![]() |
The world of non-commercial film and A-V |
Events Diary | Search | ||
The Film and Video Institute | ![]() |
To BIAFF 2009 results | To Full Making Of Index
Building Bridges got a 5-star award at BIAFF 2009. Berhard Hausberger
writes about the film, its successes and the criticism it has
received.
Bernhard Hausberger lives in Zillertal, Austria and has had work and film connections with Liechtenstein for many years. Both countries often include his films in their national programmes for the UNICA World Film Festival. He has had enormous success at festivals all over the world, but his heart has a special place for the Festival of Nations, held each June in Ebensee, Austria. At the British International Amateur Film Festival he won the top prize, The Daily Mail Trophy, in 2007 for A Rather Different Year and again in 2008 for Oldiegarage. In 2009 Building Bridges won a Diamond Award. Click here to read his notes about another entry, Der Marterer which won 4-stars. |
|
I was really shocked
So we went to Satu Mare in May 2007 and visited the House of Friendship there. Yeah, it was quite interesting, nice children, but not very much time for me. The children were so excited to see us, they were so friendly. Problems? No, just filming and relaxing, an easy, moving job. But then there was the next day.
When I filmed I had to be very quick. I had no time, no chance to plan and the children were nosey. So I could not use the tripod, because I had to be very fast to make one shot after the other. And I didn't know what was coming next. Everything I shot had to arise from the situation. But that was not all - we went on and then we got to know the families Bogar and Samer. That was really the worst life I had ever seen. There was a family living in plastic sacks, in the heart of Europe; in huts, which were in such incredible dirt that I felt sick. A house with a roof such as I had never seen before. I had to breath through my mouth and hold my nose at the same time. Flies, dogs, 40 degrees Celsius, a big garbage bin, two beds for father, mother, uncle, aunt and 4 children Where was I? We were really shocked,and we gave the children some chocolate, caps, pencils we wanted to give them some hope, just in the first minutes so that they would trust us. Later on that seemed to be a big mistake. Of course we knew that we couldn't help the children with chocolate, and of course we started thinking about how we really could help. |
Back again
Fine. Money for the Bogars and Samers, for their huts and roofs. But the colder it got in November the more I thought of the children in Romania. So at the beginning of December 2007 I decided to go to Romania again. I filled up my mobile home with 1500 kilos of goods, paper, clothes, toys, again some chocolate, many parcels from Santa Claus and went down to Romania alone. Playing Santa Claus was very moving for me and I was happy to see the joy in the children's eyes. I was also happy when I visited the Bogars and Samers. They had a new roof. But life had not changed, the garbage bin still existed and I was very disappointed, because they didn't show that they wanted to change. And working? It didn't seem that they really wanted to - but family Bogar junior had a place at a farm during winter - thank heavens. |
So I went back home and finished the second version of the film, the 26 minute version with the winter scenes and I was quite satisfied to deliver my message. The film won me the Club championship in the Videoclub Zillertal, a gold medal at the Tyrolean festival and a silver at the Austrian festival, but I didn't expect a better result from them (as in all the previous years). No problem, my film was important.
The reaction of the audience, and - shit - I had managed to polarise opinions again. How?
With
the scenes showing us giving chocolate to the children. Comment on this started
in Ebensee, but the main criticism was at Unica in Tunisia. There it seemed
that my film only consisted of chocolate! Bravo and Boo
marvellous!
I had entered the film as part of the Liechtenstein programme, as in previous
years. My film reached the Unica gold medal in the first round of voting.
I was speechless, because I never had thought of such a gigantic success,
but it really had happened. And even now I can't believe it.
[At Unica Building Bridges was also awarded the Delmiro de Caralt prize, presented by CICT-UNESCO for a film with special humanitarian qualities. - Ed.]
But then the negative culmination was someone commenting: "Bernhard, I want to congratulate you for the special Delmiro De Caralt prize, but not for gold, because Building Bridges is not worthy to get a gold medal." So what was that? Was it true, that one person decided whether the film was worth a prize? And what was with the other five adult judges in the jury of the Unica 2008 in Tunisia? Were they blind or just impressed by my film?
Another commentator used the following words: " a 24-minute documentary film in pure TV style, with a distribution of sweets and other small gifts to the children of the Roma community, a commentary meant to fill the gaps and to activate the tear glands of all spectators - including the jury members, was awarded gold in the second round, we have good reasons to have some doubts."
OK, have your doubts, and I also had them.
So I reacted. One more time I changed my film and I put pictures of the charity's follow-up control checks into the new version. Everybody has to learn and learn, even the Bogars and Samers, because now they know that not only is help given, there will also be a lot of supervision in future.
I want to make films about people, films from my heart. Now I really can make films, because I'm interested in the film. I have won 700 prizes all over the world, so I don't look backwards, I look forward to my next film. And I don't want to polarise audiences, I want to inform. I want to show hearts, feelings, everyday life about you and me, about my films.
For me film is everything, and my difference to the professionals is the
following:
- Bernhard Hausberger (Chairman Videoclub Zillertal and a proud member of the Film and Videoclub Liechtenstein)
Among the awards Building Bridges has received are:
|