DUTY FREE

17 min I drama I GER, SWE, DK I 2024

Is unconditional love an escapist dream?

synopsis
The manager of a docked duty-free ferry cuts the ropes tethering it to the cold outside world and sets sail to preserve the realm of tenderness she and her crew have built together. In a rhythmically pulsating choreography, an alternative universe grounded in more beautiful values comes to life.

writer & director: Hilke Rönnfeldt
producers: Sebastian Weyland, Virginia Martin, Hilke Rönnfeldt,
Giulia Triolo, Caroline Drab
cinematographer: Maria Goya Barquet
editor: Matilda Henningsson
sound designer: Diana Queirós
composers: Daniel Herskedal, Sigurlaug Thorarensen & Julius Pollux Rothlaender

cast:
Clara Dessau
David Bredin
Malin Levanon
Yandeh Sallah
Arash Marandi

sales: interfilm sales


produced by Heimathafen Film, North Ship Film, Snowglobe, BCD Film
with the support of MOIN Film Fund Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein,
Filmfund Mecklenburg Vorpommern, The Swedish Film Institute,
Film i Skåne, Creative Europe Media

FESTIVALS
Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur, 2024
– worldpremiere
Zinebi FF Documentary & Short Film Bilbao, 2024
Cork International Film Festival, 2024
– winner special mention International Competition
Gothenburg International Film Festival, 2025
Clermont-Ferrand SFF Market Pick, 2025
Festival International Music & Cinema, 2025
Festival Regard Saguenay International SFF, 2025
Filmkunstfest MV, 2025
Leiden Shorts, 2025
Cinema Jove, Valencia IFF, 2025
Vienna Shorts, 2025
Palm Springs ISFF, 2025
Folkemødet Bornholm, 2025
Maremetraggio – ShorTs FF, 2025
Lapinlahti Film Festival, 2025
Concorto International FF, 2025
Nordisk Panorama FF, 2025
Sundsvall FF, 2025
Winner Best Swedish Short Film
Helsinki IFF Love & Anarchy, 2025
Film Festival Münster, 2025
International Film Festival Brno, 2025
Uppsala Short Film Festival, 2025
Nordic Film Days Lübeck, 2025

FESTMACHEN

UNMOORED
5 x 25 min I drama I GER I 2024

When ship’s officer Malika can’t handle her job on board anymore,
her captaine gives her a last chance: If she works the summer
with a handful of harbor line(wo)men on land in a small port and
gets a grip on her life, she might gets a chance to return.
Malika strands ashore and life on land with her new colleagues
turns out to be a bigger challenge than she could ever have imagined.

writer & director: Hilke Rönnfeldt
producer: Anette Unger, Sven Rudat / Leitwolf Film
cinematography: Jenny Lou Ziegel, Emil Aagaard
editing: Laura Lauzemis, Silke Olthoff
sound design: Simone Weber
composer: Anna Bauer
cast: Salka Weber, Nils Rovira-Munoz, Peter Plaugborg, Nina Petri,
Meryem Ebru Öz, Karsten Antonio Mielke, Jochen Nickel, Lea Willkowsky,
Sonja Richter, Magnus Mariusson, Joy Ewulu

produced for German public broadcast (NDR)
with the support of NORDMEDIA, MOIN Film Fund Hamburg / Schleswig-Holstein

FESTIVALS
International Film Festival Emden Norderney, 2024
Winner Grimme Prize Fiction, 2025

A STUDY OF EMPATHY

15 min I drama I DK, GER I 2023

Dana welcomes art student Penelope to her home
to participate in her performance. The meeting
between both women takes an unexpected turn for Dana
and leaves her disturbed.
To find out what actually has happened between them,
Dana musters up the courage to meet Penelope
at the opening of her graduation show.

director: Hilke Rönnfeldt
writer: Hilke Rönnfeldt
producer: Asbjørn H. Kjelstrup
cinematography: Roxana Reiss
editing: Josefine Svenningsen
sound design: Juuso Oksala
composer: Leslie Ming
cast: Sara Klein Larsen, Emilie Claudius Kruse,
Lisa Carlehed, Mathias Broe

produced by Super16, Frau Film and North Ship Film
with the support of Nordisk Film, Nordisk Film Fonden

PRESS

Interview Cineuropa
FUTURE FRAMES 2024
Hilke Rönnfeldt – Director of A Study of Empathy
“I find it fascinating how easy it is to become
uncertain about your feelings”

Interview Festival Insider
Hilke Rönnfeldt on Exploring Emotional Depths
in “A Study of Empathy” at Karlovy Vary

Radio Interview Radio Prague International
Eine Studie in Empathie:
Regisseurin Hilke Rönnfeldt beim Filmfestival in Karlsbad

Review Ubiquarian
Locarno Review: A Study of Empathy

Review Talking Shorts
Scratching the Surface – A Study of Empathy

FESTIVALS
Locarno FF – Pardi di domani, 2023
Winner Golden Leopard – Best International Short Film
Concorto FF, 2023
Nordisk Panorama, 2023
ISFF Cyprus, 2023
Festival Européen du Film Court de Brest, 2023
Winner Prix des Passeurs de Courts
Leeds International Film Fest, 2023
PÖFF – Black Nights SFF, 2023
Gijon International FF, 2023
Leuven International SFF, 2023
Winner European Competition & Nomination European Film Awards
Les Arcs Film Festival, 2023
Minimalen Film Festival, 2024
Honorable Mention
Vilnius Short Film Festival, 2024
Premiers Plans Angers Film Festival, 2024
Flickerfest International Short Film Festival, 2024
Winner Best International Live Action Short Academy Qualifying
Prague Shorts Film Festival, 2024
Filmfest Dresden, 2024
Festival Music & Cinema Marseille, 2024
Landshut Short Film Festival, 2024
Rencontres du Cinéma Européen de Vannes, 2024
Winner Best International Short Film
2ANNAS FF Riga, 2024
Winner Best Fiction Short Film 2024
Filmfest Schleswig-Holstein, 2024
Audience Prize Best Fiction Short Film
Aspen Shortsfest, 2024
Busan International Short Film Festival, 2024
Filmkunstfest Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, 2024
Internationale Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen, 2024
Leiden Shorts, 2024
Maremetraggio ShorTS International FF, 2024
Odense International Film Festival, 2024
IFF Art Film Kosice, 2024
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, 2024
Santiago Del Estero Film Fest, 2024
Valencia IFF Cinema Jove, 2024
Vienna Shorts, 2024
Motovun – CineHill Film Festival, 2024
Drim Short Film Festival, 2024
Sao Paulo International SFF, 2024
Elbe Dock Film Festival, 2024
Best Scandinavian Short Film
Helsinki International FF Love & Anarchy, 2024
Healdsburg ISFF – California, 2024
Bolton International Short Film Festival, 2024
International Film Festival Brno, 2024
Nordic Film Days Lübeck, 2024
Monstrale Short Film Festival Halle, 2024
IndieCork Film Festival, 2024
Seville European Film Festival, 2024
Nomination Danish Film Awards, 2025
Filmfest Bremen, 2025
Porto Femme Filmfest, 2025
European Film Festival Palic, 2025
Abbas Kiarostami ISFF, 2025
Bronze Cherry Award

OPERA NIGHT

15 min I musical I DK, GER I 2022

When she discovers a mysterious crack
in the fundament of her workplace at the
Copenhagen Opera,cleaner Angeli goes on alert
and sets out on a Kafkaesque odyssey for help:
No one in the building listens to her,
everyone follows the motto ‘the show must go on’
by heart. The water keeps rising and Angeli
has to find a way to make her voice count
in this supernatural doomsday musical.

director: Hilke Rönnfeldt
writer: Hilke Rönnfeldt, Andrea Winding
producer: Laura Valentiner-Bohse,
Sidsel Filipsen
cinematography: Mia Mai Dengsø Gråbæk
editing: Matilda Henningsson, Anni Tiainen
sound design: Jonathan Franz Kaiser, Hannah Zwennes
composer: Toke Odin Brorson, Jesper Ankarfeldt
lyricist: Hilke Rönnfeldt
cast: Danica Curcic, Tammi Øst, Ellaha Lack, Afshin Firouzi

produced by Super16, isaac productions, North Ship Film
with the support of Nordisk Film, Nordisk Film Fonden
and the Copenhagen Filmworkshop

PRESS
TESTKAMMER – Review & Interview

FESTIVALS
Odense International FF, 2022
Aesthetica International FF York, 2022
Leuven International Short FF, 2022
International SF Week Regensburg, 2023
Landshut SFF, 2023
Filmfest SH Kiel, 2023
GoShort – ISFF Nijmegen, 2023
Filmfest Bremen, 2023
Filmfest Dresden, 2023
Filmkunstfest MV, 2023
Valencia IFF Cinema Jove, 2023
Bašta Short Film Fest, 2023
Drim Short Film Festival, 2023
International Sound & Film Music Festival – ISFMF Croatia, 2023
Helsinki Love & Anarchy FF, 2023
Nordic Film Days Lübeck, 2023
Cologne Short FF, 2023

FENCE

12 min I drama I DK, GER I 2021

A fence is built between Denmark and Germany
to separate wild boars from domestic farm pigs,
to avoid the spreading of a deadly swine influenza.
Ebba wakes, just an arm length away
from her girlfriend Jona, the reminiscence
of her dream about separation and a longing
for unity takes its toll on them.

director: Hilke Rönnfeldt
writer: Hilke Rönnfeldt
producer: Asta Stuhr
cinematography: Roxana Reiss
editing: Matilda Henningsson
sound design: Diana Queirós
composer: Julius Pollux Rothlaender, Sigurlaug Thorarensen
cast: Lisa Carlehed, Emilie Claudius Kruse

produced by Super16, Astar Film, North Ship Film
with the support of Nordisk Film, Nordisk Film Fonden and Erasmus+

PRESS
Interview Saarländischer Rundfunk (in German)
Interview Filmfest Bremen (in German)

Review Encounters

FESTIVALS
Odense International FF, 2021
Warsaw International FF, 2021
Gent International FF, 2021
Amandus FF Lillehammer, 2021
Minimalen Short FF, 2022
– Best Nordic Film 2022
Polarize Nordic Film Nights, 2022
Filmfestival Max-Ophüls-Preis, 2022
Göteborg International FF, 2022
Films de Femmes Créteil, 2022
Frauen Film Fest Cologne, 2022
– Director of Photography Award
2ANNAS FF Riga, 2022
Filmfest Bremen, 2022
Landshut SFF, 2022
LGBT+ Film Festival Poland, 2022
Vienna Shorts IFF, 2022
Filmfest SH Kiel, 2022
ELBEDOCK FF Dresden & Prag, 2022
Leiden SFF, 2022
MIX IFF Milano, 2022
Love & Anarchy Helsinki IFF, 2022
Encounters FF Bristol, 2022
Reykjavík IFF, 2022
Luststreifen FF Basel, 2022
MIX LGBTQ+ FF Copenhagen, 2022
Thessaloniki ISFF, 2022
Montréal Fest. du Nouveau Cinéma, 2022
Accessible FF Ankara, 2022
– Best Director Award
Nordic Film Days Lübeck, 2022
Northern Wave FF, 2022
Flensburger Kurzfilmtage, 2022
Cologne Short FF, 2022
Festival Aguilar de Campoo, 2022
Ibiza Cinema Fest, 2023