30. Perlen – Queer Film Festival Hannover

PERLEN, the Queer Film Festival Hannover, has become an integral part of Hannover's cultural life and the queer community in the state capital. Every year, the doors of the Kino im Künstlerhaus | Kommunales Kino (KoKi) Hannover open for one of the largest queer film festivals in northern Germany.

In its current form as a queer film festival with all-gender topics, Perlen exist since 1997, but its roots go back much further. Already in the late 1970s the former manager of the Communal Cinema initiated an anual, but solely gay film festival in Künstlerhaus.

The concept of the festival is exceptional. The cinema in Künstlerhaus – a municipal institution of the state capital Hannover – allows dedicated citizens to „make cinema“ and freely choose the festival programme.

PERLEN cooperates with regional and national organisations, associations and foundations. Sponsors and supporting members also support the festival.

With 9 festival days, the pearls are the longest queer film festival in northern Germany.

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Programme

Around 30 screenings of the most noteworthy feature films, documentaries and short films of the year with LGBTIQ* themes, as well as a wide range of accompanying events, every October.

Summerpearls (former: Perlen in spring)
short programme of 3 or more queer films on the occasion of Hannover-Pride around the time of Pentecost.

Attendances

2.400

Awards

Audience Award GOLDEN PEARL in the three categories feature film, documentary film and short film.

Feature Film

2017: Speechless | Sprakeloos (Regie: H.v. Mieghem ; NLD 2017)
2018: Rafiki (Director: W. Kahiu ; KEN 2018)
2019: Tucked (Director: J. Patterson ; GBR 2019)
2020: I Miss You | Tu Me Manques (Regie: R. Bellott ; BOL /USA 2019)
2021: Gossamer Folds (Director: L. Donato ; USA 2020)
2022: Finlandia (Director: H. Alcalà ; ESP/MEX 2021)
2023: Hör auf zu Lügen | Arrête avec tes mensonges (Regie: O. Peyon ; FRA 2022)
2024: We have never been Modern | Úsvit (Regie: M. Chlupáček; CZE 2023)

Documentary

2017: The Queen of Ireland (Director: C. Horgan ; IRL 2015)
2018: Marikas Missio (Director: M. Schmitt ; DEU 2017)
2019: Ich bin Anastasia (Director: T. Ladenburger ; DEU 2019)
2020: Welcome to Chechnya (Director: D. France ; USA 2020)
2021: Changing the Game (Director: M. Barnett ; USA 2019)
2022: Anima – My Father’s Dresses (Director: U. Decker ; DEU 2022)
2023: Who I am Not (Regie: T. Skovrán ; CAN/ROU 2023)
2024: Queendom (Regie: A. Galdanova; FRA/USA 2023)

Kurzfilm:

2017: Handsome & Majestic (Director: N. Drillot & J. Petry ; CAN 2015)
2018: Marguerite (Director: M. Farley ; CAN 2017)
2019: What We Don’t See | Lo que no se ve (Regie: L. Guerra ; ESP 2017)
2020: Time & Again (Director: R. Dax ; GBR 2019)
2021: Just Me (Director: A. Tyler ; GBR 2019)
2022: In Nature (Director: M. Barelli ; CHE 2021)
2023: Static Space (Regie: K. Black-Spence, & J. Klein ; USA 2021)
2024: My Old Gals | Moje Stare (Regie: N. Parzymies ; POL 2023)

Presentation of the 5th QueerScope Debut Film Award 2020 5. QueerScope-Debütfilmpreises 2020

2020: Uferfrauen – Lesbisches L(i)eben in der DDR (Director: B. Wallbraun ; DEU 2019)

Guests

several interview guests and talents

The festival association is a non-profit organisation.