Program 2019
July 19 — July 22, 2019
at the Domhof, the youth centre »Kiste« and the protestant parish hall in Ladenburg
You and I, in fact all humans need »A piece of happiness«. Of course, the hope for »a piece of happiness« varies from person to person worldwide. Family, friends, home … and of course human dignity are good examples of such a piece of happiness, especially for people who have lost their dignity or who have had it taken away from them. »A piece of happiness« can be an elixir of life for the whole of humanity. Therefore, the WaLa team has chosen »A piece of happiness« as the focus for the 2nd International WaLa Film Festival Ladenburg.
Program
Friday 19.07.
10 am—12 pm
Biscuit 6 min • Abdul Hamid Mandgar • Afghanistan 2018
Courage 4 min • Jean-Luc Julien • Germany 2016
In a Whirlwind 31 min • Henrique Manuel Pereira • Portugal 2017
A Very Hard Sale 6.35 min • Morgan Ommer • Vietnam 2019
Evangelisches Gemeindehaus
2.30—3.45 pm
Guest Panel • Norway, Portugal & Vietnam
Jugendzentrum Kiste
4—6 pm
Hiwwe wie Driwwe 91 min • Benjamin Wagener & Christian Schega • Germany 2019
Jugendzentrum Kiste
8—10.30 pm
Opening Ceremony
Red Fish 3.40 min • Said Mohsen Hossaini • Norway 2018
Elja — 376 A.D. 29 min • Willi Kubica • Germany 2017
Domhof
Saturday 20.07.
10 am—12 pm
Dance in the dark 12 min • Sarajudden Bayat • Afghanistan 2019
Progress in the valley of the people who don’t know 67 min • Florian Kuhnert • Germany 2019
Colorless 7 min • Abdul Hamid Mandgar • Afghanistan 2019
Evangelisches Gemeindehaus
8—10.30 pm
Február 13 min • Marlena Molitor • Germany 2017
Yves’ Promise 80 min • Melanie Gärtner • Germany 2017
Domhof
Sunday 21.07.
11 am—1 pm
Me the »Other« 93 min • Shidan Majidi • USA 2018
For Mum Who Made Me Sad 5 min • Natascha Zink • Germany 2016
Evangelisches Gemeindehaus
2.30—3.45 pm
Guest Panel • Israel & USA
Jugendzentrum Kiste
8—10 pm
Ghazal 11 min • Abdul Hamid Mandgar • Afghanistan 2018
Moments 5 min • Jean-Luc Julien • Germany 2014
Mother Tongue 56 min • Shai Alexandroni • Israel 2018
Domhof
Montag 22.07.
2.30—3.45 pm
Guest Panel • Switzerland & Afghanistan
Jugendzentrum Kiste
2.30—4.30 pm
My Dad wants to go Mecca 15 min • Hassan Natiqi • Afghanistan 2019
Dead Animals 10 min • David Oesch & Remo Rickenbacher • Switzerland 2018
ZwischenWelten 33 min • Nadja Büchler, Benjamin Dornis, Nicole Rieber • Germany 2016
In the name of Opium 10 min • S. Jalal Hussaini • Afghanistan 2010
Jugendzentrum Kiste
8—9.30 pm
Closing & Award Ceremony with screening of the winning film »Best Medium Length Film«
Domhof
Films
Over four days, filmmakers will present 24 short, medium and long films from eight countries, each with their own perspectives on the chosen theme, shaped by their culture, their tradition and their very different impressions, at three different venues.
We hope that the films of the 2nd International WaLa Film Festival Ladenburg will captivate you for four days, inspire you to reflect and inspire you. You will certainly be animated to portray your own piece of happiness for yourself.
Feature-length films
Midnight Traveler
In 2015, the Taliban put a price on Hassan’s head. Hassan looked at his wife and his daughters, and he knew they had to flee their home. Over the course of their multi-year saga in search of safety, the family …
A Letter to the President
Soraya – wife and mother of two children – works as a public official. While struggling to enforce the law in Afghanistan she continuously angers her husband and her in-laws with her actions. When she …
A Rift in the Soul
Director Ralf Kotschka worked in a refugee camp in 2015 when he realized that he as well was the son of a refugee. Thereupon he started looking for contemporary witnesses who could talk about the exodus out of Bohemia and Pomerania as a result of World War II. In his film he puts together stories of nine refugess …
Me, the "Other"
The current climate of prejudice inspired this documentary, which is guaranteed to spark conversations about “otherness” and “oneness”. The film explores the lives of students from universities in Michigan …
Yves' Promise
Frustrated by a corrupt system, Yves leaves his home in Cameroon to try his fortune in Europe. But to get there is more difficult than expected. Yves has been on the road for eight years – and is close to failing. Back home are the people who mean the most to him: his sister Annie, who has been holding the family together since Yves left, his little brother, waiting for Yves to take him to Europe, and his father, who …
Can't be Silent
At night they meet on stage: young rappers join together with an experienced jazz pianist, a reggae singer with a German singer-songwriter, an African percussionist with accomplished Romani musicians, a beatboxer with Greek roots. Despite their differences, they gather in a respectful way – meeting each other eye to eye. Next morning they are back in the isolated reality that is a …
Hiwwe wie Driwwe – The Story of PA Dutch
300 years ago Palatians sought refuge in Pennsylvania. They brought their language and their culture with them to the New World which can still be found today: People of this region speak a mixture of Palatian dialect and English called „Pennsylvania Dutch“, they eat „Saumagen“ and chase „Elwetritsche“ …
Medium length films
Elja – 376 A. D.
The summer of 376 AD: The Gothic female warrior Elja is forced to give in to the Huns and seek shelter for herself and her clan within the Roman empire. However, in the Roman refugee camp other laws and …
In a Whirlwind
Fourteen years ago, due to a stroke, Hélder Ferreira turned quadriplegic. Doctors gave him no more than a few days to live. Imprisoned inside his body, he only moves one eyelid and with the thumb of the left hand, he does an almost imperceptible movement. However, with the help of a computer software, he can connect with the outside world and do what he loves: listen to music and write. …
Progress in the valley of the people who don't know
Overshadowed by weekly racist demonstrations in East Germany, former factory workers of the German Democratic Republic come together with Syrian …
ZwischenWelten
There are ever more refugee children in Germany who have fled from war and violence. However, this new life in Germany is not easy: They are confronted with a strange culture and language and …
Mother Tongue
Four women in their sixties speak about their charged relationships with their late mothers, the power relations in the family and the relationships with their own children. …
