PM_B3_Overview_0510_2021

B3 Biennial of the Moving Image 2021
15 to 24 October
Frankfurt Rhein-Main & online
Film, art, games, XR, AI, conference, masterclasses
Focus on identity

B3 Biennial 2021: 80 participants from 25 countries
Oliver Stone & Co: 32 film premieres and a thrilling conference program
new platforms for emerging international talents
B3 live at the movies: horror, Humphrey Bogart, and cancel culture

(Frankfurt/Main; Offenbach, 14 October 2021)

From 15 to 24 October, the sixth edition of the B3 Biennial will offer the world's film, art and media professionals an international platform for innovation, exchange and visibility. The festival is aimed at students, graduates, professionals and the art-, film- and media-loving public. B3 2021 will take place as a hybrid edition. A total of around 80 contributors from 25 countries are taking part.

For the art program (B3 Moving Image Forum), 40 works by 25 artists from 20 countries have been selected. The conference program will feature 50 speakers from 10 countries. The B3 film program presents around 35 short and feature-length films from 20 countries, including 32 international and German premieres. This year’s B3 focusses on the topic of identity.

The "B3 Talent Forum" is celebrating its premiere, proving the festival’s special dedication to promoting emerging creative talent.

The main recipients of the 2021 B3 BEN Award are US film director Oliver Stone and German filmmaker and author Hito Steyerl.

"Nothing moves us more than moving images. Regardless of the channels we use to consume them, it's always about storytelling, whether in films, video art and games or in XR Experiences," says Prof. Bernd Kracke, Artistic Director of B3. „By placing our focus on identity, we address the issue of self-assurance in confusing times, the clash of cultures, living in or between different cultures, the struggle for diversity, etc. Striving for identity is one of the most important motors of our actions. Identity gives us security and a sense of belonging. Identity has many facets and seems to be more important in today’s society than ever before."

Opening gala hosted by Bärbel Schäfer

On October 15, the B3 Festival Center at Astor Film Lounge MyZeil will host the opening night of B3, which will also be streamed live on the Internet. This year's B3 BEN award winners, Oliver Stone and Hito Steyerl, will also be honored that night. Afterwards, the B3 opening film QUEEN OF GLORY (USA 2021) by Nana Mensah will be screened. Our host, Bärbel Schäfer, will guide through the evening, with ARCHIVE singer Craig Walker accompanying the gala unplugged.

Art in public

40 works by 25 artists from 20 countries were selected for the B3 Moving Image Forum. The works can be viewed online as well as at 2 venues. At MyZeil shopping center, a new cooperation partner of B3, 25 artworks will transform 5 empty stores into temporary galleries. Our hope is to give people the opportunity to rediscover public and inner-city space through art. In addition, works by artists from the B3 Moving Image Forum will also be shown in THE ARTS+ area at Frankfurt Book Fair.

Conference program: fireside chat with Oliver Stone

Around 50 speakers from 10 countries will participate in the B3 online conference program. Oliver Stone, Academy Award winner and recipient of the B3 BEN Award 2021, will speak about creativity, his oeuvre and his take on the current global situation in a virtual fireside chat on 20 October. Film director Doris Dörrie teaches the Opening Master Class of B3 2021, speaking about her work and her perspective on the creative industries

B3 film program featuring many premieres

QUEEN OF GLORY (USA 2021), his year`s opening film at B3, addresses the B3 focus on identity in a special way. The Clash of Cultures, life in or between different cultures, the struggle for diversity or self-assurance in confused times - all this is reflected in the 30 short and feature-length films. Film lovers can look forward to 14 international premieres and German premieres. The complete program is available via streaming on the B3 website www.b3biennale.com. Tickets are 5 euros per film.

B3 Live: Three events at the B3 festival center Astor Film Lounge Frankfurt

Live in the cinema: Horror meets Humphrey Bogart

Frankfurt cineastes can look forward to two extraordinary live events as part of the B3 film program. On 16 October, 7:30 p.m., cinema expert Adrian Wootton will take a look behind the scenes of Hollywood using the famous film noir classic THE MALTESE FALCON as an example and asking "How to make a star. Hollywood Stories."

On 17 October, 8:30 p.m., sees the German premiere of Austrian filmmaker Johannes Grenzfurthner’s latest work, MASKING THRESHOLD. According to Grenzfurthner, his experimental horror flick addresses "the reactionary fear of degeneration, decadence, regression, cultural decay, historical decay and, last not least, the racist fear of 'contamination'". The screening is followed by a Q&A with the director.

Talk with Black Lives Matter activist Funmilola Fagbamila

On October 16 at 4 p.m., Black Lives Matter co-founder Funmilola Fagbamila talks about her own identities and what it means to create subversive art as a Nigerian-American woman. She will also talk about the headline-making topic of "cancel culture." Funmilola explores why this phenomenon seems to exist in our information age, where news is presented as headlines and tweetable statements - as opposed to nuanced breakdowns of complex issues.

Rolemodel China? The B3 games program

The highlight of this year`s B3 games program which features a total of 4 events, is the panel on current developments in the People's Republic of China. Since September, young people in China are allowed to play online for only three hours a week. What's behind this drastic measure? Does it make sense? And could and should this tough protection of minors serve as an example for the German-speaking gaming realm? How do you reconcile moderate media consumption and virtual sports?

With Thorsten Unger, CEO Wegesrand; Dixon Wu, Hong Kong, organizer of Retro.hk Gaming Expo in Hong Kong; Marian Härtel, gaming lawyer / business consultant in the field of e-sports & Asia. (Oct. 19, 2 p.m.)

Premiere of B3 Talent Forum – Fostering emerging talent on an international scale

The new "B3 Talent Forum" proves the B3 Biennial`s special dedication to promoting emerging creative talent. The Forum combines two new formats: the initiative "HessenLab" and the cross-university graduation promotion program "HAB-Hessen".

The HessenLab initiative was launched in close cooperation of B3 and HessenFilm und Medien GmbH. The goal is to build a platform for young professionals and creative talents from the fields of film, art, XR and games with a special focus on regional, national and international networking. 20 international creative talents will present and develop a project of their own during an online mentoring program, exchanging content and viewpoints with experts and fellow participants. Besides helping the artistic reflection of project ideas, this training program will also focus on building international networks and initiating co-productions.

About B3 – An Alliance for the Moving Image

As a cross-media, cross-genre and international moving image festival offering film screenings, exhibitions, conference and workshop programs as well as various competition formats, B3 addresses the discourse on all trends and developments pertaining to the moving image in the areas of film, art, games and VR/XR. The aim of the Biennial, which was launched in 2012, is on the one hand to create a broad interdisciplinary alliance for the moving image, and on the other hand to offer the international cultural and creative industries a comprehensive platform for innovation and exchange. From October 15 to 24, 2021, the sixth edition of the B3 Biennial will offer the world's film, art and media professionals an international platform for innovation, exchange and visibility. B3 2021 will take place as a hybrid festival. A total of around 80 contributors from 25 countries will be featured. The B3 Biennial of the Moving Image is organized by the Offenbach School of Design (HfG) and funded by the Hessian Ministry of Science and Art (HMWK). Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain and Wirtschaftsförderung Frankfurt are main sponsors. Partners include Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain, Wirtschaftsförderung Frankfurt as well as Sylvia and Friedrich von Metzler. Strategic partners are the Frankfurt Book Fair, THE ARTS+, Film London and many more. Main event partners are ASTOR Film Lounge MyZeil, MyZeil Shopping-Center, and Satis&Fy.

Press contact

Susanne Tenzler-Heusler

T: +49 173 378 6601

M: presse@b3biennale.de