Archive notice: This article was originally published on March 13, 2009. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
The Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film will again present the German Animation Screenplay Award in 2009, with prize money of €5,000 once more provided by the Protestant Church in Germany. Four scripts by emerging and established film writers have been nominated.
Presented for the third time since 2007, the award aims to promote German-language animated films with outstanding potential and improve their narrative quality. “The screenplay award is intended to support the development of sophisticated themes and ethical and social discourse in animated film,” said Udo Hahn, head of Media and Public Communications at the Protestant Church in Germany.
The four nominees selected from 20 submitted manuscripts for the 2009 festival, some already at an advanced stage of production, are:
– “The Sandman and the Lost Dream Sand” by Katharina Reschke and Jan Claudius Strathmann (production: scopas medien AG; director: Toby Genkel—in production)
Strathmann is known as a writer for ZDF children’s series Löwenzahn, while Reschke wrote for ZDF children’s series Vorsicht – keine Engel!
– “Animals United” by Oliver Huzly and Reinhard Klooss (production: Constantin Film; directors: Holger Tappe and Reinhard Klooss—in preparation)
Huzly wrote the successful animated features Impy’s Island and Impy’s Wonderland. Klooss has been a feature-film producer at Constantin Film since May 2006 and co-directed both Impy films.
– “Emmi & Krrrzlfzz” by Benjamin Quabeck (producer: Studio Soi GmbH & Co. KG)
Quabeck received the German Film New Talent Award at Filmfest München in 2001 for his feature debut No Regrets.
– “Richard the Stork” (working title) by Reza Memari
Iranian-born Memari lives in Berlin and works as an editor, director and screenwriter, with credits on corporate films, commercials and music videos. His short Fingerfood received the VFX Jury Special Prize at Munich youth film festival Flimmern & Rauschen in 2003.
Last year’s winner was John Chambers for “The Last Neanderthal.” The first award in 2007 went to writer Heike Sperling and co-writer/producer Oliver Huzly for “Sing, Rabbit, Sing!” Huzly is nominated again this year for “Animals United.”
The 2009 jury consists of Udo Hahn, Ulrich Wegenast, Artistic Managing Director of Film- und Medienfestival gGmbH, and 2008 and 2007 winners John Chambers and Heike Sperling. The award will be presented at Stuttgart’s Altes Schloss on May 6 at 7 p.m.
