What a wonderfull week! Wir sind sehr traurig darüber unser wundervolles TEDDY Studio schon wieder abzubauen. Es war eine fantastische Woche mit spannenden Talks und Panels. Falls ihr was verpasst habt, könnt ihr das ganze TEDDY Talk Programm des 35. TEDDY AWARD nachschauen. In unserem Blog findet ihr weiterhin die Übersicht des Programms der vergangenen Woche. Viel Spaß beim Stöbern!
Wir freuen uns auf den Sommer! Stay tuned & bleibt gesund bis dahin!
Dank an die diesjährigen Partner und Unterstützer der TEDDY TALKS :
Nur wenige Tage nach dem rauschenden Höhepunkt der Berlinale – der TEDDY GALA 2020 – gingen überall, nicht nur in unseren Hallen, die Lichter aus.
Wie ihr alle nur zu gut wisst, hat die Covid-19-Pandemie Kulturstätten und Kulturschaffende besonders hart getroffen und die Luft zum Atmen sprichwörtlich dünner gemacht. Weltweit wurden Kinos geschlossen, Filmfestivals mussten abgesagt oder in den digitalen Raum verlegt werden. Gleichzeitig wird das private Kino, das Filmerlebnis Zuhause, dank der zahlreichen Streamingdienste zum beliebten Abendprogramm.
Aber was ist mit den Filmen? Waren diese nicht für das Kino gemacht und nicht dafür als abendliche Nebenbeschäftigung für’s Wäschezusammenlegen herzuhalten?
Wir haben für euch bei den TEDDY Filmemacher*innen 2020 nachgefragt, was mit ihren gerade erst neu erschienenen Filmen passiert ist und, wie es ihnen unter den scheinbar nicht zu endenden Restriktionen ergeht.
Die Berlinale 2020 – eines der letzten Festivals vor dem Lockdown
Viele Filmemacher*innen berichten, dass die Berlinale zum Teil das einzige „analoge“ Festival war, an welchem sie teilnehmen konnten.
„Last year has been a very strange one but we have to say that we have been lucky in many ways. We managed to have our premiere in Berlin with you and also our national premiere at a film festival here in Stockholm before everything closed down. We are really thankful for that and still think about our time in Berlin and […] the amazing response we got from the audience <3“
„The Berlinale was the first and last festival we had the luck to be live at! Days after that we went back home and locked ourselves down… And we are still there. I feel grateful though; I can’t think of a better place to have our only in-person live projection, being able to share with colleagues and audiences. […] It was beautiful to remember this strange year it has passed. Of course, our most beloved memories of it are from Berlin.“
„Berlinale was a great breakthrough for the film around the globe, during weird times… The movie is still traveling, this is so important for our LGBTQ+ community. It means a lot!!! […] Also the movie was presented on many special screenings involving the Transgender Community in Brazil, and for Educational propose.“
Viele der TEDDY Filme 2020 konnten trotz Covid-19 auf zahlreichen Filmfestivals weltweit gezeigt werden, wenn auch meist online.
„We are quite happy with ‚The Twentieth Century‘, though the pandemic has been hard for the movie industry, and especially arthouse films. Festivals tried to adapt as quickly as possible by switching online, which is a good thing because it keeps the circuit open, though the collective experience of screenings is not the same.“
„During this last year, we have been virtually traveling with our short film all around the world: Argentina, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, US, UK, Albania, the Netherlands, Belgium, Russia, Estonia, Chile… And we plan on continuing the trip! It was amazing being able to share our piece with such diverse audiences. We are thrilled by all this!“
„Extractions seemed to do well at festivals […]. I found even virtually attending festivals to be difficult during times the programs were geolocked to certain regions. At the same time I got a lot of positive feedback about the film, and was able to participate in panels and discussions through zoom, which was really lovely. I think that film was a uniquely suited medium for switching to online presentations. However it can quickly get overwhelming to be watching films on a little computer screen all year. „
Während sich einige Filme relativ gut vom Kino auf den Computerbildschirm übertragen lassen, so sehen andere Filmemacher*innen in der virtuellen Filmpräsentation keine angemessene und dem Film gerechte Alternative. Resigniert berichtet Nicolaas Schmidt über seinen Film Inflorescence:
„Im Wissen, dass Inflorescence, wie die meisten meiner Arbeiten, für Kino produziert war und von dessen spezielle Erfahrungen lebt, tat ich mich sehr schwer mit der Entscheidung, den Film dann doch auch online zur Verfügung zu stellen. (Das fühlte sich dann schon an wie Verrat an der Arbeit bzw. der eigenen Person.)“
Auch Heinz Emigholz kämpft mit der Präsentation seines Film ‚Die letzte Stadt‘. Er wartet auf die Öffnung der Kinos.
„Der Kinostart war für den Dezember 2020 geplant, dann auf Februar verschoben und ist jetzt weiter standby. Die Online-Veröffentlichung ist für uns jetzt noch keine Alternative, wir warten bis die Kinos wieder öffnen. Auch wenn einige Festivals online stattfanden, ist die Sichtbarkeit des Films durch Covid-19 deutlich geringer, Festivals sind sonst der Multiplikator für die Filme von Heinz Emigholz.“
Wie läuft das Filmemachen unter Covid-19 ab? Die Filmemacher*innen berichten über sowohl laufende wie auch kommende Projekte.
Thirza Cuthand über den Dreh und das ungewöhnliche Editing per Zoom:
„The last film I made last year was a short drama featuring special effects, stunts, and driving. And VFX. We were lucky to be able to shoot in a small window when the case numbers of COVID were very low, before the September second wave began. I was not sure how editing would go, but we made it work remotely through a lot of zoom sessions with screen sharing between the editor, myself, and the producer. […] It was a very strange way to make a film but the fact we were able to shoot it still was pretty awesome. This year the films I am working on are either still in the script stage, or are very experimental and I will be the only crew person filming things around my neighbourhood.“
Heinz Emigholz arbeitet gleichzeitig an mehreren Filmen und einer Ausstellung:
„Letzte Woche haben wir mit den Dreharbeiten seines neusten Films ‚Schlachthäuser der Moderne‘ in Berlin begonnen, die wir ab April in Bolivien und Argentinien fortsetzen wollen. Das wird Pandemie-bedingt wahrscheinlich nicht klappen, wir stellen uns auf eine Verschiebung ein.
Es gibt also einen ideellen und einen wirtschaftlichen Verlust, der uns bisher aber nicht stoppen konnte, weiter Projekte zu entwickeln und zu produzieren. „
„As for our future plans, we had to stop the shooting of our first feature-length documentary. But we expect to start again soon. In the meantime, we have had the time to revisit the shot material and to develop new projects. We have even had the luck to be at online development labs and workshops… We have no plans to stop making films!“
Wir wünschen allen Filmemacher*innen alles Gute für ihre weiteren Projekte und Filme. Haltet durch! Wir sind gespannt und freuen uns sehr darauf, was wir von Euch zu sehen bekommen.
Hier findet ihr noch weitere Videostatements der TEDDY Filmemacher*innen.
https://vimeo.com/showcase/8180348
Wenn ihr noch mehr über die Situation der Filmindustrie, -produktion und der Filmemacher*innen wissen wollt, klickt euch gerne durch die folgenden Links. Es gibt soviel zu entdecken!
Ihr wisst mal wieder nicht, was für einen Film ihr schauen wollt? Da wir leider noch auf etwas mehr Sonnenschein und Frühlingsgefühle warten müssen bis wir die TEDDY Filme 2021 bei der Berlinale Part #2 zu Gesicht bekommen, präsentieren wir Euch mit einem Trommelwirbel den Gewinner unserer Writers‘ Challenge 2021:
Krzysztof Dubicki schreibt über seinen liebststen Queerfilm AND THEN WE DANCED (2019) von Levan Akin.
„Cinema knows a lot of love stories with the art of dance as a beautiful background to the core of the human connection, passion and excitement. Where there are devotion and dedication there are emotions and feelings. Some of them – like love – can take us to the sky and some of them – like a heartache – can make us melancholic and full of grief.
Levan Akin tells a moving story of Merab and Irakli, two Georgian male dancers from the Georgian dance school and their passionate way to discover their feelings for each other. As a background to the love elation, the director shows us amazing images of Tbilisi, the country’s culture and family’s connection and respect for the country and the traditional Georgian dance, that makes this film so unique and graceful, but also really masculine and strong. Scenes, where this dance is being performed, are just a delight. Especially that they are spiced with the amazing sound of Georgian music, that takes a spectator to the journey inside the tradition and folklore.
Merab (played by amazingly good Levan Gelbakhiani) is intensively training with his girlfriend wannabe, Mary to get into the National Georgian Ensemble, being focused on his future and achieving perfection. His steady mindset is being interrupted by the arrival of Irakli (in this role a very charismatic and handsome Bachi Valishvili), who becomes not only his rival during the dance classes but also an object of Merab’s affection and distraction. The mix of sensuality and masculine energy of the dance brings boys together as they are both starting to discover the lust towards each other. Conservative climate of the country and approach towards LGBT communities in Georgia creates a lot of hate towards gay people. It pushes them, to hide their true identities and live their life the way they are expected to. Merab’s love for Irakli (which feels like his first-ever true love) helps him realize who he truly is. The intensity of feelings towards someone, who has become his secret lover brings a lot of excitement but also confusion and drama, that affect this young boy’s broken heart.
This film is a great and successful (24 awards and 21 nominations worldwide) representation of Queer cinema. Yes, it does have a bittersweet ending and for some, it might be a cliché of another dramatic and sad gay story, but these kinds of stories actually happen. Especially for the younger generation of people trying to find their true self in the world that is not accepting them. Akin’s world is full of cheerful and ‘Coming of Age’ moments, that works perfectly in this movie. With the mix of folk and pop soundtrack vibes and great acting full of chemistry and honesty, this piece is an extraordinary work from the hands of a true artist. Just like the dance, which is so easy to lose yourself, it is equally easy to get lost in the charm and magic of this irresistible story.„
Gratulation an den Gewinner Krzysztof für seine schöne Filmkritik! Wer jetzt Lust auf den Film bekommen hat, hier kommt ihr zum Trailer:
16.00A DIRECTORS EXCHANGE: our role in writing queer history Milica Tomović, director of Kelti, Monika Treut, director of Genderation and Eliane Raheb, director of Miguel’s War each take a unique approach to moments of queer history in their films, that not only look back but also forward to what that documentation in time means for our future. Each filmmaker deals with either social, personal or political aspects of (queer) history and sheds a light on- and changes/creates a queer narrative. How specific/individual and self-reflexive are those different approaches and do they, besides portraying of queer protagonists, offer universal options of life in opposition to heteronormativity? Moderation: Kristian Petersen -> Panel NACHSCHAUEN
Gäste: Eliane Raheb, Milica Tomović, Monika Treut
DIENSTAG 02. März 2021
14.00THE SITUATION ROOM Zsombor Bobák im Gespräch mit Filmemacher*innen, Festivalmacher*innen und Produzent*innen -> Talk NACHSCHAUEN
16.00TEDDY Talk – From Live to Dial Up Content: Queer Films Festival Trajectories after moving online With global lockdowns forcing many queer film festivals to adapt a community event that is made to bring people together, to one without a physical community. How has the path changed for Queer Film Festivals? In order to reflect on how this affected our audiences, our filmmakers and our organizations, an evaluation is required. Did having a wider online presence bring in more viewers and how does the introduction of online screening platforms influence the future of Queer Festival Programming? With the large network of Queer Film Festivals being often the sole distribution for many films, does the element of an online screening modify this network and will this platform be an integral part of our future? Moderation: Bartholomew Sammut -> Panel NACHSCHAUEN
Gäste: Skadi Loist, Nick McCarthy, Sridhar Rangayan, Sylva Häutle, Muffin Hix, Jay Lin
MITTWOCH 03. März 2021
14.00THE SITUATION ROOM Zsombor Bobák im Gespräch mit Filmemacher*innen, Festivalmacher*innen und Produzent*innen -> Talk NACHSCHAUEN
16.00TEDDY Talk – A look back to the future: Distribution Strategies in the wake of a Pandemic Looking back at a number of films that celebrated their premiers at the 70th Berlinale and how their distribution path changed in the wake of covid, global lockdowns and online festivals. From short films to features and documentaries, we speak with Producer Paulina Lorenz, Director Ray Yeung plus industry professionals María Vera from Kino Rebelde, Björn Koll from Salzgeber and Martin Gondre from Best Friend Forever to see how their initial plans changed after the Berlinale. What were the challenges and how did these film teams come together to navigate a strategy when making any sort of plans seemed impossible. Moderation: Merle Groneweg -> Panel NACHSCHAUEN
Gäste: Paulina Lorenz, Ray Yeung, María Vera, Björn Koll, Martin Gondre
DONNERSTAG 04. März 2021
14.00TEDDY SPECIAL– #ACTOUT AND BEYOND Podiumsdiskussion der Queer Media Society zur Sichtbarkeit von queeren Akteur*innen in den Medien und in der Öffentlichkeit. Moderation: Johannes Kram -> Panel NACHSCHAUEN
Gäste: Maren Kroymann, Mehmet Sözer, Nicola-Rabea Langrzik , Peter Schulze, Karimah El-Giamal
16.00TEDDY Talk – Building A Nurturing Work Environment for Queer BIPOC Industry Executives The film industry can be a minefield for those embodying intersectional identities. 2020 saw a myriad of public commitments to equity and inclusion, but what work has been done internally to ensure that these organizations are equipped to be safe spaces for their LGBTQ+ Black, Indigenous and POC staff and artists? Taking a queer lens to Iyabo Boyd’s provocation to Build A BIPOC Power Pipeline, this Teddy Talk invites industry stakeholders to share their insights on the barriers we face when it comes to succeeding in our roles and advancing our careers. Moderation: Lucy Mukerjee -> Panel NACHSCHAUEN
18.00Queer Your Program: Online Speedy Film Pitches The annual two minute pitching sessions will be moving online and offered to filmmakers whose films are ready for distribution. Open to programmers, distributors and sales agents; join in to find potentially your next opening night film. Moderation: Bartholomew Sammut
20.00Queer Industry Reception goes Online An annual gathering of industry professionals from the Queer Film Industry, from filmmakers to programmers, to distributors and sales agents. What normally happens in person with a wine in hand and nametags plastered on your shirt, this friendly networking event will now happen online. We shall once again come together as a community, connect and network, chat about the year we had, the films we look forward to and also to have a little drink and a touch of gaiety. Moderation: Bartholomew Sammut
FREITAG 05. März 2021
14.00TEDDY SPECIAL – Invisible Threat – Similarities and Disparities of the COVID-19 pandemic and the HIV/AIDS epidemic Two global public health crises, two invisible threats to human life. But in what ways compare the COVID-19 pandemic and the HIV/AIDS epidemic? What are the most striking differences? Is it ethical at all to compare the two? And what role can cinema and filmmakers play in tackling the harshest of realities brought by these viruses? Where do their responsibilities and political power lie? A conversation about visibility, power, trauma, memory, and film activism. Moderation: Zsombor Bobák -> Talk NACHSCHAUEN
Gäste: Wieland Speck, John Greyson, Dr. Alexandra Juhasz
16.00TEDDY Talk – Queering Common Space A Debate on Visibility, (Un-)Safe Urban Spaces and the Everyday Archive with POLIGONAL Office for Urban Communication and guests. In what ways are queerness and queer practices represented in urban everyday life? Is visibility the key to a more inclusive urban future? In the discourse on what kind of city we want to live in queer narratives tend to be underrepresented – with crucial voices remaining unheard. To discuss the power of archiving this talk brings together protagonists from the project QUEERING COMMON SPACE – a digital living archive collecting visual and acoustic representations and documentations of queer memories, encounters and stories from common (un-)safe spaces in the cities of Tbilisi and Berlin. Moderation: Christian Haid, Lukas Staudinger -> Panel NACHSCHAUEN
Gäste: Liz Rosenfeld, David Apakidze, Nini Goderidze, Nancy Naser Al Deen, Tzeshi Lei
And don´t forget to watch the Videos
Wir freuen uns auf den Sommer! Stay tuned & bleibt gesund bis dahin!
THANKS FOR THIS YEARS PARTNERS AND SUPPORTERS OF THE TEDDY TALKS
