At the turn of the century, TEDDY recognized the importance of remembrance and praised Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman’s “Paragraph 175”, an outstanding documentary about the dreadful German law criminalizing homosexuality. Almost two decades later, historians have shown how homosexuals suffered under National Socialism and many have fought for the memory of the victims. Lesser known is the fate of countless homosexuals after the war, the appalling story of the continuities of such an injustice into the success story of the Federal Republic.
This year’s focus is on the struggle of the members of our community who made it through these dark times, but also on the injustice of such a crime, still lingering like an open wound in German history. TEDDY is seizing the momentum of the present discussions on rehabilitation and reparations for the survivors and victims of §175. Our focus is on the unjust and unrighteous treatment of homosexuality in Germany after the war until the complete repeal of the law in the 1990s.
What is the stand of research on the continuities of paragraph 175 after National Socialism?
Since the 1970s, considerable research has been done in the context of the homosexual emancipation movement. In the meantime, the subject is becoming more and more important in the academic circles as well, which is good not only for research, which can be broadened and diversified, but for the discipline of History as well, engaging now with queer questions and research topics.
Could you tell us a little bit about public history projects and the way queer history is being taught in German schools?
Overall, queer history is not included in the in German schools’ standard curriculum, but there are various projects that can be used as a starting point. Here, in Berlin, February is always the Queer History Month; during this time some school classes engage with queer history and other queer-related topics in terms of content or art. The project’s homepage offers lessons and materials for teachers who would like to bring queer topics into history lessons. Beyond school, public history projects also bring queer history to a general audience – such as the exhibition ‘Homosexualities’ in the Schwulen Museum* and the Deutsches Historisches Museum, or, as it is currently in Baden-Württemberg, Public History connects queer history to research projects. Last year, a project was launched that brings together research, public history and regional queer history creating opportunities for a greater participation.
What are your thoughts on the project by Minister Maas and the discussions on rehabilitation for victims of paragraph 175?
The rehabilitation of men who were convicted under paragraph 175 is a much welcomed and almost overdue project. A reasonable compensation for the victims of this homophobic legislation should also be implemented.
Do you think this project reflects the discussion on paragraph 175 in the German public space?
I think that before the announcement by the Minister of Justice, many people were not even aware that homosexual relationships among men were prosecuted for so long in the Federal Republic. The discussion has created a certain awareness and therefore it should be welcomed.
On February 17th, 2017 at 9.00 pm the festive TEDDY Award Ceremony will take place – and afterwards the big Backstage Partyand After Show Lounge begins! at Haus der Berliner Festspiele. Here, you will find a first overview over the artists that will be live on stage during the ceremony and at the party, and you will get a first impression of what to expect from that night.
Bettina Köster is a german singer and author who became internationally known with her band Malaria! and their indie hit Kaltes, klares Wasser. Her warm and deep voice stands in the tradition of smoky diseuses like Marianne Faithful, Nico or Marlene Dietrich. Her music is also influenced by wave music and early electronic music of the 80s.
Bettina___live_credit_Cinzia_Giunda_da_Roz
Jack Woodhead
Singer, pianist and componist Jack Woodhead, the star of various variety-, burlesque-, and circus shows will be our host at this evening and will bring us a lot of joy with his piano performances.
Saleh Yazdani
In a wild club-kid style he rides on a wooden rocking horse into a cold world full of concrete buildings and concrete heads. With the power of fantasy and his artistic handstands on the wooden rocking horse he triumphs against the tristesse of everyday life.
VJ Alkis
VJ Alkis is a multimedia artist from Vienna and will be doing live visuals during the backstage party.
VJ-Alkis_photo: Gregor-Hofbauer_
Kerstin Ott
Kertin Ott is a DJane who is highly in demand all over Germany. With a mix of modern dance pop and a typically German sound, Kerstin fought her way up to the second place in the chart and stayed in the Top 10 for 25 weeks in 2015. She is currently on tour in support of her latest album ‘Herzbewohner’.
We are happy to announce the participants of the 2017 TEDDY-Jury!
This Year Gizem Bayiksel (Turkey), Sachiko Imai (Japan), Hassan Kamoga (Uganda), Saadat Munir (Denmark), Marjo Pipinen (Finland) Carl Spence (USA) und Martin Wolkner (Germany) will be part of the TEDDY-Jury.
Gizem Bayiksel
Bayiksel Gizem – Jury member 31. TEDDY AWARD
Gizem Bayiksel was born in Ankara in 1989. She has been working as a photographer and cinematographer in the film industry for over 5 years. Since 2012 she has also been working for numerous events and film festivals as a coordinator, programmer and film curator. Currently she is the festival coordinator and programmer of Pink Life QueerFest, the first and only queer film festival in Turkey. Pink Life QueerFest was launched in Ankara in 2011 and the festival is a space for LGBTQI individuals and artists to raise awareness for LGBTQI issues. Bayiksel’s personal interest in film and photography focuses on the female gaze and queer theory. She is currently working on her first feature film project, a sequel for her short “Child’s Play”, a lesbian couple’s story with Turkish politics on the background.
Sachiko Imai
Sachiko Imai – Jury member 31. TEDDY AWARD
Sachiko Imai is the programming director of Rainbow Reel Tokyo (formerly known as Tokyo International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival), which is one of the longest-running LGBT film festivals in Asia. Sachiko studied screenwriting at Nihon University College of Art where she received a Bachelor Degree in Film. After working in publishing for a while, she started her career as a translator, specializing herself in subtitles. She has translated numerous films and TV shows in Japanese, including some queer masterpieces such as “Weekend”, “Stranger by the Lake” and Showtime’s “The L Word” series. Imai also works as a coordinator for various film festivals in Japan.
Hassan Kamoga
Hassan Kamoga – Jury member 31. TEDDY AWARD
Hassan Kamoga is a young Ugandan human rights activist and filmmaker. In 2016 he founded the Queer Kampala International Film Festival (QKIFF), the first and only LGBTQ Film Festival in Uganda and the only gay film festival organized in a country where homosexuality is illegal. QKIFF offers a powerful platform to promote and progress LGBTIQ rights through film advocacy in homophobic Uganda. Kamoga has produced a number of short documentaries for non-profit organizations in Uganda, Rwanda, Malawi, Egypt, Mozambique and Swaziland. He believes that social justice film-making has the power to change hearts, minds, and laws. Currently Kamoga Hassan is in pre-production for his latest documentary entitled ‘Where is Home’ about Ugandans seeking asylum in other countries.
Saadat Munir
Saadat Munir – Jury member 31. TEDDY AWARD Photo: Nadia Hosted
Saadat Munir was born into the dichotomy of European and Asian cultures. From childhood, he was blessed with the opportunity to experience both cultures equally, having been raised in Denmark by his Pakistani parents. His love for culture grew and led him to receiving a degree in Communications from South Denmark University. In his short time as a filmmaker, Munir has been awarded several honours for his work and has recently been an official Talent at Berlinale 2015. Presently, Munir is a creative director of Aks Film, Art and Dialogue, a bi-national film festival for minorities and marginalized communities that illuminate sociopolitical aspects of transgender, queer, people of color (POC) living in Pakistan and Denmark. The film festival has played a very important role in bringing forth the challenges transgender women face in Pakistan and this festival is first of its kind which is officially run and organised by transgender and queer community in Pakistan.
Marjo Pipinen
Marjo Pipinen – Jury member 31. TEDDY AWARD
Marjo Pipinen is programmer for Love & Anarchy – Helsinki International Film Festival, the biggest film festival in Finland. In 2002–2009, she worked as programmer for Vinokino, the Finnish queer film festival. Pipinen holds a Master’s Degree in Film Studies from Stockholm University. In her Master’s thesis, she wrote about archival aesthetics in New Queer Cinema. After her studies, Pipinen took office at Media Desk Finland and the Finnish Film Foundation, and she currently works in communications at the National Audiovisual Institute in Finland (formerly the Finnish Film Archive). Pipinen keeps a queer-feminist film blog (HQFEB) focusing on events around Helsinki. She is interested in cinema on the margins and she prefers to see films on the big screen. Festivals are her passion and she is voluntarily involved in the organization of many kinds of cultural events.
Carl Spence
Carl Spence 31. TEDDY AWARD Jury member
Carl Spence began curating films and concerts during the grunge era in Seattle. He began his festival career at the Seattle International Film Festival in 1994, helping grow the Festival to become one of the largest film events in North America over the past two decades. He also led SIFF’s expansion into a year-round exhibition, making SIFF the leading independent arthouse exhibitor in Seattle by saving two historic cinemas along with the creation of a new flagship Film Center. He most recently held the the position of Festival Director and Chief Curator at SIFF prior to starting his own consulting film, CCS Arts in late 2016. He also held Director of Programming positions with the Palm Springs International Film Festival and with the San Francisco International Film Festival. In 2014, he helped create the Orcas Island Film Festival as a Festival co-director and the chief curator.
Martin Wolkner
Martin Wolkner – Jury member 31. TEDDY AWARD
Martin Wolkner studied Linguistics and Film Studies and is the founder and head of homochrom Film Festival. Established in 2009 as a monthly film series in six cities in North Rhine Westphalia, homochrom 2011 was supplemented by a queer film festival in Cologne and Dortmund. Wolkner initiated and launched the debut film prize of the German festival co-operation QueerScope, which was first awarded in 2016. As a member of German Film Critics Association he writes for online magazines and since 2010 – for the gay magazine called Box. Martin Wolkner has previously worked for the International Women’s Film Festival Dortmund | Cologne and is translating and making subtitles for DVD productions. Currently he is developing his own film projects as a writer.
