HIVE is an international
short film festival based
in Berlin
Past Four Editions
03
Archive
Fourth Edition
HIVE’s 4th edition returned to Flutgraben for the third consecutive year, welcoming 800 cinephiles for three days of film appreciation and discussion. This year, we introduced a midnight selection on Saturday night and added a panel discussion to the program, further enriching the event. HIVE continued to be the space for film enthusiasts to critically engage with cinema and connect with the creative minds behind the films.
Day One / 11.10.2024
18:30
Andrea Burelli / Refuge Worldwide
Opening / Ambient DJ Performance
20:00
Selection 1/ Plunge
76 min.
Plunge takes you on a journey to another dimension, where fundamental questions about life, connection, love, and obsession are explored from radically different perspectives. Through a series of thought-provoking stories, this selection invites you to confront these themes and challenges you to reflect on them in new and unexpected ways.
Dadá
Luisa Arraes
Brazil
18 min.
Brunch
Caner Sunar, Kasper Bisgaard
Germany
28 min.
The Debris
Nino Klingler, Frédéric Jaeger
Germany
15 min.
Forever Yours
Elliott Louis McKee
Germany
15 min.
22:00 - 00:00
Temple Rat / Refuge Worldwide
Ambient DJ Performance
Day Two / 12.10.2024
14:00
Panel: Responding to the Now: The Power of Film in Times of Conflict and Injustice
With Şirin Fulya Erensoy, Viola Shafik and Basma Al-Sharif
During this year’s edition of Hive International Short Film Days, we will host a panel titled, with the participation of film scholar and filmmaker Viola Shafik and filmmaker Basma Al-Sharif and in conversation with film and media scholar Şirin Fulya Erensoy. In line with this year’s festival theme of reaction, the panel will explore how we maintain our voices amidst the ongoing failures of humanity and how, as filmmakers and scholars, we respond to the horrors of our time while finding hope, even when history seems hopelessly to repeat itself. What strategies can we adopt to create not only images of resistance that inspire political action and shift public opinion, but also to challenge the structures that uphold representational hierarchies and biases within film production and academic work? How do we confront the deliberate repression and censorship of certain knowledge systems in these fields and build a cultural resistance movement?
Viola Shafik is a German-Egyptian film theorist, curator, and filmmaker, who has written extensively on the history and culture of the so-called Arab world. Drawing on her recent book on documentary filmmaking in revolutionary contexts across Algeria, Morocco, Palestine and Syria, Shafik will discuss the complexities of documenting resistance and the ethical dilemmas faced by filmmakers capturing the realities of war and political upheaval. She will explore what it means to film and record such charged realities—how cinema can serve as both testimony and intervention, and the responsibility filmmakers bear when representing trauma, violence, and resistance.
As a Palestinian artist, Basma Al-Sharif's work examines the cyclical nature of political conflicts and seeks ways to produce images that not only reflect the consequences of colonization and occupation on a historical level but also incorporate the subjective experiences such histories have generated. She consciously bears witness to life itself, in an effort to represent Palestinian existence beyond the frames constructed by Western and Israeli media narratives that aim to erase, deny and obstruct the sight of such stories. Her contribution to the panel will focus on her approach to creating new visual languages to confront erasure and offer alternative representations of Palestinian life.
17:00
Selection 2 / Ouroboros
76 min.
This selection will present the feature film by our panelist, Basma Al-Sharif.
Ouroboros
Basma Al-Sharif
Palestine, France, Belgium, Qatar
76 min.
20:00
Selection 3 / Reaction
72 min.
Reaction delves into our responses to the various stimuli that surround us. Reactions are triggered by the myriad influences we encounter daily—whether societal, cultural, personal, or environmental. As human beings, our agency lies in how we navigate and respond to these situations, transforming limitations into creative opportunities. Embracing our role as reactants in this ongoing interaction, we recognize that our responses—much like chemical reactions generating new substances—lead to the formation of transformative outcomes.
So, this year’s theme invites us to be responsive, present, and aware, acknowledging that even choosing not to react is a form of response in itself. How do our reactions affect our identity and worldview? In what ways can our expressions offer new perspectives on our collective and individual responses? How do filmmakers interpret and depict these interactions through visual storytelling?
Wall, the Wall
Yusuf Ölmez
Turkey
16 min.
The Cascade
Pablo Delgado Sanchez
Mexico
21 min.
I don’t want to be just a memory
Sarnt Utamachote
Germany
20 min.
Between Delicate and Violent
Şirin Bahar Demirel
Turkey, Netherlands
15 min.
22:00 - 23:45
Richard Akingbehin / Refuge Worldwide
Ambient DJ Performance
23:55
Selection 4 / Midnight
56 min.
When everything is at its darkest, we hope for the morning.
Lake of Fire
Neozoon
Germany
11 min.
Voice Messages From Bakhmut
Ihor Babaiev
Ukraine, Lithuania
15 min.
Elefsina Notre Amour
Mahdi Fleifel
Greece
9 min.
Villa Madjo
Elen Sylla Grollimund
Belgium
13 min.
Fin. Finito. Infinito.
Laurence Henriquez
Netherlands
8 min.
Day Three / 13.10.24
17:00
Selection 5 / Rock Paper Scissors
61 min.
The randomness of our physical existence on this planet doesn't recognise any human-made borders. We do not choose where we are born, or what circumstances we will face. This selection explores the political implications of this randomness. It looks at how the circumstances we are born into can have a profound impact on our lives, and how the choices we make can have far-reaching consequences. It shows that we are all subject to the forces of politics and power. But it is also a reminder that we are not powerless even if the odds are stacked against us.
Involuntary Obsolescence - Floating Grounds
Jaeik Kim
Korea
20 min.
The Song
Bani Abidi
Germany
22 min.
Chasing the Sun: El Shatt
Ana Bilankov
Croatia
19 min.
20:00
Selection 6 / Awakening
60 min.
Awakening is about the moments of realization and transformation we experience as we grow and age. It speaks to the subtle yet profound turning points in life that shape who we are and reminds us that we can move closer to our authentic selves by daring to rewrite both the stories we are told and the ones we tell ourselves.
Monster
Olga Melanich
Russia
15 min.
And I Talk Like a River
Qian Ning
China
12 min.
The Boy With the Pearl Earring
Jonas Erler
Germany
9 min.
The Pointy Slippers
Christina Acevedo
The United States
8 min.
Farewell to Myself
Shixiong Luo
China
16 min.
22:00
Closing
Third Edition
HIVE's 3rd edition took place in Flutgraben, where we hosted 600 cinephiles over three days to discuss and appreciate films. Attendees had the opportunity to engage directly with directors through Q&A sessions, creating meaningful dialogue between the audience and filmmakers. The event provided a vibrant space for film enthusiasts to think critically about cinema and connect with the creative minds behind the films.
Day One / 22.09
19:00
Opening
20:00
Selection 1/ Awakening
74 min.
Awakening explores the diverse experiences of women through short films. The films in the selection showcase the many ways that women are seen, heard, and represented in the world while provoking thought and discussion about the challenges and triumphs of womanhood. It features characters who are strong, resilient, and complex and celebrates their voices and stories.
7+1 Fragments
Mehrad Sepahnia, Atefeh Kheirabadi
Germany
30 min.
Maria Schneider 1983
Elisabeth Subrin
Switzerland
25 min.
Ours
Morgane Frund
Switzerland
19 min.
22:00
HYENAZ
Live Audiovisual Performance
Day Two / 23.09
14:00
Workshop: Activism, Empowerment and Change: Exploring Audio-Visual Medias
With Şirin Fulya Erensoy
This workshop delves into the historical and contemporary use of audio-visual media for political activism. From early film history to today's protest movements, filmmakers have employed audio-visuality to convey political messages. The workshop examines the role of activist videos in challenging mainstream narratives, amplifying marginalized voices, and reshaping power dynamics. The workshop also addresses strategic video approaches, ethical considerations in documenting protests, and empowering individuals captured on camera. Participants with a background in filming or photographing protest scenarios are encouraged to share their insights, making the workshop a participatory exploration at the intersection of media, activism, and change.
17:00
Selection 2 / Displaced
76 min.
Displaced addresses the reality of insurmountable borders, deadlock and exile as well as forced disappearance. The three essayistic, documentary and experimental films combine distant things and places: blind spots hidden in life style advertisements made during the Argentinian dictatorship between 1976 and 1983, war memories of the early 1990s set in contrast with today's city of Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the goings-on at a refugee settlement in Georgia near Russian-occupied South Ossetia where the temporary has become permanent. The program highlights the difficulty to overcome a non-healing past, but at the same time shows the power of film to convey hope for a better future.

Curated by Florian Wüst
Dezerteri
Damir Markovina
Croatia
45 min.
¿Dónde está Marie Anne?
Yaela Gottlieb
Argentina
6 min.
Reihe 6
Bidzina Gogiberidze, Lennart Hüper
Austria, Georgia, Germany
25 min.
20:00
Selection 3 / Unbound
74 min.
Unbound explores the concepts of belonging and detachment in relation to our cultures, our systems, and our mortality. It questions the meaning of roots and how our roots shape our existence, or if they do at all. What does it mean to feel “unbound”? How do our cultural traditions, geography, and heritage shape our sense of belonging? What are the challenges and rewards of being “unbound”? How do filmmakers negotiate these influences in their creative expression? The selection will challenge and inspire viewers to think about their own sense of belonging, both to the systems and cultures they are a part of as well as to the planet they live on.
Tower
Emre Birişmen
Turkey
20 min.
9/8fight41
Gizem Aksu
Turkey
29 min.
Back
Yazan Rabee
Netherlands
7 min.
Unscarfed
Anita Bruneburg
Germany
9 min.
I THINK OF SILENCES WHEN I THINK OF YOU
Jonelle Twum
Sweden
9 min.
Day Three / 24.09.23
17:00
Selection 4 / Rock Paper Scissors
66 min.
The randomness of our physical existence on this planet doesn't recognise any human-made borders. We do not choose where we are born, or what circumstances we will face. This selection explores the political implications of this randomness. It looks at how the circumstances we are born into can have a profound impact on our lives, and how the choices we make can have far-reaching consequences. It shows that we are all subject to the forces of politics and power. But it is also a reminder that we are not powerless even if the odds are stacked against us.
PARADISO, XXXI,108
Kamal Aljafari
Germany, Palestine
18 min.
March 8, 2020: A Memoir
Fırat Yücel
Netherlands, Turkey
15 min.
Unless We Dance
Hanz Rippe Gabriel, Fernanda Pineda
Colombia
15 min.
Squid Fleet
Ed Ou, Will N. Miller
United States
11 min.
The Crowd
Pelin Kırca
Turkey
7 min.
20:00
Selection 5 / Plunge
97 min.
Plunge takes you on a journey to another dimension, where you are forced to confront the fundamental questions of life, time, and death. You will be presented with endless possibilities for the past, present, and future, and you will be challenged to reflect on them all.
Just a Lamp
Felix Hertneck
Germany
10 min.
Age of Innocence
Maximilian Bungarten
Germany
23 min.
Smàre
Valentin Wanker
Germany
22 min.
The Dream of A Ridiculous Human
Svenja Heinrichs
Germany
24 min.
Stormers
Esme Madra
Turkey
18 min.
Second Edition
HIVE's 2nd edition marked the first time the event took place in Flutgraben. Over three days, we welcomed 500 cinephiles who gathered to discuss and celebrate films. Attendees engaged directly with directors through Q&A sessions, fostering meaningful dialogue between the audience and filmmakers. The event created a dynamic environment for film enthusiasts to critically engage with cinema and connect with the creative minds behind the films.
Day One / 09.09
19:00
Opening
20:00
Selection 1 / Plunge
75 min.
Plunge takes you to another dimension where you find yourself contemplating life, time and death. Endless possibilities for past, present and future will occupy your mind.
Our Ark
Deniz Tortum, Kathryn Hamilton
Netherlands - United States
13 min.
HERMAN@S (SiblingX)
Hélène Alix Mourrier
France
28 min.
Gallu
Kasra Tirsahar
Iran
30 min.
Sisyphos
Sorcha Kennedy
United Kingdom
4 min.
22:00
Nour Sokhon
Live Audiovisual Performance
Day Two / 10.09
17:00
Selection 2 / Curling Eyelashes - Feminisms of the Everyday
89 min.
Women confront structures of oppression in all aspects of life. The seeming invisibility of the patriarchal ideology is put into question by the filmmakers of this selection, as they take control of their own narratives, images and means of production. By engaging documentary form with newer online formats such as TIKTOK, we hope to explore the diverse modes of expression through audio-visual means.​​

Curated by Şirin Fulya Erensoy and Julia Lazarus (Radical Film Network Berlin)
Here is a trick in getting longer lashes
@officialferozaaziz
40 sec.
Ain’t No Time for Women
Sarra El-Abed
Canada
19 min.
Let the judges and judiciary tremble
@abbyochoa
56 sec.
From the trench in the national palace
@josuemexicano
33 sec.
I Used to Live in a Toaster
Rojin Shafiei
Canada
7 min.
Abortion Law has finally been banned in America
@SherbTheGoat
7 sec.
The Perfect Picture
Hala El Kouch
Lebanon
31 min.
I fucked up again
@gimmeaxanax
9 sec.
Jealous Eyedress
@just.fir
6 sec.
Arnav
@reallygoodtalker
5 sec.
Why I am on social media as an activist
@herspective
8 sec.
love of my life since age 13
@arcadianskeleton
6 sec.
my favorite song
@farhana_anna
21 sec.
New tik tok dance challenge 2022
@anoniemac
56 sec.
Just because I am bored
@mbeckpop
7 sec.
#HaHaHa
Özlem Sarıyıldız
Turkey
27 sec.
Edible
@jellaasmr
18 sec.
Sorry, not sorry lads
@borne.thorne
21 sec.
Meanwhile Yet
Ayça Çiftçi
Turkey
8 min.
POV: she cooked pasta in a bomb shelter and imagined that she is in Italy
@valerisssh
9 sec.
My typical day in a bomb shelter
@valerisssh
18 sec.
What I have in a bomb shelter
@valerisssh
184 sec.
Same/Different/Both/Neither
Fernanda Pessoa, Adriana Barbosa
Brazil, United States
18 min.
I need answers
@julietteirons
14 sec.
20:00
Selection 3 / Awakening
91 min.
Awakening is about breaking cycles that one feels stuck in. It is about courage, pushing limits and going beyond norms that are imposed on us. It reminds us that we can reach our own authentic self by taking a step outside the door.
North Pole
Marija Apcevska
North Macedonia
15 min.
Lady in a World of SOBs
Shira Sznaider
Israel
30 min.
Waiting For Lolo
Jules Ronfard
Canada
8 min.
I Met You On My Way To The Cemetery
Johnny Doov
Israel
23 min.
I’ll Leave You Two Alone
Elif Refiğ
Turkey
22 min.
21:00
Awe Kid
Live Audiovisual Performance
Day Three / 11.09
19:00
Opening
20:00
Selection 4/ Rock, Paper, Scissors
70 min.
The randomness of our physical existence doesn’t recognize any human-made borders. Possibilities may be the same for “rock, paper, and scissors”. But the random object among the limited ones that were offered to you comes with consequences… Is human life as simple as a game?
Return
Ghiath Al Mhitawi
Germany
16 min.
Dima, Dmitry, Dmytro. Glory to the Heroes
Clemens Poole
United States
23 min.
Letters From Silivri
Adrian Figueroa
Turkey, Germany
16 min.
Lal
Gökalp Gönen
Turkey
15 min.
20:00
Selection 5 / Velvet Punch
73 min.
Velvet punch leaves a mark on your face. It hits you gently and reminds you to deconstruct your mind!
Guinea Pig
Giulia Grandinetti - Andrea Benjamin Manenti
Italy
19 min.
Neon Phantom
Leonardo Martinelli
Brazil
20 min.
House Of Living Colors
Katrina Singleton
Germany
26 min.
The Teller
Beril Ece Güler, Nazli Khoshkhabar
Turkey
8 min.
First Edition
HIVE's 1st edition took place at the Apartment Project Exhibition Space, welcoming over 200 guests for three days of cinematic exploration. We featured five selections, and despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, we brought together our audience and filmmakers through Zoom Q&A sessions. This virtual engagement became a significant aspect of the festival, complementing the in-person interactions with filmmakers that have since become a cornerstone of our event.
Day One / 13.08
16:30
Opening
18:45
Selection 1 / Awakening
91 min.
Awakening is curated to give a glimpse about existing as a woman. It starts with a little girl’s self-discovery and ends with the questions about the nature of love, passion, womanhood…It provokes various feelings in the audience by demonstrating different female characters from all around the world and fractions of their lives.
Mamaville
Irmak Karasu
Turkey, 2020
21 min.
Contagious Loneliness
Carina-Susann Krause, Anna Schorpp, Carla Mietzner
Germany, 2020
4 min.
Eva
Julia Feige
Germany, 2020
5 min.
Raheel
Ayat Asadirahbar
Iran, 2018
30 min.
White Mangrove
Flávia K. Ventura
Brazil, 2020
18 min.
New Flesh for the Old
Elizabeth Rakhilkina
United States
13 min.
Day Two / 14.08
14:30
Selection 2 / Plunge
95 min.
Plunge pulls you to another dimension where you find yourself contemplating life, time and death. Endless possibilities for past, present and future will occupy your mind.
Sacred Clockworks
Moritz Schuchmann
Germany, 2021
5 min.
White Nights
Andrea Popovic
Switzerland, 2021
18 min.
Nicer Soon
Julius Weigel
Germany-Israel, 2019
11 min.
Hairless
Madyha Leghari
Pakistan, 2019
5 min.
Microscripts
Pelin Kırca
Turkey, 2020
10 min.
Black Sun
Arda Çiltepe
Turkey-Germany, 2019
20 min.
Post Mortem
Anton von Heiseler
Germany, 2019
26 min.
18:30
Selection 3 / White Noise
89 min.
White Noise consists of layers that create an intense unity. The frequency is so unsteady but so stable at the same time…But, is what you hear real or is it a delusion? Will you embrace your agency or are you a part of the audience in this life? Or, where is the boundary in-between? 
Hysteria
Charlot van Heeswijk
Germany, 2021
15 min.
Squash
Maximilian Bungarten
Germany, 2018
7 min.
The Great Istanbul Depression
Zeynep Dilan Süren
Turkey, 2020
20 min.
Do You Like Poetry?
Eduardo Mattos
Brazil, 2020
15 min.
Vapor
Emre Birişmen
Turkey, 2020
7 min.
The Other
Saman Hosseinpuor
Iran, 2020
25 min.
Day Three / 15.08
15:00
Selection 4 / Velvet Punch
74 min
Velvet Punch leaves a mark on your face. It hits you gently and reminds you to deconstruct your mind. It is an invitation, take it!
Countdown
Johnny Doov
Israel, 2020
18 min.
I Don't Know
Jérémy Barlozzo
France, 2020
14 min.
Amputated Asscheeks
Claudia Tuyết Scheffel
Germany, 2020
29 min.
Flohplage
Christoph Hans, Markus Ott
Germany, 2020
8 min.
New Releases
Nadir Sönmez
Turkey, 2021
15 min.
Mississippi
Anna-Katharina Schröder
Germany, 2020
27 min.
18:30
Selection 5 / Rock, Paper, Scissors
110 min.
Borders and “imagined communities” that people belong to are all political constructs. Your options are predetermined and the outcomes are just as random as they are in "Rock, Paper, Scissors". The object comes with consequences…But, is human life as simple as a game?
Sauna Rules
Morten Schmidt, Thomas Diepeveen
Denmark, 2020
7 min.
Homeland
Nina Wendel
Netherlands, 2021
27 min.
Elephantbird
Mehrad Sepahnia, Atefeh Kheirabadi
Afghanistan, 2020
15 min.
Other Than That, I'm Fine
Eren Aksu
Germany-Turkey, 2020
14 min.
I Am Not Your Mother
Sarnt Utamachote
Germany, 2020
6 min.
I Have a Dream
Nancy Mac Granaky-Quay
Germany, 2021
21 min.
The Yellow, The Cat, The Kayakers And The Host
Esme Madra
Turkey, 2020
20 min.
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