“In a film, you can draw attention to deep problems by sticking your finger into the wound or showing hope and giving inspiration as how to achieve a positive change. The latter is the strategy that the director of this tenderly powerful documentary chose to follow.
Always keeping the right distance, the film focuses on one of those ‘field workers’ of our society who defines the most formative years of our children, influencing deeply their attitude towards life. As seen through the eyes of the director, this teacher is unique: he reshapes, softens, and makes more human, and through that humanity makes much more efficient a system in crisis — our European educational system.
The film shows how far you can go simply with true respect, sincere communication, and with that magic all great teachers possess: sparking the fire of passion in their students by activating their fantasy.” (71 BERLINALE Jury statement)
Maria Speth accepting the SILVER BEAR
The Kompagnon-Fellowships 2021 by Perspektive Deutsches Kino and Berlinale Talents [DocStation] goes to the German documentary production WIR WAREN KUMPEL | ONCE WE WERE PITMEN by Jonas Matauschek and Christian Johannes Koch, production company elemag pictures GmbH.
The jury's statement word for word:
WIR WAREN KUMPEL tells of a paradigm shift and brings the present into the coal mine. Against the background of the closure of the last coal mine in Germany, this artistic documentary aims to show changes and new beginnings using a trans* woman miner and diverse miners: Not only is the working world in mining about to disappear as a result of the climate policy, but also the self-image of gender and role models is changing. What does masculinity look like today, and how is it manifested? In the interplay of large arrangements in cinematic images and the close documentary accompaniment of the protagonists, the reinvention of the characters and their handling of the crisis is traced. In addition to this swan song for an old form of manhood, attention is also drawn to the decline of the industry. We are excited about a film that combines intimate insights with structural questions in a multi-layered way.
71 BERLINALE 2021 is a festivals in two stages. An INDUSTRY EVENT and a SUMMER SPECIAL. Visit our virtual booth at the EFM, March 1-5, 2021 for shortcuts to the Screening Dates of the german documentaries [festival and market screenings as well] and come back for the Summer Special June, 9-20 in selected venues in the City of Berlin. Meamtime download the 25th edition of the catalogue german documentaries 2021 and former editions as PDF here.
Due to the current COVID-19 situation, the 71 Berlin International Film Festival will unfortunately not be able to take place from February 11-21, 2021.
The Competition, Berlinale Special & Berlinale Series, Encounters, Berlinale Shorts, Panorama, Forum & Forum Expanded, Generation and Perspektive Deutsches Kino sections will have a reduced selection of films at the 71 Berlinale due to the pandemic. The great majority of them will be available online for industry professionals during the European Film Market [with industry accreditation only] in the first week of March 2021.
From June 9-20, the Summer Special will give the general public the opportunity to see the majority of the 2021 film selection at numerous cinema screenings. The city of Berlin once again will become the physical venue for the BERLINALE and the cinema will be a place of encounter and discussion. An industry accreditation for the Summer Special is not planned.
LineUp german documentaries
- AHORITA FRAMES by Angelika Levi, 22min, P: celestfilm, weltfilm [FORUMexpanded] __SD__
- ANAMNESIS | ANMAßUNG by Chris Wright, Stefan Kolbe, 11min, WS: Deckert Distribution [51FORUM] __SD_
- AS I WANT by Samaher Alqadi, 88min, coP: Kaske Film, [ ENCOUNTERS ]
- COURAGE by Aliaksei Paluyan, 90min, P: Living Pictures Production, WS: RISE AND SHINE [SPECIAL] _SD_
- THE FIRST 54 YEARS – An Abbreviated Manual for Military Occupation by Avi Mograbi, coP: ma.ja.de, WS: The Party Film Sales, [51FORUM] __SD__
- FATHERLAND | ZAHLVATERSCHAFT by Moritz Siebert [FORUMexpanded] __SD__
- FROM WHERE THEY STOOD | A PAS AVEUGLES by Christophe Cognet, coP: OVALmedia [51FORUM] __SD__
- GARDERIE NOCTURNE – NIGHT NURSERY by Moumouni Sanou, cop: Blinker Filmprd. [51 FORUM] __SD__
- GENDERATION by Monika Treut, 88min, P: Hyena Films, WS: Salzgeber Medien [PANORAMA] __SD__
- INSTRUCTIONS FOR SURVIVAL | ANLEITUNG ZUM ÜBERLEBEN by Yana Ugrekhelidze, 72min, P: FORTIS FEM FILM [PERSPECTIVE] __SD__
- KEEP MOVING | IN BEWEGUNG BLEIBEN by Salar Ghazi, 139min 45sec [PERSPECTIVE] __SD__
- MIGUEL'S WAR by Eliane Raheb, 128min, coP: Kabinett Filmproduktion, [PANORAMA] __SD__
- MR BACHMANN AND HIS CLASS | HERR BACHMANN UND SEINE KLASSE by Maria Speth, 217min P: Madonnen Film, WS: Films Boutique [COMPETITION] __SD__
- THE SONG OF THE SHIRT by Kerstin Schroedinger [FORUMexpanded] __SD__
- TAMING THE GARDEN by Salomé Jashi, 91min, coP: CORSO Film, WS: Syndicado [51FORUM] __SD__
- VOICES AND SHELL by Maya Schweizer, 17min [FORUMexpanded]
- WHEN A FARM GOES AFLAME by Jide Tom Akinleminu, 112min, P: Film Five GmbH [PERSPECTIVE] __SD__
- WHO WE WERE | WER WIR WAREN by Marc Bauder, 110min, P: Bauderfilm [SPECIAL] __SD__
[ __SD__ leads participants of the EFM to the Screening Dates ]
EFM MARKETSCREENINGS [click on SD for the Screening Dates)
- A BLACK JESUS by Luca Lucchesi, 92min, WS: filmdelights, P: Road Movies _SD_
- A SYMPHONIE OF NOISE by Enrique Sánchez Lansch, 93min, WS: Rise&Shine _SD_
- BEEWILDERED COMPANIONS | EINE FRAGE DER HALTUNG by Felix Remter, Miriam Remter, 87min, WS: mindjazz pictures UG _SD_
- BEYOND THE VISIBLE – HILMA AF KLINT | JENSEITS DES SICHTBAREN by Halina Dyrschka, 93min, WS: mindjazz pictures UG __SD__
- THE LAST REPORTERS by Jean Boué, 96min, P: JABFILM - Jean Boué _SD_
- LUCHADORAS by Paola Calvo, Patrick Jasim, 92min, WS: RISE AND SHINE WORLD SALES U.G. __SD_
- SILENCE OF THE TIDES by Pieter-Rim de Kroon, 103min, WS: The Party Film Sales, __SD__
- AUNT ÜMMÜ by Orhan Çalisir, 33min, P: strombuch __SD__
As the first international film market of the year, the European Film Market is where the film industry starts its business of the year. The 2021 edition of the EFM will take the form of an online market, offering a platform for sales agencies and institutions, online screenings and the EFM Industry Sessions: cutting-edge and interactive talk formats, workshops, matchmaking and networking events. The new dates of the European Film Market are March 1—5, 2021.
AG DOK / German Documentaries is our virtual booth under the umbrella of German Films Service + Marketing GmbH. Please visit us there.
IT ALL STARTS HERE
as single page
• 72 BERLINALE 2022
• 71 BERLINALE 2021
• 70 BERLINALE 2020
• 69 BERLINALE 2019
• 68 BERLINALE 2018
...and single pages of DEUTSCHER FILMPREIS #lola
• German Film Award _ LOLA 2021
• German Film Award | LOLA@Berlinale 2020
• German Film Award | LOLA@Berlinale 2019
• German Film Award | LOLA@Berlinale 2018