Homage to Julie & Roger Corman und Léa Pool

To mark the 60th anniversary of the Hof International Film Festival, this year’s edition will feature two extraordinary tributes: one celebrating the joint cinematic legacy of legendary American filmmakers Julie and Roger Corman, and the other dedicated to Swiss-Canadian director and screenwriter Léa Pool. Two very different cinematic voices come together here, united by their independence, their passion for storytelling, and their lasting influence on international cinema.

Julie and Roger Corman: A Treasure Trove of Independent Cinema

Julie and Roger Corman are pioneers of independent low-budget and B-movie cinema. Over the course of several decades, they influenced generations of filmmakers. With uncompromising approaches to production, a keen eye for unconventional material, and a willingness to push the boundaries of filmmaking, they helped bring American exploitation and independent cinema to international prominence.

Julie Corman will also be an honorary guest at the 60th Hof International Film Festival. As a producer and Roger Corman’s longtime partner, she is an essential part of the multifaceted Corman legacy and played a decisive role in numerous productions.

Julie and Roger Corman were already guests at the Hof International Film Festival in 1981. In 2010, Roger Corman received an Honorary Academy Award for his lifetime achievement. Roger Corman, who died in 2024, would have turned 100 in April this year.

To mark the occasion, the Hof International Film Festival will present six films from the Corman production universe, including the cult classics The Fall of the House of Usher, Little Shop of Horrors, and The Lady in Red, directed by Lewis Teague, as well as Boxcar Bertha, an early film by Martin Scorsese.

Léa Pool: Personal Stories, Social Questions

The second tribute at the 60th Hof International Film Festival is dedicated to Swiss-Canadian director and screenwriter Léa Pool. With her sensitive, often autobiographically inspired films, she has established herself as a distinctive voice in international auteur cinema.

Pool’s films tell stories of strong women, love and loss, family and belonging, and the fractures that life can bring. She combines emotional intensity with keen observation, subtle humor, and a remarkable sense of lightness.

Time and again, Léa Pool turns her attention to people and relationships whose stories touch on social boundaries: strong yet vulnerable female characters, same-sex love, questions of identity and desire, and the experience of coming of age. Her films use personal experience as a starting point for exploring broader social questions, without reducing their characters to those questions.

The Hof International Film Festival will present a selection from Léa Pool’s extensive body of work. The program will include, among others, Emporte-moi (Set Me Free), À corps perdu (Desperately Seeking), starring German actor Matthias Habich, Maman est chez le coiffeur (Maman Is at the Hairdresser’s), as well as her latest film, On sera heureux (We’ll Find Happiness), from 2025.