Film awards as christmas presents

There are many film festivals where you get a bear or something else for an award. So it is in the Austrian Ebensee at the Festival of the Nations, where the jury gives a teddy bear in gold, silver and bronze. Erich Riess, festival director had this idea and so every year, many teddy bears are awarded to the filmmakers. So Daniela and Oskar Siebert collected numerous teddy bears as film awards. But they didn’t want to be pleased about it by their own and so they gave the many teddy bears to the Wochenblatt press who will take these gifts for poor children for Christmas.

"It is the greatest award for us, to give our film awards to poor children, who will be happy about it under the Christmas tree." said Daniela.

Merry Christmas and have a heart for other people. videoAktiv Regensburg-Team.

The little knight- production

Of course this was a great experience form e in my non- professional film career, when I got the Maltese Knight in Bronze in Dec. 2005 for the short movie “Mother”. This award was since 10 years always a dream and a awish for me, because the Maltese Knight is like the European Oscar for non- professional filmmakers. The short productions by professional filmmakers, students, film schools and amateurs are judged by a 5 headed jury. The jury nominates then the short film productions for the most popular awards: The Golden Knight, Silver and Bronze Knight. Next to these main awards are also “Best Documentation” , “Best film from Malta” and maximum 3 productions with “Highly Commended”. So there is no mass price giving like it is the case in Germany.

My wish was always to go to Malta and so the worthy film award was reason enough for me to take a short trip to Malta. The moving story about this European island, the undescribable and wonderful architecture overwhelms every tourist and especiall a filmmaker. So I made numerous pictures by video and photo of my 5 day trip. For my 15 minute video report I chose the “little knight” for my film motive. It is not an usual travel movie, but a deep insight in my feelings that I experienced at Malta. It could have been a movie for 2 hours if it is a report about my feelings at the island, but I didn’t want to show everything. The audience should get the wish to go there by theirselves. Daniela and me decided us for this report and also we had a lot of international friends who helped us with the work. The commentary is in German, Czech and English. My filmfriends Willie Eberl and Tes Perzeszty from New York, Jan Lengyel and Jaroslav Sika  from Czech Republic helped us. The German speaker is Jürgen Gewald.

So I made an international cooperation out of my film. It is good to know that Daniela and I are not alone in the film world. A special thanks to the Air company AIR Berlin and the airpot Nuremberg, both helped us, although high security. “The little knight” is only a little report, but a proof about a big and international cooperation in the non-  professional movie making.

The last take

Next to "The Prague Romance", the short movie "Mother" was also one of the most successful film productions by videoAktiv Regensburg. Numerous film awards and honorables "of course" from the foreign countries proof that not only the subject- the mother’s love and the question of organ donation- are interessting, but also the filming with more than 60 members was made with high potential in the amateur branch. Beyond the filming of a non- professional movie, the filmmakers had the basics of a cultural event: ethic, asthetic and the task of padagogic.

The last and not little successful film production of "Mother" was a final point after 20 years short movie production of the father- daughter- team. Also the numerous professional jury in foreign countries gave their clesar positive acknowledgement in their comments.

A high acknowledgement and honor for videoAktiv

Not every success has to be with an award. For the over 10 years successful representation of the short movies by videoAktiv, the film group FOXYMON and the head of the Int. Filmfestival Brün 16 (Czech Republic), invited videoAKtiv to come to Brün.

The Regensburg film makers didn’t have a “hot iron” for the festival, but they were invited to the projection of their own most successful short movies: The Prague Romance, The Key, Mother and My Shortest Movie.

It was a great honor for the filmmakers of videoAktiv Regensburg when they were chosen as representatives of Germany with their works. On Thursday, 19th Oct. 2006 in the cinema ART, the organizers showed the chosen short movies to the public.

After the successful projection, some of the audience wanted to get the movies for their own use. This event was called: An evening for amateur filmmakers- Regensburg (Germany). Not only was it very successful but also a great acknowledgement for videAktiv. For three times the short movies were in the final projection and the short movie “Thank you” won the Bronze Medal.

The movie evening with FOXYMON in May 2006 and the presentation of videoaktiv in Brün was the result of cultural cooperation in Europe.

The Pope visits his hometown
 

From 11th to the 14th Sep. visited Pope Benedikt XVI his hometown the city of Regensburg. Benedetto, how the people call him, impressed with his personality not only for catholics but also for other religions and atheists. With great attention we watched his presentation at the Regensburg university, where he is still known as Dr. Josef Ratzinger who was the head of the theological faculty. We all say:" Thank you Benedetto" for your visit. It was and will always be an unforgettable experience for all of us.

                         

videoAktiv Regensburg
(pictures by MZ)

Finally it is done!

Vaclav Havel, former Czech persident gets the “Bridge award” of Regensburg on 24^th September 2006.

Regensburg filmmaker Oskar Siebert is very happy that Vaclav Havel gets the award from Regensburg.

On the 29^th May 2000, after the State visit of the Czech president Vaclav Havel in Regensburg, the filmmaker and cultural award winner Oskar Siebert wrote his proposal for giving Vaclav Havel the “bridge award” to our Regensburg major Mr. Hans Schaidinger.

It took many years before the town council decided the nomination in connection to the application for Regensburg as “Cultural Main City Europe 2010”. Oskar Siebert, born in Berlin and carried off as a child in 1945 to Bohemia, he was arrested from the Czechoslovakian State Security Service in the former CSSR for his political, anti- sovjetic and anti- communistic engagement, and discriminated and persecuted for many years. Through the engagement of the organisation of human rights Siebert could return to Germany. Since 1976 he is a citizen fo Regenbsurh, successful filmmaker and cultural creatist. With his short movies Siebert represents together with his daughter Daniela, the City of Regensburg and Germany at numerous internation film festivals.

Bear – Interview

34.Festival der Nationan Ebensee, Austria

F.: Mr Siebert what were your experiences at the austrian Ebensee Festival of the Nations. Which impressions did you get?

OS.: For more than 15 years I visit the festival. It is the biggest and greatest festival in Europe. It is not only the participation with my film but I also visit my friends. I have a great friendship with the organisers Eric and Eva Riess.

This year I met my friends  Pierre Daudelin from Canada, Dave Watterson from England, Monika Haskova und Radek Stipl from Czech Republic, and many others who regularly participate from Belgium, Guernsey und Austria.

F: Why do you participate regular?

OS.: Like I said, because of my friends and because of the great movies which are shown. The movies are mady by amateurs, students and freelance authors, in one category.

F.:Has this system a disadvantage for the amateur movie makers?

OS.: Of course you take a disadvantage out of it sometimes but that is not bad. On the contrary. You can compare it better, the quality of a non professional film to a professional.

F.: How many films were at the this year festival?

OS.: As I was informed about 800 entries from all over the world and more than 150 films were shown the public and the international jury.

F.: Which of your movies participated?

OS.: We participated with „Mother“.

F.: How was your movie judged with such a difficult theme like mother love and organ donation?

OS.: Most of the audience liked it. The jury was not very impressed. They discussed about social- medical- technical basics and when they talk about that I know what’s going on. They didn’t understand the movie. The jury should not judge about the story based on logic. My daughter Daniela and me worked for 3 years on the script. We talked with professionals about situations and actions. Especially the characters of the mother we had planned into the very detail and everything has its reason. More than ¾ of the movie are memories of the mother, which I made in “cold” picture colors. Also the music is different from what the audience and the critics know. The music has not the task to support the movie but to disturb the silent pictures in the head of the mother and the audience. Different sounds of machines in the hospital which are life supporting were changed into music by Pavel Hokr. Everything is repeated unsteadily. This movie should provoke and that people think about it. I was very happy that Dave Watterson from England, jury member, understood our movie and could explain it to the others.

F.: What would you like to say about this festival?

OS.: I just want to say that everybody who makes and loves films has to visit Ebensee and the Festival of Nations. If you go there once, you always come back.

F.: Thank you fort he interview and I wish you and your daughter a lot of success with your movies.

SIANDA

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Cesky lvicek

(Czech Lion)

When our telephone rang at home in Regensburg and Mr. Miroslav Tuscak / representive for the non professional film of the Czech culture ministry/ called and asked me for being the head of the jury for the 53th Czech film festival, I was very surprised. My task was to be the leader of the international jury who had to rate czech and slovakian films in a comparative competition.

From Friday the 9^th June on I could be part of the festival for 2 days. From over 7 contests 104 short movies were qualified for the pre- choice. The pre- jury selected from then 45 movies for the international jury and the projections. The movies were rated by a jury which we Germans would like to have. A jury from international and professional film and tv makers.

So they were no hobby jury who don’t know about the basics and theoretical knowledge in the branch of movie and film making. Movies have not been judged by personal or subjective emotions, but were judged by creative and film arts.

The Czech jury was led by Mr. Josef Hanus, president of the camera-man assoziation. The members of the jury were: Prof. Ing. Josef Valusiak, teacher at the film academy, Mrs. Mgr. Irena Charvatova, script author from Prague, Mrs. Mgr. Simona Oktabcova, director Ct Prague and Mr. Mgr. Fratisek Nejedly, film historian from Prague.

Already 2 weeks before the festival has started, the jury had the chance to see the movies and make a choice for the prices in 5 categories for the festival organiser. But the jury was present for the whole time at the festival, a discussion with the jury for the film makers was organized between the showing of the films. In the meantime the Roskota Theater showed movies from and for children and teenager.

The organization, showing and the technical presence were professional prepared and made. This great honor belongs to the organiser Mr. Miroslav Tuscak and Mr. J. Bouse – JBS Studios.

Saturday evening was the celebretive price giving. Authors, guests, jury and members of the city and culur ministry were there. It was a bit like Hollywood. The awarded films got not only a document and material prices but also the “Czech Lion”.  I had the honor to give the challenge cup for best national Film Collection to Mrs. Phdr. Zuzana Skodulova from Slovakia

Cesky Lvicek (that is how they named their festival) was a great event. It had not only a national but an international standard.

I am very happy that I could experience the film event.

Oskar Siebert

Regensburg

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