Films by Peter Scharf

Germany 2014, 95 min
by Peter Scharf

Can a price be put on human life? The answer would seem to be "no": a human being is priceless, his worth cannot be determined in terms of money. The very idea appears to violate the principle of human dignity. "What am I worth?" The filmmaker asks it both of himself and of his protagonists throughout the world. He talks with healthcare economists and insurance brokers, politicians, scientists, organ donors and lawyers, discovering ethical minefields and an economic abyss... The audience is led into a world where the monetary calculation of human worth has long since become business as usual. The insights provided are as shocking as they are revealing; cruelty meets and mixes with absurdity and even dissolves at times into high comedy. - A road movie through the fascinating and bizarre world of those who appraise human worth.

Germany 2011, 45 min
by Peter Scharf, Katja Duregger

A dead soldier's blood-soaked t-shirt; a nun kissing a priest; a gaunt young man with AIDS; all were images used by the fashion label Benetton to advertise its clothing in the 90s. The provocative campaign was the work of Italian photographer Oliviero Toscani, a man who brought topics such as war, racism, the death penalty, and the misery of refugees into the business of advertising. His posters set off a storm of indignation throughout the world; in many places they were banned. Toscani's “Reverse Psychology Marketing” challenges the intelligence and the consciousness of its audience; rather than praising products and tempting people to buy, it seeks to enlighten. The Rage of Images examines the now 68-year-old artist and pioneer of anti-advertising whose career began with fashion shoots for labels such as Fiorucci, Armani and Esprit. It also looks at the private man who broke with Benetton in 2001 and now works independently, designing ad campaigns that go far beyond the mainstream.