ZEBRA Poetry Film Festival

The ZEBRA Poetry Film Festival Münster | Berlin announced its winners on 30 October 2016. 80 films were nominated from the 1,100 entries from 86 countries and shown in the international and German-language competition. There was also a North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) competition featuring a further 18 films. More than 220 poetry films were featured in the competitions and programmes of the festival, which ran from 27 to 30 October in the Schloßtheater Cinema in Münster.

The award winners were picked by the festival jury. On this year’s jury were filmmaker and festival organiser Juliane Fuchs, Belgian video and sound artist Marc Neys and poet Sabine Scho. The prizes are worth a total of € 12,000.

The ZEBRA Prize for the Best Poetry Film, donated by the Haus für Poesie:

Off the Trail (GB 2015)
Director: Jacob Cartwright & Nick Jordan
Poem: “Endless streams and mountains” by Gary Snyder
The statement by the jury: For a prae-apocalyptic journey throughout a perfect guide in a stitched uniform into a world that’s going to unravel itself.

The Goethe Film Prize is donated by the Goethe Institute. It goes in equal parts to:

Goldfish (D 2016)
Director: Rain Kencana
Poem: “Golden Fish“, by Shuntaro Tanikawa
The statement by the jury: For the film that transcends the description; „It’s the perfect combination of (poetry) (dance) (film) (music)....“ but leaves us the gift of pure creation that simply exists.

Process:Breath (N 2016)
Director: Line Klungseth Johansen
Poem: “Process:Breath“ by Line Klungseth Johansen
The statement by the jury: For the film with the most touching esthetics in wich science comforts heartache.

Special mention: PLEASE LISTEN! (RU 2014) by Natalia Alfutova (poem: “Please Listen“ by Vladimir Mayakovsky)
The statement by the jury: How to ’beam up’ classic poetry into a made-up future where ’Westworld’ characters dance through hidden doors and questionable reflections.

The Prize for the Best Film for Tolerance is donated by the German Foreign Ministry (Auswärtiges Amt). It goes in equal parts to:

Steel and Air (USA 2016)
Director: Chris & Nick Libbey
Poem: “Steel and Air“ by John Ashbery
The statement by the jury: For the film where the vending machine of life does not always give you the reminescence you need, but it may reconnect some broken pieces and restore the value of your regrets, your grief, your moments of happiness.

Hail the Bodhisattva of Collected Junk (TWN 2015)
Director: Ye Mimi
Poem: “Hail the Bodhisattva of Collected Junk“ by Yin Ni
The statement by the jury: For the most perfect film of imperfections, filled with junkful anger where buddha laughed with the common proliferation and the immediate threats of society.

Special mention: Calling All (P 2015) by Manuel Vilarinho (poem: „Chamada Geral“ by Mário Henrique Leiria)
The statement by the jury: A wonderful rant, with hints of anarchistic punk and political urgency, hunted by dark humor.

The “Ritter Sport Prize” in the German language competition, donated by Alfred Ritter GmbH und Co KG:

The wolf fearing the wolf (D 2014)
Director: Juliane Jaschnow
Poem: “Die Angst des Wolfs vor dem Wolf“ by Stefan Petermann
The statement by the jury: For the Film that nails you to your own limitations.

Special mention: Vacancy (D 2016) by Urte Zintler (poem: „Ziehende Landschaft“ by Hilde Domin).
The statement by the jury: Für die minimalste und zugleich vielgestaltigste Animation, sorgfältig entwickelt aus unsichtbaren Informationsschichten und ausgereiften Remix-Formen.

The audience prize in the NRW competition, donated by Deutsche Lufthansa AG:

Birds on wires (D 2014)
Director: Dean Ruddock
Poem: „Vögel auf Stromleitungen“ by Dean Ruddock

The ZEBRINO Prize for the Poetry Film for Children and Young People went to:

Autumn (F 2016)
Director: Hugo de Faucompret
Poem: „Automne“ by Guillaume Apollinaire
The award winning film was chosen by the young audience. The prize is worth € 500.

Further films that also deserved a mention by the jury:
Kaspar Hauser Song (Director: Susanne Wiegner, Poem: Georg Trakl)
Tzayri Lee Tzeeyur | Paint Me A Painting (Director: Jasmine Kainy, Poem: Hedva Harechavi)
Viento | Wind (Director & Poem: David Argüelles)
The Headless Nun (Director: Nuno de Sá Pessoa Costa Sequeira, Poem: Kris Skovmand)
Long Rong Song (Director: Alexander Vojjov, Poem: Ottar Ormstad)
The Poster Reads: ACTIVE SHOOTER EVENT (Director: Cheryl Gross, Poem: Nicelle Davis)
I Could Eat A Horse (Director & Poem: Jake Hovell)
What about the law (Director: Charles Badenhurst, Poem: Adam Small)
Refugee Blues (Director: Stephan Bookas, Poem: W.H. Auden)

The winning films will be shown in Berlin at the ZEBRA Poetry Film Gala on 16 November 2016, 8 pm, as part of the interfilm – International Short Film Festival Berlin. Location: Hackesche Höfe Cinema, Rosenthaler Str. 40-41, 10178 Berlin
www.haus-fuer-poesie.org

The festival was founded in 2002 by the Haus für Poesie, formerly the Literaturwerkstatt Berlin, and is the world’s biggest platform for poetry films, which are short films based on poems.

The festival was organised and hosted by the Filmwerkstatt Münster in co-operation with the Haus für Poesie. It was made possible by the support from the Kunststiftung NRW, the LWL Kulturstiftung, the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and the City of Münster, the Stiftung der Sparkasse Münsterland Ost, the Kulturrucksack NRW, and from the Consulate General of the Netherlands and the Flemish Representation. The festival is also supported by the Münstersche Filmtheater-Betriebe, by GUCC grafik & film, by the Factory Hotel, by interfilm – International Short Film Festival and by the filmclub münster.