The film depicts in realistic images the everyday life of three women in Romania. They sell their bodies to make it better. This does not happen voyeuristically - the camera does not feed on the object - but with a look that opens up a strange world which thus gets plausible. With economical means, long camera shots, a powerful sound design and a concentrated plot, a film has emerged that does not leave the viewers unaffected.
38th Film Festival Max Ophuels Prize
23.01.2017 to 29.01.2017
Saarbruecken
Madame de... (© Gaumont)
"Vanatoare", directed by Alexandra Balteanu, won the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the 38th Film Festival Max-Ophuels-Prize. The director, born in Romania, studies at the German Film and Television Academy Berlin (dffb). Her film also won the Prize of the Governor of the Saarland. The Max Ophuels Prize went to "Siebzehn" (Seventeen), directed by Monja Art from Austria.
The Film Festival Max-Ophuels-Prize presents young German speaking cinema from Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Luxemburg in four competition sections - feature film, documentary, medium-length film, and short film. The Ecumenical Jury chooses its winner from the feature film competition which actually comprised sixteen entries. 2017, Svenja Böttger was in charge of the festival for the first time. In a special programme in honour of Max Ophuels German director Christoph Hochhäusler presented "Madame de...", his late classic from 1953.
Link: Festival-Website
The members of the Ecumenical Jury, from left: Wolf-Dieter Scheid, Magda Hermans, Oliver Gross, Gerhard Alt
© Sebastian Woithe
Award of the Ecumenical Jury
Directed by:
2016
