The prodigal son´s search for the father he believed was dead becomes a tragic and yet hopeful parable on the need to find one´s identity in the space between exile and the country of one´s birth. The film´s depiction of architecture and landscape as well as its sparse, black-and-white visual style make it a convincing artistic debut.
The human tragedy of the fate of an English mining community is portrayed with a ciritical eye for social detail and great solidarity and sympathy. The film´s music lends it both humour and a lightness of touch.
For this masterful filmic portrait of a world in which natural and transcendental powers as well as human emotions form one profound spiritual entity.
In a persistent conversation with his father, a son confirms his own family history and religious origins, and forces his father to face up to and take responsibility for his repressed personal history. This document of a personal history also reflects historical und universal conflicts.
For his committed observational documentary about Sudanese asylum-seekers during their exhaustive journey through Swiss bureaucracy. This film is a forceful appeal for a more humane policy on asylum.
The Ecumenical Jury awards prizes in the International Competition, the Panorama and the Forum. The Panorama and the Forum Prize are endowed with DM 5.000 each, donated by the Catholic German Bishops Conference and the Evangelical Church in Germany.