Presentation of the 3rd Wim Wenders Grant

• A tale of modern exhaustion, an experimental love story, coming-of-age in Cuba, a documentary/science-fiction film about 3D printers
• Filmstiftung NRW backed 4 projects with a total of 100,000 Euros
• Awards ceremony held for the first time in the Philara Collection in Düsseldorf-Flingern
• Colloquium with jury and the grant-holders from 2014 and 2015 on the eve of the ceremony

The Philara Collection in Düsseldorf-Filngern hosted the third presentation ceremony for the Wim Wenders Grant of the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW this week. The annual grant with awards totalling 100,000 Euros aims to provide young filmmakers with the necessary autonomy for the independent and uncompromising development of the ideas for their films.

The jury under the chairmanship of Wim Wenders selected four projects by young filmmakers from a total of 26 submitted applications: a tale of modern exhaustion, a love story based on a novel by Raymond Federman, a coming-of-age story from Cuba, and a documentary/science-fiction film about 3D printers.

Seven applicants presented their projects in person to the jury during the final round on Wednesday. The visual concept played a decisive role for the final selection in addition to the quality of the presented material. Together with Wim Wenders in the jury: Petra Müller, CEO of the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, and Mirko Derpmann, creative director and a member of the management team at Scholz & Friends Agenda.

¨ As in previous years, we were impressed by the diversity and originality of the submissions. So, I would first like to say a big thank you to all the applicants for sharing their projects with us,¨ Petra Müller, CEO of the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, said. ¨In the end, we chose four projects that promise to deliver an original vision and personal style. Congratulations to 2016’s grant holders who can now set about developing their ideas.¨

¨This year is the first time that we were able to see the results of the grant holders from previous years. The high quality and originality of these first samples of work have shown us that we are on the right track here with the development grant. We can hardly wait to see the finished films on the big screen,¨ Wim Wenders commented. ¨Personally, though, what pleased me most was that we also saw the same enthusiasm among the participants of this year’s final round. Even though we couldn’t consider all of the projects in the end, I’d like to wish all of the applicants the best of luck for the future, congratulate the selected grant holders, and I’m already looking forward to the next colloquium.¨

An evening of talks was held for the first time with the grant holders from 2014 and 2015 on the eve of this year’s presentation ceremony. They presented the status of their projects to the jury and shared their experiences on developing their films with colleagues and the jury.

About the selected projects for 2016:

¨Ein Liebesfilm¨ by Tim Großkurth, Cologne, experimental film, 28,000 Euros
Moinous and Selene meet for the first time at a crossroads. Or, to be more precise, they almost meet as they smile at one another in passing. What would have happened if they had spoken with one another? Fantasy and reality remained entwined in their imaginations until they meet for a second time. An experimental love story based on a novel by Raymond Federman.

¨Hello my friend¨ by Bettina Blümner, Berlin, feature film, 30,000 Euros
Students Benjamin, Katharina and Judith travel to Cuba to look for Katharina’s missing brother. But Katharina is more interested in the opportunities for female sex tourism. Benjamin dreams of a romantic relationship with Judith who, for her part, has fallen in love with a Cuban dancer and pays him for his ¨true feelings¨. They become ensnared in a web of self-deception, emotions and desires. Their quest will be filmed exclusively with the use of mobile phones.

¨Stella Nova¨ by Kai Gero Lenke, Achim, documentary/fictional science fiction film, 22,000 Euros
Based on current developments in the field of biological 3D printers, this hybrid between science fiction and documentary film combines the already possible with a breathtaking vision of the future. An essay on a device essay unfolds into a feature film about the dissolution of time, space and identity.

¨Formen moderner Erschöpfung¨ by Sascha Hilpert, Berlin, documentary essay film, 22,000 Euros
The history of anxiety as a personal experience and a reflection on political circumstances: the legendary Barner sanatorium is both a clinic and a monument. This place where ¨burn-outs¨ nowadays still hope to be cured once also treated neurasthenics at the turn of the century. An archeology of overload from the beginning of the modern era through to today’s burn-out victims .

The Wim Wenders Grant was awarded for the first time in 2014. Since then, eight grants have been awarded with a total funding of 195,000 Euros. The awards are decided by a jury chaired by Wim Wenders as part of a two-stage application procedure. After a pre-selection, the candidates are invited to present their projects in front of the jury. In addition to thematic criteria, the jury is primarily interested in a convincing formal and visual structure for the project ideas.

Wim Wenders and his wife Donata Wenders founded the Wim Wenders Foundation in Düsseldorf in 2012 with the support of the Federal State of NRW, the City of Düsseldorf, the Film- und Medienstiftung and private donors. Laura Schmidt is the managing director. In addition to preserving Wenders' artistic life’s work, the Foundation aims to serve as a platform for exchange and research in the fields of film, art and media. Moreover, the Wim Wenders Grant, awarded by the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, intends to support up-and-coming filmmakers and video artists.