• Red Ears

    Red Ears



  • Red Ears

    Red Ears



  • Red Ears

    Red Ears



  • Red Ears

    Red Ears



Red Ears

a film by Paul Drey

Red Ears

Germany | 2023 | 30:00 min

Original Title:
DAS ROTOHR

Content Categories

Animation Documentary Hybrid
Synopsis
Xonko Nopp - Red Ears’: These were the first words of Wolof that I learned in Senegal. An expression to describe white people because ‘their ears turn red under the African sun.’

In the documentary ‘Das Rotohr’ I reflect on my one year civil service I did in Thiès/ Senegal in 2010. The film is based on hours of immediate video observations during my stay in Senegal and a present-day interview with a Senegalese woman who I met at the time. Memories of my work in a local hospital and my encounters with the German NGO are completed with animated scenes throughout the film. My mixed personal experiences as a young person over a decade ago are contrasted with reflections on Western development aid. As many young school-leavers in Germany I wanted to make a difference by helping the poor in the ‘Global South’. Yet, my ideals were altered by reality. I made this film to question our western perspective on African countries.
Festivals/Awards
2023
Grand Prix – Tampere FF
AVIFF Art Film Festival, Cannes
shortlisted 36 European Film Awards
Cast and Crew
  • Director Paul Drey
Director's Statement
In the documentary RED EARS I reflect on my one year of civil service in Thiès/Senegal in 2010. The film is based on hours of immediate video observations during my stay in Senegal and a present-day interview with a Senegalese woman whom I met at the time. Memories of my work in a local hospital and my encounters with the German NGO are highlighted with animated scenes throughout the film. My mixed personal experiences as a young person over a decade ago are contrasted with reflections on Western development aid. Like many young school-leavers in Germany, I wanted to make a difference by helping the poor in the 'Global South'. Yet, my ideals were wrecked by reality. I made this film to question our Western perspective on African countries, as even today, foreign aid and multi-million donations are regarded as useful and altruistic tools to fight poverty. The documentary RED EARS challenges this paradigm by means of a personal narrative.
Original Languages

French

German

Wolof

Production Company
Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg GmbH
Akademienhof 10, 71638 Ludwigsburg

Phone: +49 7141 9690

info@filmakademie.de
https://www.filmakademie.de
Links / Reference
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