Mannheim-Heidelberg 2000

Abstract

49th INTERNATIONALES FILMFESTIVAL MANNHEIM-HEIDELBERG To  my knowledge, an oddity like this has never happened before -- even Michael Kötz, director of the 49th Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film Festival (9-18 November 2000), thought it "one for the books." For not only did the Ecumenical Jury and the FIPRESCI (International Critics) Jury bestow their awards on David Ondíek's Samotáři (Loners, Czech Republic), but they also cited the same short film, David Lansmann's Les Chaussettes sales (Dirty Socks, France), for a special mention. Obviously, the juries shared a mutual fascination for the narrative style and visual structure, honed to perfection, in Loners. Herewith the Ecumenical Jury's citation: "With convincing acting portraits the director sketches a tragicomedy imbued with absurd humour of the life-style of young people in Prague that focuses on the loss of value and perspectives balanced by the search for new orientation." The FIPRESCI Jury praised the filmmakers "for putting together...