Tag Archives: Jury

News 2015, Teddy 2015

MEET THE JURY : BRADLEY FORTUIN

February 1, 2015 chloe Leave a comment

Name: Bradley Fortuin
Country: Namibia
Festival: Batho Ba Lorato Film Festival

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

Berlin is a very beautiful city filled with beautiful people and extraordinary places and sights. It’s richness in history, art, fashion and even its advanced technology – which I love and admire – sets it apart from all other major world cities.

How would you describe the Berlinale in one sentence?

Berlinale in one sentence! A amazingly great platform that helps to uplift and recognize amazing and well deserved talent and that changes the world as well!

What was your first encounter with the TEDDY AWARD?

My first encounter with the TEDDY AWARD was on YouTube after reading about it in a magazine and it’s always been a dream to attend it.

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

The TEDDY AWARD to me is like voice for the voiceless. It helps to change people’s lives and inspires them to do and be better not only at their craft but also as an individual human being. It celebrates the LGBTI community and creates awareness and also educates which is what I love. It brings people from all over the world and from different backgrounds together as one big happy family and just like a teddy bear it makes one feel warm, fuzzy and welcoming.

Tell us about a movie you’ve recently seen.

The latest movie I watched is The Book Thief directed by Brian Percival, which I found extraordinary engaging and extremely moving. Well written and directed.

News 2015, Teddy 2015

MEET THE JURY : YVONNE P. BEHRENS

January 30, 2015 chloe Leave a comment

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

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!

News 2015, Teddy 2015

MEET THE JURY : PREDRAG AZDEJKOVIC

January 29, 2015 chloe Leave a comment

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

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.

Blog, News 2014, Teddy 2014

Interviews 2014

February 9, 2014 Horst Leave a comment

Interview with Allison Berg and Frank Keraudren about their movie “The Dog”

Interview with the Crew of “Fucking Different”

Interview with Diego Araujo about his film “Feriado (Holiday)”

Interview with Marie Losier about her film “Bim, Bam, Boom Las Luchas Morenas”

Interview with Sakaris Stórá about his film “Vetrarmorgun”

Interview with John Trengova about his film “iBhokhwe”

Interview with Chris Mason Johnson about his film “Test”

Interview with Daniel Ribeiro about “The Way he Looks”

Interview with Adam Csasci about his movie “Vihasarok” (Land of Storms)

Interview mit Roy Dib about his movie “Mondial 2010″

Interview mit Bruce LaBruce about his film “Pierrot Lunaire”

Interview with Jayan Cherian about his film “Papilio Buddha”

Interview with Karim Ainouz about his film “Praia do Futuro”

Interview with Elfie Mikesch about her film “Fieber”

Interview with director Stefan Haupt and the crew of the film “Der Kreis”

Interview with the director and the crew of the film “Night Flight”

Interview with Director Diogo Amarante about his film “As Rosas Brancas”

Interview with Director Ira Sachs about the Film “Love is Strange”

Interview with Sophie Hyde (director) and Tilda Cobham-Harvey (cast) about the film ”52 Tuesdays”

Interview with Director Joselito Altarejos and Actor Sandino Martin about the film “Unfriend”

Interview Gregory Warren Producer of ”Through A Lens Darkly”

Interview ZhouHao ”Ye” (The Night)

Interview Davi Pretto “Castanha”

Interview John Maloof and Charlie Siskel “Finding Vivian Maier”

Interview Jury TEDDY AWARD Jury members 2014

Interview Wieland Speck, Director PANORAMA Berlin International Film Festival

Jury 2014, Teddy 2014

Meet the Jury: Lucia Kajankova

February 6, 2014 Esther Leave a comment

Name: Lucia Kajankova
Country: Czech Republic
Festival: Mezipatra

How do you like Berlin? What is special about the city for you?
I adore Berlin and have been visiting the city quite regularly since I was 16. For me, it’s a sister-city to my home at Prague (and quite close to get there quickly) – but kinkier, more dynamic and mixed in what is there to experience expecially in the indie & queer scene, just the perfect place to be weird and enjoy that.

How would you describe the Berlinale in one sentence?
Where cinephiles, industry, emerging filmmakers, stars, friends and “wait-till-you-hear-about-my-new-project”-attention-hunters gather for ten days on an immensely fun and exhausting 10-day freezing hunt for films, caffeine and the one thing to remember after we all go home.

What was your first encounter with the TEDDY AWARD?
It was the same year I started programming and first visited Berlinale. Pretty much my whole schedule was quickly based on the TEDDY selection. Jake Yuzna’s Open, one of my favourite ground-breaking queer films won the Jury Special Mention.

In your eyes, what does the TEDDY AWARD symbolize? What does it stand for? What makes it unique?
It symbolizes the merge of grand film festivals (such as Berlinale itself, Cannes, Venice, Sundance and so) and the distinctive place of specialized queer / lgbt film festivals – as a communication space between the two worlds as well as an appreciation for the role queer / lgbt films and filmmakers have (and should have) in the main spotlight. And this was a long battle, of which TEDDY AWARD is one the important pioneers.

Tell us about a movie you’ve recently seen.
Wolf of Wall Street – pure orgy of what is the power of cinematic storytelling while rejecting the appeal to moralize that is often asked of artists. I tremendously enjoyed the film.