GERHARD KLEIN AUDIENCE AWARD

For the eighth time in its fifteen-year history, an award will be presented as part of the Jüdisches Filmfestival Berlin & Potsdam. The award is dedicated to Gerhard Klein, the Berlin ‘cinema legend’ who died in 1999, aged 79. He set up the ‘Capitol’ cinema in Dahlem (Thielallee 36) in 1956; it became a popular meeting place and an institution. Klein, who came from a middle-class family, was a child actor in both film and theatre but in 1933, he was banned from working by the Nazis. In 1939, he fled with his brother to Palestine, where he worked on a kibbutz and co-founded the avant-garde ‘Teatron Kameri’ in Tel-Aviv; the company continues to this day. He never saw his parents again. In 1952, he returned to Germany.

Klein received many awards for his ambitious programmes at the Capitol cinema, including the Federal Cross of Merit (Bundesverdienstkreuz). The Gerhard Klein Audience Award is endowed with 2000 Euro, donated by the Gerhard Klein family.

All visitors to the Jüdisches Filmfestival Berlin & Potsdam are invited to help select the winner of this prize by voting for their favourite film. Simply fill in a postcard (available at the box office when purchasing tickets) and post it in the box provided.

Previous winners:

2002: TWO STATES OF MIND, Shira Richter (Israel 2001)

2003: THE HEBREW HAMMER, Jonathan Kesselman (USA 2003)

2004: MY ARCHITECT, Nathaniel Kahn (USA 2003)

2005: KEEP NOT SILENT, Ilil Alexander (Israel 2004)

2006: THE FIRST TIME I WAS TWENTY, Lorraine Levy, France

2007: THE GALILEE ESKIMOS, Jonathan Paz, Israel 2006

2008: THE HEBREW LESSON, David Ofek und Ron Rotem, Israel 2006

2009: THE GIFT TO STALIN, Rustem Abdrashitov, Kasachstan/RUS/PL/Israel 2007

2010: ROMEO AND JULIET IN YIDDISH, Eve Annenberg, USA 2010

2011: PRECIOUS LIFE, Shlomi Eldar, Israel 2010

PRIZE FOR THE BEST ISRAELI FILM

As always, a large number of the films at this year’s Jüdisches Filmfestival Berlin & Potsdam originate from Israel. This should draw attention to the outstanding and diverse film productions emerging from the country. The festival organisers, along with the Klein family (who donated the prize of 3000 Euro), will select the winning film.

Previous winners:

2005: WATERMARKS, Yaron Zilberman (Israel/Frankreich/USA 2004)

2006: USHPIZIN, Gidi Dar, Israel 2004

2007: FIVE DAYS, Yoav Shamir, Israel 2005

2008: MY FATHER, MY LORD, David Volach, Israel 2007

2009: VALENTINA´S MOTHER, Arik Lubetzky und Matti Harari, Israel 2008

2010: A FILM UNFINISHED, Yael Hersonski, Israel 2009

2011: GEI ONI, Dan Wolman, Israel 2010

PRIZE FOR THE BEST GERMAN DOCUMENTARY FILM WITH A JEWISH THEME

 

Previous winners:

2009: MENSCHLICHES VERSAGEN, Michael Verhoeven, Germany 2008

2010: MAZEL TOV, Thomas Bergmann, Mischka Popp, Germany 2009

2011: IM HIMMEL, UNTER DER ERDE: DER JÜDISCHE FRIEDHOF WEISSENSEE, Britta Wauer, Germany 2011

This prize is also with 2000 Euro donated by the Klein family.