Archive notice: This article was originally published on May 4, 2008. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
“Tomte Tummetott und der Fuchs” (ZDF) is competing in the Animation category. The 30-minute animated film, which tells the story of the little gnome Tomte Tummetott, is the first Astrid Lindgren adaptation produced entirely in Germany. The stop-motion production was made by Hamburg animation studio Trikk17 and Ogglies Film Productions in co-production with ZDF (broadcast date: December 25, 2007; editor: Götz Brandt).
In the “Television Film” category, ZDF’s Television Film of the Week “An die Grenze” has been nominated. The film (production: Colonia Media) tells the story of young Alex, who has himself transferred as a soldier to the inner-German border in protest against his father. There, he undergoes military drill and quickly learns that attacks are to be expected not from the West, but from his own country. By the end of the summer, Alex has tragically lost not only a good friend, but also most of his illusions (broadcast date: October 29, 2007; editor: Günther van Endert).
“Das Geheimnis der Hindenburg” (Channel4/ZDF) is competing for an award in the “Historical and Biographical Programmes” category. On May 6, 1937, the airship “Hindenburg” exploded in Lakehurst near New York. State-of-the-art computer technology was used to send the Hindenburg on its journey across the Atlantic again in lifelike animations and trace the path to disaster. The film is a co-production with Britain’s Channel 4 in cooperation with Smithsonian Networks, USA (broadcast date: April 24, 2007; editors: Alexander Berkel and Jens Monath).
“Lebenswende” (ZDF/ARTE) has been nominated in the “Arts and Cultural Documentaries” category. The film is a courageous journey full of surprising turns along the narrow line between life and death. Exactly three years ago, Razvan Georgescu, the film’s author, was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour. Doctors gave the then 38-year-old approximately three more years to live. The idea for a road movie arose from this sense of urgency. Martin Pieper is the editor; a broadcast date has not yet been set.
“Slobodan Milosevic – das letzte Gericht” (BBC, ZDF/ARTE, various) has been nominated in the “Social and Humanitarian Documentaries” category. In the trial of Slobodan Milošević, a head of state was charged with genocide and crimes against humanity for the first time.
The filmmakers had exclusive access to the tribunal’s main participants and look behind the scenes of the trial in their documentary. The film (editor: Milka Pavlicevic) is expected to be broadcast on ARTE in July.
The Banff Awards ceremony takes place on June 9, 2008.
