MEET THE JURY: NICK DEOCAMPO

Name: Nick Deocampo
Country: Philippines
Festival: Quezon City International Pink Film Festival

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How do you like Berlin? What is special about the city for you?

I have been to Berlin several times. In fact Berlin was the first city I visited after my film schooling in Paris in 1983 in order to attend the Berlin Film Festival, my first international film festival. The festival’s location was still at the old city center, not where it is now. Since then I have visited the festival several times, including judging for the NETPAC award for the Best Asian Film in 2001. Among the European cities, Berlin has been like a “second home” for me. What makes it special is the high cinematic culture I always encounter. The high regard for all sorts of cinematic forms is what I admire most. This is where I was exposed to alternative and radical filmmaking and LGBT cinema. There was so much I learned from meeting filmmakers and festival organizers. Also there are a lot of venues where I can encounter film culture. Each time I am in Berlin, I visit the film museum and also the bookstores to look for books to buy.

How would you describe the Berlinale in one sentence?

The Berlinale is a crossroads for all film interests that gets people passionate for films to gather.

What was your first encounter with the TEDDY AWARD?

It was when a Filipino film, Ang Lalaki sa Buhay ni Selya (The Man in the Life of Selya) won the TEDDY AWARD, that’s when I first heard about the TEDDY.

In your eyes, what does the TEDDY AWARD symbolize? What does it stand for? What makes it unique?

It’s unique because it gives recognition to LGBT films in a major league festival. Not many festivals do so. Its courage to stand up for filmmakers with alternative sexual orientation expands the borders of filmic expression. For filmmakers who are also film programmers like myself, there is so much to learn from the creative as well as organizational planning that go into organizing events like this.

Tell us about a movie you’ve recently seen.

As organizer of the newly-formed Quezon City International Pink Film Festival held in the Philippines, I have seen so many LGBT films submitted for participation. Aiming to be the largest gathering of LGBT films in Asia, it was natural to see as many Asian films in the region. I am greatly impressed by the transgender films that, I truly feel, have risen to become the most expressive among the LGBT films.  There is a spike in the region for transgender films, mostly about transgender women. Films like Thi Tham Nguyen’s Madam Phung’s Last Journey (Vietnam), Vanna Hem’s Karma (Cambodia) and Eduardo Roy Jr.s Quickchange (Philippines) are extraordinary for bringing transgender issues in ways that have not been addressed before. But this is not totally unique to Asia. There seems to be a worldwide rise in transgender filmmaking, as I also encounter filmic narratives coming from the US like PJ Raval’s Trinidad and of course Europe with its many films on the genre.

MEET THE JURY : YVONNE P. BEHRENS

Name: Yvonne P. Behrens
Country: Germany
Festivals: Portland Queer Film Festival, Portland German Film Festival

Yvonne P. Behrens

How do you like Berlin? What is special about the city for you?

I love Berlin, it is vibrant, has a huge history and I love those old huge buildings and the architecture. I also love going to swap meets.

The movie history associated with Berlin is most special for me, the Babelsberg Film Studios, the UFA films, the Berlin International Film Festival. And I am tremendously proud to see new blockbuster movies coming out in the USA and those then have being filmed in Babelsberg.

How would you describe the Berlinale in one sentence?

Epic and most relevant for movies.

What was your first encounter with the TEDDY AWARD?

The TEDDY AWARD is and always was for me a fist look in what queer movies would come out in a year and which ones might be suitable for our film festival and of cause which movie I might want to see personally.

In your eyes, what does the TEDDY AWARD symbolize? What does it stand for? What makes it unique?

The TEDDY AWARD is the “Oscar” for queer filmmaking. It gives queer cinema an international visibility and opportunity to see queer films from all over the world which would probably not make it into your local theater and because of getting a major award, these films  are now being picked up for larger distribution and made available to a border audience.  The TEDDY AWARD stands for “achievement” in queer cinema and because of that genre it is unique.

Tell us about a movie you’ve recently seen.

STILL ALICE with Julianne Moore. It is hiding home as most everybody knows someone who is affected by Alzheimer’s and this is a film with a great story, and brilliant actors. Julianne Moore already got the Golden Globe, a SAG Award and she is deserving the Academy Award for her performance!

Programmme Guide 2015 Online!

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The programme guide of the 2015 TEDDY AWARD is now avaialble for download. You will find all important informations about your favorite teddy bear here.  Furthermore, you will find detailed background informations and we will tell you the highlights of the 2015 TEDDY cermony on 13th of february 2015.

You will find the download of the 2015 TEDDY programme guide here

 

DJs @ SchwuZ

 


DJS @ Schwuz 06.02.15


ENA LIND

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©Goodyn Green

Ena Lind has been a mainstay of the Berlin scene since 2006. As an electro DJane she exudes a creativity and energy that moves clubbers to their core and never fails to get the dance floor moving. Her feel for timing, her awareness of her audience, her selection of tunes and her sense for the theatrical transform her sets into dramatic performances, into musical journeys through the night. And her vivacious character undoubtedly adds a particular spark to her gigs.


JANUS

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The first Janus – operated by two Americans, with a German local, Lotic, as resident DJ – party debuted just over a year ago with Jersey club king DJ Sliink; subsequent events have featured the likes of Venus X, Total Freedom, Jam City, Slava, Ssion, Teengirl Fantasy and more. These kinds of hyper-modern, cross-genre club pollination sets occur regularly in New York, for instance, but while most of these DJs and producers are American, Europeans do clubbing better and that’s reflected here.


JULIE CHANCE

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Julie chance und Ena Lind ©Matthias Hamann

Over the years, Julie Chance has been an active DJ in her hometown Dublin, London and now in her current home of Berlin, where she’s quaked the floors of Berghain, Gretchen and Festsaal Kreuzberg.  Whether in a dark and dingy basement at 4 a.m. or amidst the fashion elite at a daytime tradeshow, Julie knows how to rock the house—and “house” is definitely her modus operandi, with an arsenal ranging from old Chicago classics to sleek, cutting-edge tech-house, always developing her style by digging through the crates of history as well as sniffing out the latest tracks. Aside from DJing, Julie is a founding member of the electro/shoegaze band Kool Thing and an art photographer.


LEGO

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Born in Berlin, Lego has spinned his records already for two years now at queer indie-electro parties like BANG! in Oberhausen or HELKI in Potsdam. Furthermore, he became a resident DJ at the SchwuZ party LONDON CALLING, where he loves to play songs of Björk, The Knife or David Bowie. Next to his DJ nightlife, Lego studies graphic design in Bremen, Germany.

 


LUCKY PIERRE

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©Matthias Hamann

Starting with indie and rock music, not long ago Lucky Pierre explored for himself the power of electronic music. Since 2013, he shares his love for tech and deep house with Berlin’s party crowd. Normally playing mostly the late after hours at SchwuZ, Lucky has got a lot planned for 2015.


MARSMAEDCHEN

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Marsmaedchen is a DJane, singer and at home at many parties in Berlin, Hamburg and in the Ruhrpott area of Germany. Anything is possible when she puts on her “Rockqueerhiphopurbanbalkanbeatzalltimefavsriotgrrrrlpunkelectropopswing” fusions as the main objective of this “Girl from Mars” is to make people dance – and she shows that every year in front of SO36 (in the Kreuzberg area of Berlin) at the MyFest stage. However, Marsmaedchen also uses her guitar and laptop to make music, which she describes as “musical anarchy”: somewhere between Blues, HipHop, Pop and Electro.


Djs SchwuZ 13.02.2015


BLACK CRACKER & FRIENDS

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Stoic as fuck, with a baby face and a set of blue-collar shoulders, Ellison Renee Glenn aka Black Cracker rocks a swag aesthetic that lies somewhere between Dipset and Blackbox. Currently living between Berlin and Lausanne, but based professionally out of NYC, he works as a producer/MC/writer and has collaborated with the likes of Cocorosie, Creep, Bunny Rabbit and Grand Pianoramax, among others.


DISCO GESSNER

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The DJ-gene runs in the family: with inheriting the vinyl collection of both his mum and his brother, Disco Gessner‘s career pass was kind of predestined. Mixing original disco-tracks with modern housebeats, he quickly gained international fame. Today he’s one of the germany’s most experienced DJ’s.


HINTERGRUNDRAUSCHEN

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Born and raised in the former East Berlin, Hintergrundrauschen is very much influenced by the technoid Berlin sound of the early 1990s. He belongs to the „young guard“ of the new Berlin DJ talent. His sets sparkle with emotionally charged energy, with musical roots reaching from Kraftwerk to Donna Summer to Carl Craig. Besides Cologne he also enjoyed gigs all over Europe as well as the gay club scene in Berlin and his monthly residency in Tresor Club.


GLORIA VIAGRA

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©Sally B

Berlin’s one and only “Empire State Building” of drag entertainment… Tall, nasty, professional… Every 2nd Friday of the month Gloria Viagra runs her own party PARTYSANE! at SchwuZ club! Furthermore, she does shows and sings live with her own band “SqueezeBOX”! She won awards as “2nd Best National DJ 2009” and “Best Drag Queen 2010”, as well as she performed at “The Voice of Germany” in 2012! A showgirrrrrrl, which whirls all around the globe and fights for human rights with political actions.


PA$CHA

Pascha-by-Pascha

Known as a party organizer, Pa$cha is mixing R’n’B and hip hop music as a DJ. Every month, he spins his records at ”Partysane“ and, in addition, holds his regular party ”Peaches & Cream“ in different venues.


MEET THE JURY : PREDRAG AZDEJKOVIC

Name : Predrag Azdejković
Country: Serbia
Festival: international queer film festival “Merlinka”

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How do you like Berlin? What is special about the city for you? 

At least once a year I’m in Berlin. I can say that the reasons for my visits are sad and happy at the same time, because the majority of my friends left Serbia and now live in Berlin, and that’s sad, but at the same time I’m happy that I have the reasons to visit Berlin so frequently. Berlin is the city that I love very much, because you can be whatever you want without fear of violence.

How would you describe the Berlinale in one sentence? 

Berlinale is the most important film festival in Europe, a big film fair were you see the most important films of the year. Also, Berlinale is a resource center for many smaller festivals, were you can find what you need, from newest queer films to distributors contacts.

What was your first encounter with the TEDDY AWARD?

The Serbian film “Marble Ass” with Vjeran Miladinovic Merlinka in the main role received the TEDDY AWARD in 1995. Merlinka was killed in 2003, and we named our festival after her in 2009. It was so important that such film received the TEDDY AWARD.

In your eyes, what does the TEDDY AWARD symbolize? What does it stand for? What makes it unique?

TEDDY AWARD is a part of film history, but also part of the LGBT movement and queer art history. TEDDY acknowledges many important low budget queer films from all over the world and gave a boost to many filmmakers to create queer films. In many cases awards are recognition of a brilliant film, but in TEDDY’s case it’s also a contribution to better fate of that film. We still live in a homophobic world where we must sometimes hide the queer element of the film if we want successes. TEDDY is contributing to that success without hiding the queer element. Und das ist auch gut so.