25th TEDDY AWARD 2011 - The Winners
The nine members of the international jury - organisers of queer and other film festivals - view films within the framework of all programs of the Berlinale which have queer context.
Three films are nominated for each category and one receives a TEDDY for best feature film, best documentary/essay film and the best short film, each with a cash award of €3,000.
Members of the Jury:
Marcus Hu (President of the TEDDY AWARD Jury) Strand Releasing, Culver City, USA
István Sebesi Magic Mirror Budapest, Hungary
Andrejs Visockis LGBT Film Days, Riga, Latvia
Beth Sá Freire São Paulo International Short Film Festival, São Paulo, Brazil
Jason Barker London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, London, Great Britain
Jin Park Seoul LGBT Film Festival, Seoul, South Korea
Mara Fortes Morelia International Filmfestival, Mexico
Sarah Neal Brisbane Queer Film Festival, Brisbane, Australia
Victor Silakong World Film Festival of Bangkok, Bangkok, Thailand
The TEDDY Jury nominated the following films for the Best Feature Film:
Fjellet by Ole Giæver
Ausente by Marco Berger
Tomboy by Céline Sciamma
The TEDDY for the Best Feature Film
endowed with €3,000, donated by various supporters of the TEDDY foundation
goes to Ausente by Maco Berger
Jury statement:
The jury decides to give this year's Teddy Award for best feature film to AUSENTE directed by Marco Berger in recognition of its original story, bold and innovative aesthetics, and sophisticated approach to queer dynamics. The film's unique combination of homoerotic desire, suspense and dramatic tension reflects the director's keen understanding of genre conventions and cinematic language. As the most intriguing, cutting-edge film in the selection, the jury considers that Ausente celebrates the spirit of the Teddy Award.
The TEDDY Jury nominated the following films for the Best Documentary/Essay Film:
The Ballad Of Genesis and Lady Jaye by Marie Losier
How Are You by Jannik Splidsboel
The Queen Has No Crown by Tomer Heymann
The TEDDY for the Best Documentary Film
endowed with €3,000, donated by elledorado e.V.
goes to The Ballad Of Genesis and Lady Jay by Marie Losier
Jury Statement:
The jury gives the best documentary award to the Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye by Marie Losier. This film draws us into a whole new magical world of diversity where anything is possible; genders change, identities shift and two people can become one through pandrogyny. The jury feels that nobody could tell the story of this once in a lifetime love affair like Ms Losier, a filmmaker with the unique imagination to match her film's subjects and the compassion to tell an extraordinary tale of queer pioneers into a simple and universal tale of love.
The TEDDY Jury nominated the following films for the Best Short Film:
Generations by Barbara Hammer and Gina Carducci
Maya Deren's Sink by Barbara Hammer
La Ducha by Maria Jose San Martin
The TEDDY for the Best Short Film
endowed with €3,000, donated by various supporters of the Teddy Foundation
goes to Generations by Barbara Hammer and Gina Carducci &
Maya Deren's Sink by Barbara Hammer
Jury Statement:
The jury gives the best short film prize to two films: Generations by Barbara Hammer and Gina Carducci, which celebrates the support of experimental film and its form by combining traditional film techniques with digital processing and Ms. Hammer's Maya Deren's Sink, a tribute to the avant-garde filmmaker done with Ms. Hammer's indelible touch, employing Ms. Deren's clips reprocessed and reimagined into a thoughtful sui generis work of art.
The Special Jury Award
goes to Tomboy by Celine Sciamma
The Jury Prize goes to Tomboy by Celine Sciamma for it's accomplished direction in drawing out standing performances from this young and talented cast led by Zoe Heran. This second feature film from the talented director of Water Lilies addresses the complex identity issues of a young girl who creates an untenable situation when she assumes her true self.
SPECIAL TEDDY AWARD
supported by BSCW-Stiftung
goes to Pieter-Dirk Uys & Evita Bezuidenhout
The Sout-African entertainer and HIV/AIDS activist Pieter-Dirk Uys will be given the Special TEDDY AWARD for his commitment especially in the educational advertising about HIV/AIDS in South-African schools and for his stage alter-ego Evita Bezuidenhoud, the "most famous white woman in South-Africa" as she was addressed by Nelson Mandela.