Of lugworms and referendums

In 1920, the waves in Schleswig-Holstein were high: with the referendum, the division of Schleswig was sealed and the current border with Denmark was created. Directors Sönke Lassen takes the 100th anniversary as an opportunity to tell the story in his Project 2020 (Forward Filmproduktion, 10,000 euros) to take a personal look at this historic event. People from the German-Danish border region have their say in several clips. They talk about their memories of times gone by - and about their current experiences with the new borders in the border region.

Up-and-coming filmmaker Hille Norden is the Executive Producer behind the documentary road movie My Gun, My Soul (12,000 euros) about the former child soldier Soun Rottana. The film takes the audience on Soun's journey through his wounded Cambodia - a country where perpetrators and victims are neighbours and nobody wants to talk about it. Directors and cinematographer Grant Hennessy.

In the animated filmWadden miracle by Michael Zamjatnins (10,000 euros) the two children Paul and Rieke find a talking lugworm that leads them to a treasure in the Wadden Sea. The documentaryProject Iceland by Carlos Viering and Tom Köhn (10,000 euros) takes a look behind the scenes of mass tourism in Iceland - the magic of the land of volcanoes and elves is no longer a secret. In A forgotten film (10,000 euros), filmmaker and Russian-German Katja Lell searches for the repressed and forgotten memories of her family.

Urte Alfs receives for her DocumentaryThe Blue Flower a cash injection of 8,000 euros. The film is about a theatre group that changes itself and its world. In addition, 5,000 euros will go to the projectThe youngest victims of the Wall by Sylvia Nagel and Hartmut Schulz and a further 4,000 euros to the experimental filmVertige Noir by Kai Zimmer.

A research grant of 5,000 euros each is available for the DocumentariesThe North German essence by Lars Jessen (Bird & Bird Film) andGerman eight by Ulrich Koglin (TV-Film Nord). Zoran Simić received 2,000 euros each forRegina and Jens Kramer forThe man who brought the didgeridoo to Kiel.

A total of two projects will receive distribution funding: Hille Norden's second project in this panel round will receive 7,500 euros. Her filmKhello brothers is brought to cinema screens by Schleswig-Holstein-based Distribution Barnsteiner Film. For the Sales of their filmTo B or to B flat about the Belgian composer Boudewijn Buckinx, Viola Rusche and Hauke Harder are being supported with 2,700 euros.

A detailed overview of all subsidised film projects is available on our website.

The funding decisions were made by Arne Sommer, Maja Petersen and Manja Malz on Thursday, 25 October 2018.