B3 2020: Virtually Worldwide B3 BEN Awards for Willem Dafoe and Anne Imhof; Fireside Chats with Terry Gilliam & Gavin Rothery

"Above all, we understand the current situation as an opportunity to go global via the Internet, to reach more participants and audiences and to develop new formats," explains Prof. Bernd Kracke, Artistic Director of B3 and President of Offenbach University of Art and Design. "This is also reflected in our superb program, which features many film premieres, extraordinary works of art and prominent speakers".

The two main BEN Awards of B3 2020 go to US actor Willem Dafoe as Most Influential Artist in the category Moving Image and to German artist Anne Imhof as Most Important Artist in the category Gesamtkunstwerk.

B3’s overall program includes around 100 entries by artists and media professionals from 23 countries in the fields of film, art, games and VR. In the B3 film program, 40 productions will be streamed. The art program shows new positions and moving image works by 40 national and international artists on the B3 focus of TRUTHS. In the B3 digital showroom, about 60 video artworks, short films and VR works are presented. The accompanying conference part will feature 60 speakers from 11 countries. In addition to B3 BEN Award winners Willem Dafoe and Anne Imhof, they include Terry Gilliam (UK), Gavin Rothery (USA), Atom Egoyan (CAN), Jon Weinbach (USA), Federico Solmi (I), Alice Bucknell (UK), Adrian Wootton (UK), Adah Parris (UK), Kayla Lacey (USA), Louise Botkay (BRA) …

Global Livestream to Kick Off the Festival: B3 „Hello Truths“ Extravaganza Virtuale 
On the opening night of B3 (October 9, from 10 p.m.), artists and media professionals from all continents will share their contributions to the B3 focus, TRUTHS, via the Internet. The spectrum ranges from short film and video streams, performances, poetry slams, games, XR experiences to musical live acts.

The B3 "Hello TRUTHS" Extravaganza Virtuale is an artistic-political homage to the first international satellite broadcast, "Good Morning, Mr. Orwell“, by Korean video artist Nam June Paik on January 1, 1984 while at the same time adapting it to our current times. A visionary back in his day, Paik said that soon everyone would have their own television station. This prophecy has become a global reality with Covid-19: interactive video conferences have become a new matter of course in all social areas.

"The 2020 edition of B3 takes Paik’s idea to the "Global Village" (McLuhan) of the 21st century. The Internet is more than fake news and propaganda, it is a key instrument of freedom of expression and a global stage for art, artists and cultural convergence. The B3 2020 Extravaganza Virtuale wants to contribute to this," says Bernd Kracke, Artistic Director of B3 and President of the University of Art and Design Offenbach, explaining his approach to the global project.

Hosts and presenters of the global livestream are Jo Schück (ZDF aspekte), Austrian artist Johannes Grenzfurthner, and auteur filmmaker and film music composer Brenda Lien.

Art and Films from 23 Countries
Once again, our film program is a major pillar of B3. About 40 productions from 20 countries will be shown as livestreams.

"We are screening a wide variety of feature films, short films and documentaries that approach the B3 focus on TRUTHS in political, socially relevant but also individual ways, and we are happy about the number of European and German premieres", says Prof. Bernd Kracke, Artistic Director of B3. Thanks to good contacts and cooperations, it is also possible to screen some works that have so far only been shown at overseas festivals like Tribeca or Sundance.

The art program of B3 2020 presents new positions and moving image works by national and international artists on the B3 focus, TRUTHS. In the B3 digital showroom, about 60 video artworks, short films and VR works will be available. Exploring the main subject of TRUTHS, the art program ranges from poetic reflections on the effects of disinformation, new perspectives on the past, original truths of indigenous peoples, to very personal confrontations with the realities of life.

The games section of B3 2020 takes a look behind the Iron Curtain and examines how games were played and developed in the Eastern Bloc of the 1980s. The importance of music scores in video games will be discussed by composer Chris Huelsbeck and others. Multi-talented Tommy Tallarico, who has developed a low-cost games console, explains how to compete with the industry giants Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft.

B3 Conference: Fireside Chat with Terry Gilliam
In the accompanying conference program, 60 speakers from 11 countries will have their say. In addition to the B3 Award winners, Willem Dafoe and Anne Imhof, they include Terry Gilliam (UK), Gavin Rothery (USA), Atom Egoyan (CAN), Jon Weinbach (USA), Federico Solmi (I), Alice Bucknell (UK), Adrian Wootton (UK), Adah Parris (UK), Kayla Lacey (USA), Louise Botkay (BRA) …

Highlights are the master classes with Federico Solmi and Atom Egoyan as well as the so-called Fireside Chats with Monthy Python co-founder Terry Gilliam and Gavin Rothery. Originally, Gavin Rothery was an illustrator and graphic designer who wanted to create comics. Today he is a writer and director as well as a concept artist in the games industry. 2020 marked the release of his first feature film ARCHIVE, a box office hit in the US. He will speak about challenges, obstacles, luck and tenacity. We will get an inside view on what it means to be creative in today’s world and how to not just keep trotting the same old paths when striving for a goal.

A hot item in Covid-19 times is our online roundtable on the topic of funding: In the mood for change? Film and media funding now and in the future. Should we push the reset button? Guests include Anna Schoeppe, Managing Director of the Hessian Film Fund; Helge Albers, Managing Director of Filmförderung Hamburg/Schleswig Holstein; and Adrian Wootton, Chief Executive of Film London.