The program Spring Portraits groups together filmmakers who at times deal loosely with the theme of portraits - either of people, places, atmospheres, and who mostly also have, in some way, a connection to the city of Berlin. Some are long established names, others are making their first film - what is important is that they share some sensibility - and a belief in films power as a medium to transcend mere representation whilst simultaneously capturing something of life's fleeting moments.

*all films will be shown on film

"The goal is for the projected image to have the same force of awakening sight as any other great image."

Over five decades, American filmmaker Robert Beavers (*1949) has come closer to this self-set goal than anyone else in his métier. Those fortunate enough to have experienced the complete retrospective of Beavers' work organized by the Austrian Film Museum in the autumn of 2010 are familiar with the sensory intoxication and the intensity of visual and aural experiences these works give rise to. They offer an immersion into the beauty and intelligence of craft – both when it comes to the places and activities recorded by Beavers (anywhere between Florence and Massachusetts) and in relation to his own film craft shining in the projection.