Audience Awards 2024
OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE
Announcing the 2024 Audience Award Winners of the 28th Berlin & Beyond Film Festival
Ingeborg Bachmann – Journey into the Desert (Best Feature Film)
Istina (Truth) (Best Short Film)
Media Contact: Steve Indig PR, steve@steveindigpr.com
(San Francisco, May 1, 2024) The 28th Berlin & Beyond Film Festival, presented by the Goethe-Institut San Francisco, wraps up with the very special announcement of the Audience Award winners of the 2024 festival, chosen by in-person and online audiences.
The 28th Berlin & Beyond Film Festival, the leading festival of contemporary German cinema in the Americas, ran April 18-20 at Roxie Theater in San Francisco, April 21-22 at Rialto Cinemas Elmwood in Berkeley and April 23-25 online (streaming).
2024 AUDIENCE AWARD BEST FEATURE FILM:
INGEBORG BACHMANN – JOURNEY INTO THE DESERT (INGEBORG BACHMANN – REISE IN DIE WÜSTE)
Statement by Director Margarethe von Trotta: “What a joy! In the beginning of my film career, I used to visit San Francisco very often and I even considered moving there because I fell in love with its people and the city. That’s why I’m especially happy about the award, also because it’s an audience award. After all, we make films for the viewers, not just for ourselves. Thank you very much!”
Original message in German: “Was für eine Freude! Ich war zu Beginn meines Filmlebens sehr oft in San Franzisko und habe damals sogar überlegt, dorthin zu ziehen, weil ich mich so wohl gefühlt habe. Deswegen bin ich natürlich besonders glücklich über den Preis, vor allem weil es ein Publikumspreis ist, und wir machen doch die Filme für die Zuschauer und nicht nur für uns selbst.”
Film description: The remarkable and charismatic Ingeborg Bachmann has conquered the male dominated bastion of German-language literature with her poetry. Amidst professional and personal friction in her relationships, she travels to the desert, where she finds a way back to herself and her writing.
Starring Vicky Krieps, Ronald Zehrfeld, and Tobias Resch, and produced by Katrin Renz, Bady Minck, Bettina Brokemper, Alexander Dumreicher-Ivanceanu, this motion picture is represented internationally by world sales agency The Match Factory. Countries of Production: Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg, Austria, Jordan, Italy. 110 min.
2024 AUDIENCE AWARD BEST SHORT FILM
ISTINA (TRUTH)
Statement by Director Tamara Denić: “I am super happy and excited that out short film Istina (Truth) won the audience award! In the name of the whole cast and crew: THANK YOU for this very special honour. In my opinion, an audience award is the most important response you can get as a filmmaker. I mean, after all, we’re doing it for you. But I am particularly happy that our film with this topic has been well received. International recognition is of great importance not only for all those involved, who spent weeks working on our student film on a voluntary basis, but also for all the journalists in Germany and Serbia who supported us, trusted in us and our project and shared their personal stories with us. We made this movie for them. But not only for them. We dedicate this award to all journalists worldwide who stand up for press freedom and human rights and, cruelly, sometimes have to give their lives for it, as is currently the case in Gaza. We must ensure that journalists around the world are protected. Thank you! Love, Tamara”
Film description: Belgrade, 2022: A photo-journalist threatened by right-wing extremist groups in her Serbian home, flees to Germany with her daughter.
Produced by Christian Siée, and starring Nika Rozman and Milica Vuksanović, “Istina (Truth)” was produced in Germany and Serbia. 29 min.
BIOS
MARGARETHE VON TROTTA
Margarethe von Trotta is a German director and scriptwriter who has been referred to as a “leading force” of the New German Cinema movement. She started her career as an actress for directors such as Rainer Werner Fassbinder und Volker Schlöndorff in the late 1960s but quickly gained interest in writing and directing feature films. In 1975, together with Volker Schlöndorff, she co-wrote and co-directed “The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum” (“Die verlorene Ehre der Katharina Blum”) to critical acclaim. Two years later Margarethe von Trotta debuted her first solo feature film “The Second Awakening of Christa Klages” (“Das zweite Erwachen der Christa Klages”). In the following years she quickly became one of Germany’s leading female directors and an integral part of the German “Autorenkino.” Her films, which often centered around strong female protagonists and women in context of history, premiered at the most important international film festivals, such as Venice Film Festival, Festival de Cannes and Berlinale and were honored around the world (e.g. Golden Lion, German Film Award). In 2022 she received the European Cinema Lifetime Achievement Award.
TAMARA DENIĆ
Tamara Denić is born in former Yugoslavia 1992 In 2016, she graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Art and Multimedia and a minor in Media Informatics at LMU in Munich with an interactive, experimental short film. After that, Tamara worked as a dubbing recording manager, film production and editorial assistant and video editor in Berlin. At the same time, she acted in independent theatre groups and experimented with video performances. However, Tamara soon devoted herself increasingly to narrative short film projects. Along side her film projects, paintings and photographs, Tamara experiments with animations and VJing. 2022 she graduated with a master’s degree in film directing at Hamburg Media School with a scholarship from Friedrich-Ebert- Foundation.
BERLIN & BEYOND AT 28
Since 1996, the Berlin & Beyond Film Festival has been a leading light of contemporary German cinema in the Americas, and has presented over 500 motion pictures, along with the presence of celebrated film and cultural figures, including Fatih Akin, Moritz Bleibtreu, Daniel Brühl, Lars Eidinger, Hannelore Elsner, Florian David Fitz, Bruno Ganz, Markus Goller, Werner Herzog, Frederick Lau, Maria Schrader, Dan Stevens, Barbara Sukowa, and Wim Wenders.
The 28th Berlin & Beyond Film Festival 2024 is presented by the Goethe-Institut San Francisco. Premiere Sponsors: San Francisco Grants for the Arts, Excelsior German Center, and the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in San Francisco. Signature Sponsors: the Consulate General of Switzerland in San Francisco, DW, Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America, and The Orchard Hotels. Patron Sponsors: German International School of Silicon Valley and the Consulate General of Luxembourg in San Francisco.
The 2024 Berlin & Beyond Film Festival rolled out its red carpet for Markus Goller (Director/Producer/Editor/Honoree of the 2024 Berlin & Beyond Film Festival Film Maker Award), Fab Morvan (Singer/Songwriter/Producer/Former Member of the duo Milli Vanilli), and Bettina Oberli (Director/Screenwriter/Author).
Official Website: berlinbeyond.com
Social Media: @berlinbeyond #BerlinBeyond2024
THE GOETHE-INSTITUT
The Goethe-Institut is the cultural institute of the Federal Republic of Germany with a global presence. We facilitate international cultural exchange, promote access to the German language and support the unimpeded development of culture and science. The Goethe-Institut is present in San Francisco since 1967 and has lately focused on the cultural perspective on technology, as well as film and educational youth programs. Other important activities include events and discussions on migration, memory culture, diversity, and social justice in Germany and the US.
Official Website: goethe.de/sf
Social Media: @sfgoethe
###
