Awards of the Ecumenical Jury

The Ecumenical Jury at the 52nd International Short Film Festival Oberhausen with the members

Trudie Joras, Tübingen
Michael Müller, Paderborn
Christian Murer, Urdorf, Switzerland
Raymond Olsen, Hojbjerg, Denmark
Eberhard Streier, Essen (President))

gives the Ecumenical Award, endowed with a prize money of 1500.- €, to the film

Me First
by William Owusu, Kenya 2005

A man, after sensitively reflecting his broken love relationship and overcoming his self-doubt, finally finds a new way of life. The film succeeds in translating emotions in the language of images. In particular, it presents an image of Africa which is hardly kown.

In addition, the jury awards two Mentions

- to the film

Civil Status
by Alina Rudnitskaya, Russia 2005

Observing a bureaucratic institution, the film captures human reactions on turning points of life, such as marriage, divorce, birth and death. Gestures and facial expression of the characters transcend not only the bureaucratic procedure but also the documentary framework of the film. Emotions do not submit to the administrative machinery.

- and to the film

A Moment of Love
by James Lee, Malaysia 2005

“A Moment of Love” is a film about a fragile love leaving much space for the audience to empathize with the reflections of the characters. Expressive images and little dialogue add to captivate the spectator’s emotions without offering a final solution.