Synopsis
13 years after his civil service in a hospital in Thiès, Senegal, Paul challanges his memories and traumas. With old video footage, interviews and animations he questions his role as a volunteer within the German system of development aid.
Festivals
2023
Grand Prix – Tampere FF
AVIFF Art Film Festival, Cannes
shortlisted 36 European Film Awards
29 FSBW Baden-Württemberg, Germany
submitted to the competition for the 96th Acadamy Award Documentary Short, OSCAR®
2024
54 Tampere Film Festival
Cast and Crew
- Director
Paul Drey
- Producer
Max Breuer, Nils Gustenhofen
- Screenplay
Christoph Hans, Paul Drey
- Score
- Sound
Lukas Reiter, Vincent Egerter
- Editor
Christoph Hans
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.
