How to Disappear

A film byTotal Refusal (Robin Klengel, Leonhard Müllner, Michael Stumpf)
Country: Austria
Year: 2020
Length: 21'

“How to Disappear” is an anti-war movie in the true sense of the word, searching for possibilities for peace in the most unlikely place of an online war game. It’s a tribute to disobedience and desertion - in both digital and physical-real warfare.
Shot in the picturesque war landscapes of “Battlefield V”, the hyperreal graphics become the backdrop for an essay-like narrative. The filmrevolves around the history of deserters - a part of human history, which has hardly been illuminated. Performances and creative interventions explore the scopes and limits of the audiovisual entertainment machine.

Festivals

2020
1. Berlinale - Berlin International Film Festival (Germany, February 2020)
2. Kurzfilmwoche Regensburg (Germany, March 2020)
3. One World Film Festival (Czech Republic, March 2020)*
4. True/False Film Festival (USA, March 2020)
5. Diagonale - Festival of Austrian Film (Austria, March 2020)* - Best Short Documentary Award of the Diözese Graz-Seckau
6. Go Short International Short Film Festival Nijmegen (Netherlands, April 2020)
7. Crossing Europe Extracts (Austria, Autumn 2020)* - Local Artist Innovative Award
8. Festival Internacional de Cine de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Spain, April 2020)*
9. Vienna Shorts (Austria, May 2020) - Special Mention Austrian Competition
10. Pyeongchang International Peace Film Festival (South Korea, June 2020)
11. Annecy Film Festival (Frankreich, Juni 2020)
12. Signes de Nuit International Film Festival (Thailand, July 2020) - Edward Snowden Award for Short Film
13. Kyiv International Short Film Festival
(Ukraine, August 2020)
14. dotdotdot Open Air Short Film Festival
(Austia, August 2020)
15. Short Waves Film Festival (Poland, August 2020)
16. Glasgow Short Film Festival (UK, August 2020)
17. Moscow International Documentary Film Festival DOKer (Russia, August 2020)
18. New Holland Island International Debut Film Festival (Russia, August 2020) - Short Film Award
19. Concorto Film Festival (Italy, August 2020)
20. Der Neue Heimatfilm (Austria, August 2020)
21. Wiz-Art Lviv International Short Film Festival (Ukraine, August 2020)
22. Dokufest (Kosovo, August 2020)
23. Filmfest Dresden (Germany, September 2020)
24. Animafest Zagreb (Croatia, September 2020) - Special Mention
25. 25 FPS International Experimental and Video Festival  (Croatia, September 2020) - Grand Prix
26. FIDBA, International Documentary Film Festival Buenos Aires (Argentina, September 2020)
27. Shorts/Salon (Germany, September 2020)
28. Ars Electronica (Austria, September 2020)
29. Guanajuato International Film Festival (Mexico, September 2020)
30. Curtas Vila do Conde International Film Festival (Portugal, October 2020)
31. Bucheon International Animation Film Festival (South Korea, October 2020)
32. Sapporo International Short Film Festival and Market (Japan, October 2020)
33. FILMETS Badalona Film Festival (Italy, October 2020)
34. Sedicicorto International Film Festival (Italy, October 2020) - EXPERIA Prize
35. Szczecin Film Festival (Poland, October 2020)
36. International Animated Film Festival Animator (Poland, October 2020)
37. Curtocircuito International Film Festival (Spain, October 2020)
38. Festival du Nouveau Cinéma (Canada, October 2020) - DADA International Award
39. FestiFreak (Argentina, October 2020)
40. Uppsala Short Film Festival (Sweden, October 2020)
41. Signes de Nuit Berlin (Deutschland, October 2020)
42. Signes de Nuit Paris (France, October 2020)
43. Chicago International Film Festival (USA, October 2020) - Silver Hugo for Best Short Documentary
44. Kinemastik International Short Film Festival (Malta, October 2020) – Special Jury Mention
45. Duisburger Kurzfilmwoche (Germany, November 2020)
46. VAFT Video Art Festival Turku (Finland, November 2020)
47. New Chitose Airport International Animation Festival (Japan, November 2020)
48. Alcine Film Festival (Spain, November 2020)
49. Kasseler Dokfest (Germanz, November 2020)
50. International Film Festival of Uruguay (Uruguay, November 2020)
51. Kurzfilmfestival Köln (Germany, 2020)
52. Curta Cinema Rio de Janeiro (Brasil, November 2020)
53. Animateka International Animated Film Festival (Slovenia, November 2020)
54. Documenta Madrid (Spain, December 2020)
55. Leuven Short Film Festival (Belgium, December 2020)
56. Beirut Shorts (Lebanon, December 2020)
57. Zubroffka International Short Film Festival (Poland, December 2020)
58. International Usak Winged Seahorse Short Film Festival (Turkey, December 2020)
59. Bejing International Short Film Festival (China, December 2020)
60. Mahalla Festival (Turkey, December 2020)
61. Cinema Moderne (Canada, December 2020)

2021
62. Filmfestival Max Ophüls (Germany, January 2021)
63. 2 Days Animation Festival (Austria, January 2021) - 2nd Prize for Best Narrative Animation
64. Yebisu International Festival for Art & Alternative Visions 2021 (Japan, February 2021)
65. Videoformes (France, March 2021) - Best Short Film Award
66. Kaboom Animation Festival (Netherlands, March/April 2021)
67. Atlanta Film Festival (USA, April 2021)
68. Trickfilmfestival Stuttgart (Deutschland, May 2021)
69. Festival de Cine de Las Palmas (Gran Canaria, April 2021)
70. 19th Media Art Biennale WRO 2021 REVERSO (Poand, June 2021)
71. Huesca International Film Festival (Spain, June 2021)
72. KIBLIX Festival of Art, Technology & Science 2021 (Slovenia, July 2021)
73. Diametrale (Austria, July 2021)
74. Silhouette Film Festival (France, September 2021)
75. Shorts México (Mexico, September 2021)
76. Prix Ars Electronica (Austria, September 2021)
77. Shortynale (Austria, September 2021)
78. Associazione Italiana Amici del Cinema d’Essai  (Italy, September 2021)
79. Silk Road Film Festival (Ireland, September 2021)
80. Venice Architecture Biennial | Russian Pavillion (Italy, September 2021)

2022
81. Interfilm Berlin (Germany, November 2022)

2023
82. International Film Festival BRNO16 (Czech Republic, October 2023)
83. Kyiv International Short Film Festival (Ukraine, November 2023)

Cast
zelWen: Franz-Josef Windisch-Graetz
Brozgar: Dmitry Gamolin

Crew
Direction/ scriptwriting/ production: Total Refusal (Robin Klengel, Leonhard Müllner, Michael Stumpf)
Text: Robin Klengel, Michael Stumpf
Cinematography: Michael Stumpf
Sound recording: Michael Stumpf
Sound design: Bernhard Zorzi (Blautöne)
Editing: Leonhard Müllner
Music: Adina Camhy
Production design: DICE
Title design: Michael Stumpf
Subtitles: Franz-Josef Windisch-Graetz

* Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the festival was postponed or cancelled