In order to make urban cycling safer, not only must the infrastructure be improved, but a rethink must take place in the minds of all road users. Cyclists need acceptance and support, cycling must not be seen as a traffic emergency solution, but must be seen as desirable. It is not an easy task to assert oneself against the ubiquitous flood of images from the automotive industry and lobby, which still suggests “free travel for free motorists” in their films. Perhaps Brendt Barbur thought the same way in 2001 when he was hit by a bus on his bike in New York and wanted to turn this accident into a positive event. Brendt founded the Bicycle Film Festival, which today tours successfully around the world.

In addition to the direct experience of a cycling event, the feeling of being right in the middle of riding together, the film certainly offers the most powerful medium for visually conveying the thrill of cycling. Whether it's a lonely tour through foggy mountains, a nocturnal ride through empty city streets, a view of New York's tumult of traffic or a fixed gear tour through the steppes: a good film can give you goosebumps when you watch it. And make you want to get on your bike yourself and experience one of the many little adventures that are possible. With his mix of short films, portraits and documentaries, Brendt Barbur always depicts a wide range from the long history of bicycle films. His festival inspired audiences all over the world, stations like New York - Singapore - Tokyo - Stockholm - Madrid - London - San Francisco - Milan - Cape Town - Amsterdam - Paris - Los Angeles speak for themselves. In total, the BFF has visited more than 60 cities since 2001, artists like Ai Weiwei, Spike Jones or Michel Gondry, musicians like Roisin Murphy, Metronomy, Peaches, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion or SBTRKT were involved.

In February 2017, in cooperation with the Open Source Festival, we are bringing the Bicycle Film Festival to Düsseldorf for the first time. We are sure that the festival, with its combination of film, art and music, can be an accelerator for the young Düsseldorf cycling culture. Important for a city like Düsseldorf, where urban development in recent decades has viewed the bicycle as a necessary evil rather than a solution to traffic problems. Finally, with the Grand Départ of the Tour de France 2017, a big event is coming to Düsseldorf that celebrates the competitive side of the bike, all sports enthusiasts have been looking forward to at least four great days since last December. Additions to the cultural sector such as the Bicycle Film Festival should be helpful in enhancing the image of the bicycle in the eyes of all Düsseldorfers and thus bringing about lasting change. We don't want to see 2017 as a bicycle fireworks display, but as the beginning of a groundbreaking change.

We look forward to that. That's what we work for.

Bicycle Film Festival
Dusseldorf 9th – 12th Feb 2017

Thursday 2/9/17
7:00 p.m. Warm Up: Carhartt WIP Store I Mittelstrasse 16, 40213 Düsseldorf
20:15 Cinema – Schneider-Wibbel-Gasse 5, 40213 Düsseldorf
Sunday at Hell (1977 – Jørgen Leth – 111 min) – AK: €12

Friday 02/10/17
7:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. Metropol – Brunnenstraße 20, 40223 Düsseldorf
2 x 90 min Bicycle Film Festival program – AK: €20

Saturday 02/11/17
19:00 – 23:00 postPOST – Grand Central – Kölnerstr 114, 40227 Düsseldorf
1 x 90 min Bicycle Film Festival program I Gold Sprint I Grandbrothers LIVE – AK: €20

Sunday 02/12/17
Chic hat – Talstr. 22-24 rear building, 40217 Dusseldorf
11:00 Bicycle Film Festival exit
6:00 p.m. Veggie BBQ I film screening – no admission

Festival pass:
We are offering 150 Bicycle Film Festival tickets in advance for €45 plus fees. First come first!
Remaining tickets at the box office from 30 minutes before the start.

Presale positions:
Chic hat I Talstr. 22-24 rear building, 40217 Dusseldorf
Carhartt WIP Store I Mittelstrasse 16, 40213 Dusseldorf
Open Source Festival Office I Hoffeldstr 12, 40235 Düsseldorf
A&O: Medien I Schadow Arkaden, 40212 Düsseldorf

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