Open-Air Cinema: The Weight of Walls – Stories of Control and Resilience

Eight international short films provide accounts of questionable practices and in some cases unacceptable conditions in prisons, as well as in a former mental hospital. They show how it is not just criminal offenders, but also victims of political persecution and people with disabilities who are subject to a particularly high level of state control: they are disciplined, subjugated and incarcerated. But the films also reveal the prisoners’ ability to adapt, solidarity in action and resistance. This raises the question: How will we treat people the state deems as non-conforming to society’s norms in future?

The Braunschweig International Film Festival (BIFF) was founded in 1987 by a group of film enthusiasts to expand the cinema on offer in the city. What started as a small grassroots project soon turned into a major crowd puller, drawing over 25,000 visitors each year. For 40 years now, the festival has offered entertainment, new discoveries and discursive exchange. The focus is particularly on promoting emerging European filmmakers.