Art academy student Harry Besel (Film & Moving Image) presents his graduation film "Risen from Ruins" (2025, 20 min.) for the first time at the 59th Hof International Film Festival. The film was funded by Hessen Film & Medien and HAB - Hessen Abschlussförderung and celebrates its world premiere at the renowned festival in Hof.
The 1990s: In the chaos of the post-socialist East, East German car mechanic Andreas and Alexei, a border crosser from the former Soviet Union, join forces to smuggle German cars into Russia. They try to build a future for themselves on the ruins of their old homeland. But the new game of capitalism is brutal: West German investors buy up the GDR, corrupt border officials and unscrupulous gangsters control the smuggling. Andreas and Alexei are painfully torn from their naivety and have to realize that they had no chance in this world from the very beginning.
About the filmmaker:
Harry Besel, born in Kazakhstan, grew up in Kassel and studied visual communication at the Kunsthochschule Kassel. He works as a director and screenwriter.
Screenings at the 59th Hof Film Festival (21.-26.10.2025):
The Hof International Film Festival is one of the most important film festivals in Germany and has an almost legendary reputation as a platform for up-and-coming German directors: after Berlin, the festival is considered the most important film festival in the German-speaking world for discovering young talent. No less important, however, are the independent films from all over the world, which make up around half of the 130 feature films, documentaries and short films in the program.
Further information:
www.hofer-filmtage.com