Horror film – Film Festival “Final Girls Berlin”: have restless thoughts

“Final Girls Berlin” is ten. How did you get the idea of ​​organizing a horror film festival in Berlin?

Sara Neidorf: In the United States, where I come from, there were already some festivals with a similar concept, but in Berlin there seemed to be an empty space in terms of horror. We wanted to fill this gap with something that we enjoy and of which we absolutely wanted to see more: horror films made by women and non-binary people. I think it’s great that our festival has become a kind of community event over the years. There are not only the films to be seen, but also rounds of conversation and workshops. And it is great to see when the viewers come into conversation.

How many applications there is?

Eli Lewy: This year we received a total of 406 submissions. Many of them come from English -speaking countries such as the USA, Australia, Great Britain and Canada. But also from Taiwan, Mexico, Singapore, Colombia and Indonesia. Incidentally, this year we have more mailings from Germany than usual.

Neidorf: We always try to grant films from the non-western, non-English-language context. Thematically, it is often about what happens today. Be it in relation to legislation in different countries or whether rights are attacked, as was overturned as Roe vs. Wade.

Interview

Jeri Soleil Perschke

Present since 2017 Sara Neidorf and Eli Lewy At the queer feminist film festival “Final Girls Berlin”, horror films that were filmed, written, written or produced by women and non-binary filmmakers. Neidorf works as a drummer for theater, dance and interdisciplinary performance skills and plays in the bands Mellowdeath, Mad Kate the Tide and Sarattma. Lewy works as a translator and editor and runs the film podcast »Somebody’s Watching«And the channel on Instagram»Birds of a Feather«.

Lewy: We also receive films that deal with online life or cyber horror. This year we also have horror -critical horror, I have the feeling that there is a greater need to make art about it.

Neidorf: During the Covid 19 pandemic, many filmmakers reacted to the feeling of isolation. Horror is a genre that not only has to do with things that people are afraid of, but also with the things they experience.

Which criteria are important to you when choosing?

Lewy: It is important not only who made the film, but how innovative and creative he is. And of course we are concerned with the representation of gender dynamics.

Neidorf: Even if it is a horror film festival, we do not want to show films that reproduce old horror tropics or show too much violence against women, queer and trans people. We have to look at how cinematic is reacting to it and seeing whether there is a counterweight or visible criticism.

How does the cinematic story differ from non-binary and female filmmakers from the mainstream horror dominated by CIS-Männlich?

Neidorf: The vast majority of horror films that are sold and published in the mainstream have so far been shot by men. So we only get these perspectives to see. We are concerned with bringing as many different perspectives and experiences as possible to the screen so that people can identify with it and deal with it on a deep level. Of course, there are certain experiences that can be seen more often in films of women, such as motherhood, menstruation or the feeling of being unsure on an empty street at night. But I don’t think it’s the end of the flagpole. Horror extends to all kinds of things that are worried to people in their lives.

Lewy: It is about the fears and horrors that are in women’s and transformers and this year we also show films that have an emphatic aspect. So it’s not just about the misery of existence, but about showing a variety in it. The film “T Blockers” by Alice Maio Mackay, which we had in 2024, was very entertaining and encouraging, for example, and told about the power of the queer community.

Neidorf: In 2021 we had the film “The Stylist” by Jill Gevargizian, where it was about friend and obsession. It was shown in the context of a hairdressing salon and the weapons shown were based on the equipment of the scene. It was an interesting idea that as a viewer we have access to a certain environment that is coded female, but the story itself ultimately has no gender.

Horror is no longer an underground genre and the feminist body horror has arrived in the mainstream thanks to films such as “The Substance” or “Love Lies Bleeding”.

Lewy: We will show “The Substance”, even if most people who come to our festival have probably already seen this film, we want to explore and experience it together as part of our festival. We want to celebrate this victory in the world of feminist horror!

Sometimes it is not clear whether you sit in a horror film or not. Just like with “if i had legs i’d Kick you” by Mary Bronstein at this year’s Berlinale, which was announced as a tragic comedy and felt like a horror film. How would you define horror?

Lewy: Isn’t that great? Not knowing how to classify it is exciting. Playing with the assumptions of our reality is such a fertile soil. At a moment it can be a subtle drama and then something happens that really startles you. For example, we don’t show much splatter at the festival, we can also enjoy it, but there are so much more.

Neidorf: It’s not about genre conventions. It is all about the feeling that a film conveys: a feeling of fear or worry. The most important feature for me is when a film gets you out of your comfort zone and you have restless thoughts afterwards.

Lewy: And the cinema is a safe place for it, because it shows all the fears and fears that you have in life. There is also a cathartic element. You get out and you are just yourself and have your life, but you saw and felt how it is to go through these dark ideas and feelings.

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What are the highlights of this year’s Final Girls edition?

Neidorf und Lewy: »Of the Devil Bad «, an Austrian film by Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz.

Lewy: “I saw the TV Glow” by Jane Schoenbrun is also very special. We saw him at the Berlinale 2024 and it is a very moving, different horror.

Neidorf: Another highlight is “Grafted” by Sasha Rainbow, which we have at our Germany premiere. The film has parallel to “The Substance”, with body horror about the beauty industry and beauty standards. It is interesting to bring these two films into conversation with each other. The shorts are a big highlight every year. This year we show a total of twelve blocks with short films. This year we will also organize a special party together with the Berlin “Nightcrawlers” collective, a kind of Haunted-House, such as an immersive theater experience, where you go into and immerse yourself in the history of creepy, suspicious figures.

What do you want for the future?

Lewy: That women and non-binary filmmakers have the opportunity and the money to continue.

Neidorf: I hope “Final Girls” can continue to grow and also reach a new audience internationally. We see that there is a change in the area of ​​queer feminist horror and we are there to celebrate the great success and also support the underdogs.

The »Final Girls Berlin« festival will take place in the City Kino Wedding from March 5-9, 2025. Program and tickets at: https://www.finalgirlsberlin.com