtitles. The annual festival runs 9-15 February 2017.
What types of movies can you see there?
The movies stretch across a variety of genres including feature and short films, documentaries, music videos, and more. All of the films are guaranteed to by high quality and the awards are in all the typical categories of international film festivals. The awards are divided among various categories including:
- Best Feature (over £100k)
- Best Micro-budget Feature (under £100k)
- Best No-Budget Feature (under £10k)
- Best Documentary
- Best Sci-Fi / Horror Feature
- Best Female Director Feature
- Best LGBT film
- Best Short Film
- Best Short Documentary
- Best Animated Short
- Best Experimental Short
- Best Horror / Sci-Fi Short
- Best Music Video
Screenplay Award categories:
- Best Feature Screenplay
- Best Sci-Fi / Horror Screenplay
- Best Comedy Screenplay
