german documentaries 2010 www.german-documentaries.de The German Documentary Association / AG DOK … German Films is the largest professional association of independent producers in Germany, numbering more than 860 members. It is first and foremost a film and media lobbyist for the documentary genre, but is open to representatives from all is the national information and advisory center for the promotion of German Films worldwide. film genres. German Films’ range of activities includes: Close cooperation with and presence at all major international film festivals and selected TV markets; hosting selection delegations from international festivals; PR and press work for all major national and international media representatives; information and advice for international buyers, German producers and exporters; a… fights to prevent documentaries from vanishing h… organizes presentations of German documentaries publication of informational literature on current German Films and the film industry; organization of the annual “Next from television screens and movie theatres. at foreign festivals, and meetings with colleagues from Generation” short film program; administration of the selection procedure for the German entry for the OSCAR for Best other countries in cooperation with „German Films.“ Foreign Language Film; staging of “Festivals of German Films” worldwide and “German Premieres” in selected cities; b… is developing new strategies to counter collaboration with Deutsche Welle’s DW-TV KINO program; organization of the “German Films Previews”; selective financial broadcasters’ demands for more rights from independent i… furthers discussions about the documentary genre at support for the foreign releases of German films; organization with Unifrance of the annual German-French film meeting producers for dwindling licensing fees. meetings and conferences. Das Rendez-Vous. c… becomes involved wherever and whenever film j… offers filmmakers and producers opportunities to German Films has foreign representatives in Beijing, Buenos Aires, Moscow, Paris, Rome, Tokyo, Madrid, London, and politics are debated in Germany. exchange views and information on a local level. New York. d… commissions studies and legal reports relating to k… offers its members copies of the film newsletter German Films is funded by film export levies, the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, and independent film production in order to provide solid “black box,“ the association’s own newsletter, and other the German Federal Film Board, as well as the regional film funders FilmFernsehFonds Bayern, FilmFoerderung Hamburg arguments in film political debates. relevant information from the film industry. Schleswig-Holstein, Filmstiftung NRW, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, MFG Baden-Wuerttemberg, Mitteldeutsche Medienfoerderung, and Nordmedia. e… provides its members with legal consultation and, in l… offers its members discounted memberships to the some cases, assistance in lawsuits. European Documentary Network EDN. Shareholders are the Association of German Feature Film Producers, the German Producers Alliance, the Association of German Film Exporters, the German Federal Film Board (FFA), the Stiftung Deutsche Kinemathek, the German Documentary f… provides free legal consultation with established m… represents the interests of documentary filmmakers Association, the German Short Film Association, FilmFernsehFonds Bayern, and Filmstiftung NRW representing the seven media lawyers for every contract. in the governing boards of the Copyright Association of main regional film funds. German Artists, Photographers and Filmmakers (VG Bild- g… is constructing a platform for efficient foreign sales Kunst) and the German Federal Film Board (FFA). Members of the advisory board are: Alfred Huermer (chairman), Peter Dinges, Antonio Exacoustos, Roman Paul, Ulrike of German documentaries through the initiative „German Schauz, and Michael Schmid-Ospach. Documentaries“ in cooperation with „German Films.“ n… commissions studies of broadcast slots and license fees. … cordially welcomes each and every new member. German Films Service + Marketing GmbH AG DOK – Arbeitsgemeinschaft Dokumentarfilm Herzog-Wilhelm-Strasse 16 • D-80331 Munich • GERMANY Schweizer Strasse 6 • D-60594 Frankfurt am Main • GERMANY tel +49 89 59 97 87 0 • fax +49 89 59 97 87 30 tel +49 69 62 37 00 • fax +49 6142 96 64 24 [email protected] • www.german-films.de [email protected] • www.agdok.de Dear Friends, We’re pleased that you’ve picked up a copy of the “german Warsaw, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Toronto, Sheffield, Amsterdam, documentaries” catalogue. Nyon, Leipzig, La Rochelle and Cannes. We hope that browsing through this catalogue will peak your interest in doing so. Your interest shows we’re on the right path. After all, this brochure is our showcase for presenting the wealth of subject matter and Our presence at international events is made possible by “German aesthetic styles of German documentaries to international audi- Films” – the service and marketing agency which over the past sev- ences. Independently produced documentaries “made in Germany” eral years has generously supported documentaries as a vital part of are highly professional and widely recognized for their quality. Year the German film industry. Their support is not restricted to projects in and year out, large numbers of German documentaries can be abroad, however. It is also helping us to expand and intensify our seen at the leading film festivals around the world. And the number Internet offerings. The website www.german-documentaries.de of top-notch German television documentaries is also on the rise. features not only downloadable online versions of the complete Where better can this trend be observed than in this continually “german documentaries” catalogues since 2006, but also the lat- growing brochure. What began as a modest sixteen pages in the est news from the German documentary filmmaking scene, such mid-1990s has now blossomed into a sizable eighty pages under as where German documentaries will be screening abroad, prizes the seasoned editing of Ingrid Molnar. This year’s catalogue features they’ve won, which markets German delegations will be attending, 220 films – 60 more than last year’s edition. The number of series, etc. In American filmmaker Rick Minnich, a longtime resident of ranging from three to six episodes, is also on the rise, clearly illus- Berlin, we are happy to have found an ideal partner for editing and trating how German producers have been quick to respond to the maintaining the site. He is happy to answer your questions about the changing tastes and needs of the international marketplace. German documentary film industry, and to assist wherever possible. Rick can be reached at [email protected]. Two examples of the wide spectrum of subject matter and film forms demonstrate what make this catalogue a treasure trove. With the Jörg Langer will continue to coordinate all German Documentaries help of our keyword index, you’ll find several interersting titles under activities. He can be reached at [email protected], the heading “nature” – a perfect fit for this year’s UN thematic focus and is also happy to be of assistance. Both Jörg and Rick are famil- on “bio-diversity.” And with the football World Cup taking place in iar with the organisational structures of the German Documentary Africa this year, we are pleased to offer a number of remarkable films Association AG DOK, which with more than 860 writers, directors from this continent, some of which consciously go against the grain and producers is one of the largest filmmaking associations in by focusing on Africa’s cultural identity rather than simply football. Germany and an ideal conduit into the German documentary film industry. The topic “Africa” also shows how the “german documentaries” label is not restricted to the publication of this catalogue. “german We, the documentary filmmakers in Germany, hope that we can documentaries” is a network which helps pave the way for German help you with our offerings. We would be pleased to hear your documentary filmmakers into the international marketplace. Through responses, opinions and pointers. And above all, we would be our participation in international festivals, markets, conferences, and delighted if this catalogue helps German documentary films find co-production forums, we initiate and cultivate creative exchange their way onto screens and television sets around the world. with documentary filmmakers around the world. Our “German Documentaries in Africa” project, which was founded during the Yours sincerely, 2008 “Ecran Noir” festival in Yaunde, Cameroon, will enter into its third year in 2010. And thanks to the “german documentaries” Thomas Frickel offerings, it will once again be possible to meet representatives of Chairman and CEO AG DOK the German documentary film scene at festivals and markets in German Documentary Association german documentaries 2010 571 2 HALF LIVES by Servet Ahmet Golbol RELIGION | MIGRATION | YOUTH | CULTURE 18-year-old Özer lives in Antakya and remembers that he has already worked as an electrician. Today, he would be 39 and would have a family… if a wall had not caved in on him. Cansu is 11 years old. She is not allowed to see her children from her life as Lulu, because her mother-in-law from that past life forbids any contact with them. She can’t get that into her mind. Reincarnation is the subject of “2 half lives” by German-Turkish director