We are happy to announce this years TEDDY AWARD Jury. This year, three well-known filmmakers and festival organisers will select the winners in the categories of Best Feature Film and Best Short Film from the nominated queer films from the Berlinale, and will present the TEDDY Jury Award.
Sylvie Cachinis a film director whose award-winning films enjoyed success at numerous festivals before she joined Everybody’s Perfect – Geneva International Queer Film Festival as the artistic and general director in 2017. With a university education in art history, history and Italian language and literature (in Switzerland, Rome and Paris) and a master’s degree in film (from Geneva), she has worked in her own company, Lunafilm, as a screenwriter, cinematographer, editor and producer. Driven by a sense of exploration and freedom, she is radically committed to auteur cinema and to queer and feminist gazes. Passionate about experiencing and sharing a wide range of artistic moments, her programming aims at offering a new magic every year.
Samuel Girma, curator in film and art
Samuel Girma is a curator in film and art, a community organizer and an activist based in Stockholm. He is currently undertaking research for an upcoming experimental short film about James Baldwin’s queerness and launching a Black cultural space for film and art. Samuel is a co-founder of the anti-racist, intersectional and feminist platform, Black Queers Sweden. Born and raised in Ethiopia, he emigrated to Sweden at the age of 13, a move that has greatly affected his view on Blackness and the experiences accompanying migration. Much of Samuel’s work, art and writing is inspired by and focuses on the experiences of Black bodies.
Esma Akyel, director of Pink Life QueerFest Turkey
Esma Akyelis a LGBTI+ and transfeminist activist from Turkey. They are the director of Pink Life QueerFest which was established in 2011 and is the first and only queer film festival in Turkey. The festival is organized by the Pink Life LGBTI+ Solidarity Association which is also the first and biggest trans self-organization group in Turkey. Esma is a board member of ERA – LGBTI Equal Rights Association for the Western Balkans and Turkey. They are also one of the curators of QueerFest Berlin. They have a master’s degree in media and visual studies from Bilkent University.
No idea what film to watch as you are patiently counting down the minutes until our TEDDY Films 2021 will be screened in summer? That’s where our Writers’ Challenge 2021 winner comes in!
Krzysztof Dubicki writes about his favourite queer film AND THEN WE DANCED (2019), directed by 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.”
Congratulations to our winner Krzysztof for his wonderful film review!
Now you know which film to watch next. Check out the trailer below and see for yourselves…
Finally, the program for the TEDDY Talks 2021 is all set! You can find all the information about all TEDDY TALKS and our daily livestreams from the 1st until the 5th of March below.
TEDDY TALKS LIVE from the TEDDY TV Studio
TIMETABLE
MONDAY March 1, 2021
14.00THE SITUATION ROOM Zsombor Bobák in conversation with Michael Stütz, Head of Panorama -> watch it ON DEMAND
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? Host: Kristian Petersen -> watch it ON DEMAND
14.00THE SITUATION ROOM Zsombor Bobák in conversation with filmmakers, festival organizers and producers -> watch it ON DEMAND
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? Host: Bartholomew Sammut -> watch it ON DEMAND
Panelists: Skadi Loist, Nick McCarthy, Sridhar Rangayan, Sylva Häutle, Muffin Hix, Jay Lin
WEDNESDAY March 3, 2021
14.00THE SITUATION ROOM Zsombor Bobák in conversation with filmmakers, festival organizers and producers -> watch talk ON DEMAND
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. Host: Merle Groneweg -> watch Panel ON DEMAND
Panelists: Paulina Lorenz, Ray Yeung, María Vera, Björn Koll, Martin Gondre
THURSDAY March 4, 2021
14.00 TEDDY SPECIAL – #ACTOUT AND BEYOND Panel discussion of the Queer Media Society on visibility of queer actors in the media and in the public. Host: Johannes Kram -> watch Talk ON DEMAND
Panelists: 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. Host: Lucy Mukerjee -> watch Talk ON DEMAND
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. Host: 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. Host: Bartholomew Sammut
FRIDAY March 5, 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. Host: Zsombor Bobák -> watch Talk ON DEMAND
Participants: Wieland Speck, John Greyson, Dr. Alexandra Juhasz
16.00 TEDDY 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. Host: Christian Haid, Lukas Staudinger -> watch Panel ON DEMAND
Panelists: Liz Rosenfeld, David Apakidze, Nini Goderidze, Nancy Naser Al Deen, Tzeshi Lei
Don´t forget to watch the videos
Wir freuen uns auf den Sommer! Stay tuned & bleibt gesund bis dahin!
THANKS TO THIS YEARS PARTNERS AND SUPPORTERS OF THE TEDDY TALKS
The time has come: the program for the TEDDY Screenings 2021 is fixed! During the Berlinale Summer Special, from June 09 – June 20, 21, the screenings of the films nominated for the TEDDY AWARD will take place in different open air cinemas. The screening dates and cinema addresses can be found under the respective film descriptions.
An overview about the TEDDY AWARD 2021 film selection you can find on our website.
What a wonderfull week! We’ re pretty sad, that all magic of the TEDDY Studio is already ending. If you missed some of our amazing TEDDY Talks, you can watch all of them all on demand! If you want to browse again trough the TEDDY Talks Program of the 35th TEDDY AWARD , you can still find all information about the on our blog.
TEDDY TALKS LIVE from the TEDDY TV Studio
We’re looking forward to the summer! Stay tuned & stay healthy!
Thanks to this years partners and supporters of the TEDDY TALKS
