Jurystatements

JURY 2: Klasse 6l des Carl Bechstein Gymnasiums

We were very happy to have the honor to be the jury. To see so many films from all over the world, with the diverse cultures. We were inspired by all the films, however we knew we had to make a decision. So we took a vote. Many films were represented and there was a close result.

We have chosen two films that will get a Special Mention:
The first film is about a very brave girl who saved the inhabitants of her island through a heroic act. The film showed us that a single child can do great things. Our first mention goes to Argentina to Leo Campasso, Carlos and Antonio Balseiro for their impressive film "La niña y el tsunami".

For the second film, which gets an Special Mention from us, we travel to the other side of the world, to Nepal. Two friends live in a small village. One is considered untouchable, the other touchable. The film shows us the world of these two friends, who are not allowed to be friends according to the rules in Nepal. This film is called "Wheels on the bus" by Surya Shahi.

Now we come to the film that got the second prize in our rating:
We think it is a very beautiful legend. Also, it was animated and narrated great. We were very interested during the movie and eager to see what will happen next. At some points we also found it very funny. The best thing about the movie is that we will always remember the story of the colorful fish while diving. The second place goes to Ursula Ulmi to Papua New Guinea with the film "IDODO".

And now we come to the film that for us deserved the first prize:
We liked the film so much because we could empathize with the main character very well, as the current topic "transsexuality" was presented very well for our age. We were all able to take away from the film that there is more than just man and woman and that one should accept oneself as one is.The first prize goes to the wonderful film "I am Leo" by Tajo Hurrle.

JURY 3: Class 11d from Nelson Mandela Schule

On November 14th and 15th, Class 11d participated as a Jury Class for the categories 12+ and 14+ programmes at the KUKI Short Film Festival in Berlin. It was wonderful to view so many great films with an incredible team guiding us through the process. After watching all the 16 films in both categories, we had to choose the Winner and an Honourable Mention which was a very thoughtful process for all of us students. Taking into consideration all of the key aspects that make a film outstanding, we came to the conclusion that the winner prize would go to the film “It’s Nice in Here” directed by Robert Jonathan Koeyers from the Netherlands. This film tackled racism, police brutality and many deep and powerful subjects regarding the death of a young black man. The editing, soundtrack and writing were exceptional! 

For the Honourable Mention, we chose the French film “Au revoir Jérôme” directed by Adam Sillard, Gabrielle Selnet and Chloe Farr. Every frame of the film looked like a painting and the colours brought so much substance to the film. It was about a man who arrived in paradise and set out to find his wife who passed away a year ago. After a long search he finally found her only to realise that she was very happy to be on her own and did not want to return to their past relationship.  It surely was a great experience! Thank you, Kuki festival, for having us!

Here is our award speech for the Best Film:

After watching all 16 films, it was not easy to choose the best one, but after lots of reflection and thought, we decided on one film that distinctly stood out to us. The film we chose had a great plot and great animation, but more importantly, we found the narrative on important social issues to be emotionally impactful and politically important. It tackles the themes of police brutality and racism and tells the story of a young boy, named Crimson.

We really like how the film was made, how it was edited and presented. The way the storytelling switches from the interviewer to the occurrence and how it contains blackouts which for us represented that when these shootings occur it's always really fuzzy, the viewer or the reader never really gets the full picture just bits and pieces that slowly get put together as the story progresses. Not only this but it also creates a very dramatic effect that gets the audience to think for a second, to comprehend what's happening. What we also noticed is how the animation included some real-life shots which we very much enjoyed as it contributed change and gave more of an awareness that this happens in real life too.

We also loved how the difference in media portrayal was tackled. How it showed different news reporters and different channels talk about Crimson, the victim, and David the police officer. Some blamed Crimson, saying he shouldn't have moved so much, saying that from what he had in his backpack and how he looked it could've been predicted that he would eventually take his gun and shoot someone. Others on the other hand were supporting Crimson, stating “how high do kids have to put up their hands to not get shot”; “what do they have to do?”.

Another aspect that was done outstandingly is how the filmmaker portrays the story from the perspective of two memories, from two completely different viewpoints.

In the first part of the film, we see how Imani his best friend, recollects everything that transpired with Crimson before he was shot, and in the second part how David, the police officer, recollects it. This effect gives the audience a chance to see how this split second changed their lives in incredibly different ways and also makes one wonder which story is more believable, is it that of Imani or that of David?

This film also allows one to imagine ourselves in the shoes of Crimson and picture life from where he stands as a young black man in a society that has deep racial divides and where a young black man is perceived as dangerous even when they are harmless and are likely to be shot and killed even when they are unarmed. It also allows us to see how these racial divides also affect how the police think about black men. David had seen Crimson many times in the streets at night, even the time he searched him he had never found anything that would indicate that Crimson was a bad kid or that Crimson would ever be carrying a firearm. But despite knowing this he went ahead to shoot a young man, a split-second decision made on racial bias and the stereotypical belief that if they have their hands where you don't see the hands then they have a gun which is not the reality.

Now, we are pleased to announce this year's short film festival winner in the 12+ and 14+ categories. Containing incredible animations together with portraying such an important and serious message we would like to congratulate Robert Jonathan Koeyers for his film “It’s Nice in here”!

Participants: Class 11d: Matteo P. Fischer, Lydia P, Bea J-B, Ezaan K, Celia B, Catharina M, Rohan K, Valentino F, Yaje F, Sybe D, Alexandra N, Diego C, Kayla N, Tracy N, William B