Winner of German Documentary Film Music Award 2022:
THIS STOLEN COUNTRY OF MINE
Germany 2021, Marc Wiese, 93 min.
Composition: Carsten Nicolai aka Alva Noto
Since 2007, Ecuador has been exploited by restrictive economic contracts. Paúl prepares to join the villagers’ struggle – armed if necessary. The journalist Fernando uses facts as his weapon and exposes around 400 contracts that the former President Rafael Correa signed with China.
Jury statement
"MEIN GESTOHLENES LAND (THIS STOLEN COUNTRY OF MINE) explores the disconcertingly topical question of the sovereignty of a state versus foreign powers: the film portrays Ecuadorian resistance fighters and journalists in opposition to the sale of a large proportion of the country’s resources to Chinese investors.
Alva Noto’s music lends an intense power to the struggle of a mountain village in subtle ways. It delicately and precisely accentuates the film’s disturbing theme – and often brings us closer to it than we would like. Close, but not without restraint, it pauses and holds back when the images and protagonists testimonies speak for themselves. It reflects the dark shadows as well as the nascent glimmers of hope in collective resistance.
We honour the composer’s achievement of providing wholehearted backing for the film’s subject matter, flanking it with sound collages and natural sounds and underlining the existing drama in a cool, reserved and professional manner."
An award for the score of reality
Every year, the German Documentary Film Music Award honours a composition that relates in an outstanding way with the narrative of a documentary film and is being awarded for the tenth time. It provides a platform for the work of the composers and the value of music as an additional means for the narrative in documentary films.
The prize is endowed with 5,000 euros and is awarded to a team of filmmakers and composers. The German Documentary Film Music Award is donated by the Versicherungskammer Kulturstiftung and supported by the Förder- und Hilfsfonds des Deutschen Komponistenverbandes.
Conditions of participation
The following requirements had to be met:
- The composition is part of a documentary film and was composed for it.
- The composer is a member of GEMA, AKM or SUISA.
- The date of completion of the film is after 01 January 2021.
- The running time of the film (not of the score) is at least 52 minutes.
- The running time of the music is at least 15 minutes.
- At least 75% of the film's score is by the applying composer.
- A theatrical copy of the film is available.
- Films that are available on freely accessible internet platforms are excluded from submission.
- Films that have already been shown publicly at DOK.fest München are excluded from submission.
- In the case of an award, the submitted film can be screened in public and free of charge on the evening of the award ceremony and additionally as part of BEST DOKS.
The film at the festival
The award winner MEIN GESTOHLENES LAND (THIS STOLEN COUNTRY OF MINE) and the other nominated films will be screened at the 37th DOK.fest München from 05 to 22 May 2022:
04 to 15 May 2022 at the Munich venues
09 to 22 May 2022 @home
The German Documentary Film Music Award will be presented at DOK.fest München award ceremony on Sunday, 08 May, at 8.00pm at Deutsches Theater.
