Award for Swiss director in Duisburg
10.11.2008
Swiss film director Constantin Wulff, who lives in Vienna, was honoured with the 3sat Prize for Best German Documentary Film for his film “Into the World” at the 32nd “Duisburger Filmwoche” (November 3-9, 2008). The prize, amounting to 6,000 euros, is one of the main awards of the festival, which aims to foster the dialogue between the filmmaker and audience. Four other works by Swiss directors were screened at the festival: the Swiss box-office hit, “Bergauf, Bergab” by Hans Haldimann about an alpine farming family; “TransAsia Express” by Manuel Uebersax and Özay Sahin about the journey from Istanbul to Teheran by train; and the two 30-minute films “Weit weg von hier” by Kristina Konrad and “X-Mission” by Ursula Biemann.
The three-member jury explained their selection of the film “Into the World” (production: Navigator Film, Vienna) for the prize as follows: “The setting of the film is clearly defined: an obstetric clinic in Vienna. What steps are necessary for giving birth to a child? The film is direct cinema in a literal sense, for it records the delivery procedures within an institution and reveals a world of routine processes to the viewer: consultation, examination, administration and finally the actual birth. Everything is planned for the mother and clinic staff to work together; nevertheless, much remains incalculable. The film "Into the World " develops its extraordinary range by juxtaposing a world of standards and procedures with that of the inharmoniousness, with moments filled with both joy and suffering: prosaic and yet vehement; intimate but not voyeuristic; reserved but never impassive.“
Zurich, November 10, 2008
Zurich, November 10, 2008