Award ceremony AUFBLENDE Student Film Festival

Laura Kennemann wins the DOK.fest Förderpreis at the student film festival AUFBLENDE 2022

Giving attention to the next generation of documentary filmmakers is a matter of great concern to us. With the educational program DOK.education, the DOK.fest München provides a year-round offer for schools, teachers and young filmmakers.

It goes without saying that we cooperate with and sponsor prizes at the Germany-wide student film festival AUFBLENDE. Young filmmakers met across borders: Schools from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy and the 140 German schools abroad were invited to submit films. The festival, which took place for the first time, is a project of Drehort Schule e.V. and the Landesarbeitsgemeinschaft Theater und Film an den bayerischen Schulen e.V.

A diverse jury of trained film teachers and students from all over Germany curated the programme of 30 films and awarded the prizes. The festival took place online from 10 to 13 March – broadcast live from the studio of FosBos Bogen near Straubing – and included, in addition to the films, a colorful supporting program with film discussions, workshops and, of course, the grand awards ceremony.

The AUFBLENDE – DOK.fest Förderpreis 2022, endowed with 200 euros, went to the film QUEER by Laura Kennemann from the Anita-Augspurg Berufsoberschule.

The jury's laudatory speech particularly emphasized the camera work and image design:

A boy who is the way he is. A typical boy? The images very sensitively hint at what only gradually becomes clear in the film: that the search for one's own identity is anything but easy. Step by step, the filmmaker takes us along the way and tells Milan's moving story. We accompany the protagonist in his everyday life in the recording studio as well as on the ride on the subway. The more Milan dares to admit his queer identity, the more public the places shown in the film become, creating a dramaturgically convincing arc of tension. The moving moments of the discovery of his identity are excellently supported by the camera work and image design. Even with the often spontaneous shooting in the documentary, Laura Kennemann manages to compose the images convincingly. An important topic and a sensitive portrait. Therefore, the film QUEER is honored with the sponsorship award of DOK.fest München.

The Anita-Augspurg Berufsoberschule in Munich has distinguished itself in recent years in terms of film production and film education and has been able to win prizes at various festivals time and again. Here, those interested can take a look around and discover more films that were made under the direction of teacher Andreas Knorr and Stefan Altenbuchinger. While watching the films, one quickly realizes: Many more prizes could be awarded here...!

Congratulations to the school and to Laura Kennemann with the film QUEER!