Logo of the movie "Rotation"

I am happy that our movie Rotation can be seen in Berlin again - on Wednesday, 12.07.2023 in the Open-Air-Sommerkino of Stargader Street 52.

Editor Evelyn Rack and I will be present afterwards for a talk and certainly one or two protagonists. :) I am looking forward to it!

 
Astra Film Festival Award Certificate

Family Love - my Grandpa, National Socialism and me received the award for "Best Director" in the DocSchool section at the Astra Film Festival in Sibiu, Romania.

The Jury wrote: "For an essay film that bravely explores an uncomfortable personal history and the path to uncovering it with both vulnerability and sincerity, as well as with great intellectual and narrative skill, the award for best director of the Astra DocSchool competition goes to 'Family Love', by Eric Esser."

I am tremendously pleased and touched by this honor. I would like to add that this award somehow goes to the whole team - because it is a team effort. 🙂

 
Laurel of 32th Dresden International Short Film Festival

The Angel of History will be shown at Dresden International Short Film Festival, as part of focus: Afterimages – Traces of Trauma 5: It Is the Soul of an Alien on Earth. The selection committee was so convinced by the documentary film that they decided to program it in this special series at Filmfest Dresden, which is actually limited to fiction and animation. This is the first screening of a film of mine at one of the relevant festivals of the German Federal Film Board (FFA). Due to the special series, this unfortunately does not count for film funding - but I'm happy about the screening anyways. 😊

The Filmfest Dresden was supposed to take place at the end of April, but then the pandemic intervened. It is nice that there is now this catch-up date and the film can be shown on September 10th at 18:00 and on September 13th at 22:30. On September 10th I will also be there and talk about the film. 

 
Logo der Indy Film Library

The Indy Film Library in Amsterdam reviewed The Angel of History and gave it four out of five stars. I like the review very much, even though it unfortunately doesn't mention the music of Matija Strniša: https://indyfilmlibrary.com/2020/02/17/the-angel-of-history-2019-4-stars

What I liked best: "To make a short documentary film that manages to praise Europe for opening its borders inwards and at the same time calls on it to open up more in future to those beyond its borders is a seemingly impossible balancing act, but one that the angel of history performs with sovereignty. Eric Esser and his team have condensed a subject that many would have difficulty making a coherent film in 90 minutes into 11 minutes."

Yay! Besides, I think it's the first time anyone ever compared me to Werner Herzog. 😳

 

 
German Short Films Catalogue 2020

The German Short Film Association has included The Angel of History in its 2020 catalogue. The annually published short film catalogue German Short Films presents a selection of "100 outstanding current German short films".

18 of these 100 films were selected for the German market screening at the world's largest short film festival in Clermont-Ferrand. 15 of them ended up on the promotional DVD, which is pressed in 4-digit print runs and distributed internationally. Our short film was there both times. We are very happy and feel very honoured.

 

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