“As a director, I want to tell the stories of female characters who are edgier, who do things that aren't comfortable...”

We talked to her about how she got into film, the topics she is always dealing with and why rebellious female characters repeatedly appear in her works. Her perspective is often intuitive and female-centered – she is interested in strong, complex female characters who find their way with passion and determination.

In conversation about her short films, it becomes clear that they have a very special meaning for her. They are a field for Pola Beck to experiment and offer freedoms that feature-length films do not provide. She values the short film as a medium of urgency in which topics can be condensed and creative ideas can unfold freely. Short films mean freedom – they show unconventional worlds and provide space for courageous artistic decisions. Her short films such as Klemptomami or In deiner Haut are just two examples of many.

She also demonstrates her talent for telling complex, profound stories in the long form. In The Russian is One Who Loves Birches, an adaptation of the novel by Olga Grjasnowa, we follow Mascha, who, after a heavy blow of fate, flees from herself on an intense trip to Israel. On Sooner, we present an exclusive retrospective of Pola Beck's work in cooperation with the interfilm Berlin Festival. The festival is ending, but the films remain – an invitation to discover Pola Beck's cinematic work, which promises both cinematic enjoyment and social relevance.