Award Winners 2011
Golden Key
Work Hard - Play Hard by Carmen Losmann
Statement of the jury:
“In Work Hard - Play Hard Carmen Losmann allows us a insight into the depths of the modern working world. In accurately observed scenes she demonstrates methods of finding and molding the ideal employee, boosting productivity and creating a suitable environment. Her conclusive access to the subject, which is approached from different perspectives, is highly convincing. The outstanding camera work and precise editing contribute to the development of a filmic language that keeps an observing distance but at the same time illustrates the author's position.”
Honorary mention
Půlnoc (Midnight) by Klára Tasovská
Statement of the jury:
“With Půlnoc (Midnight), Klára Tasovská dares to approach a complex subject – the darkness, which she enters herself. We were impressed by the courage of the film to experiment, to ask questions and to take the liberty of leaving them unanswered.”
Golden Hercules
Andersartig (Different) by Dennis Stein-Schomburg
Statement of the jury:
“The numbers in the math book turn into a flying fish, dandelions turn into bombers, then bombs, and finally a horrible war experience. In four moving minutes, Dennis Stein-Schomburg tells the life of Hildegard Wohlgemuth before and during the war. He describes how she could survive exactly because she is different. In perfectly constructed images characterized by a collage style with elements from water color technique to 3D animation, he poses questions about survival and existence, about freedom but also about the bearing of loneliness that vastly exceed what we see. The authentic voice-over by the old woman and the impressive images together form a smal and at the same time grand masterpiece.”
Honorary mention
George Schmitzki by Benjamin Pfitzner
Statement of the jury:
“George Schmitzki has a crooked neck. And George Schmitzki wants to be like Dirk Nowitzki. Impossible? Wrong... possible! If you are brave enough to try. Benjamin Pfitzner manages in his feature film to set off this seemingly futile dream. It is a path with many obstacles: friendships are on the verge of breaking, love is at stake, self-doubts prevail, and even the fatherly priest can only offer more altar wine. But then the tables turn. Thus the realization that trust, faith and friendship can overcome any handicap wins in the end. However, the story Pfitzner tells is far from politically correct. His work is cheeky, weird, and slightly surreal. The cast's great acting skills, with no exceptions, as well as a scenography, which is highly intent on details, complete the picture. The opening credits alone are an endearing-quirky gem. Absolutely worth watching!”
A38-Production Grant
Tao m'a dit... (Tao told me...) by Léo Médard
Statement of the jury:
“The starting point or idea of the film is the search for the deeper meaning in life – the search for a virtue, a philosophy, a religion. The filmmaker enters a foreign world, Beijing, in order to find Lao Tses Tao. What he encounters is a modern metropolis hiding its soul behind a constant rush and modern technology. The filmmaker must learn that Lao Tses Tao cannot be represented. The camera is not able to capture him. But this insight is not the end. The filmmaker recalls: the Tao is a "nothingness" - but at the same time present everywhere, hidden behind each face, actually behind all things. The film is characterized by an accurately observing camera producing calm images of a hectic world. Two languages meet in the film, both poetic. The camera implements the verbal images visually, producing matching shots. Here, a young filmmaker dared to access a complex subject. He took the risk of making an essay film and did not fail. A difficult topic finds a reflective filmic execution while renouncing precocious lecturing. The jury decided to award the A38 – Production-Grant Kassel-Halle to Léo Médard for his outstanding flm Tao m’a dit... (Tao told me...). Congratulations.”
Honorary mention
Wir sterben (We Die) by Joesephine Links
Statement of the jury:
“In her film Wir sterben (We Die) Josephine Links creates a private, sensitive insight into the world of thought of a person at the end of her long life. The filmmaker documents, in a very sensible way, her relationship to her grandmother who suffers from Parkinson's. Her intimate images with their visual aesthetics touch the viewer deeply. The intimacy between the two women is reflected in the composition of the individual dialog sequences and their interplay with the images. But the film does not lose itself in sadness. Instead it creates hope, in a light manner, by emphasizing the eternal cycle of the generations. The filmmaker succeeds in conveying the subject of dying with dignity and much warmth.”
Golden Cube
Le ruine de regard / Die Ruine des Blicks by Anu Penannen
Statement of the jury:
“The video installation La ruine du regard / Die Ruine des Blicks uses the Parisian shopping and cultural center Les Halles as a starting point for an architectonic as well as anthropological examination. In doing so, the artist manages not only to paint a sensitive picture of the place and of how it is inhabited but also to reflect current tendencies in French politics. The jury especially liked the handling of the social reality of the place, the precise observations and the translation into the exhibition space, but would like to point out that a presentation in a seperate space, would have better promoted the artistic work. We congratulate Anu Pennanen and wish her a lot of artistic courage and stubborness for the future.”
Honorary mention
The Tenth Sentiment by Ryota Kuwakubo
Statement of the jury:
“How can we display reality without the use of a camera? By turning the light itself into a camera, Ryota Kuwakubo transforms not only the room itself but also the into an image carrier. By transfiguring everyday objects, the viewer is placed into an urban landscape. In the tradition of the Lumière brothers, shades are animated and a three-dimensional world is transformed into a play of light and shadow. The jury responded enthusiastically to this stirring work, which was staged with reduced means and the highest efficiency. The jury congratulates the artist.”