Teddy Awards Announced at Berinale, First Ever Acting Prize

Queer cinema isn't dead. Last night's big winners at the Berlinale's 23rd Teddy Awards for achievement in lgbt cinema were a three hour eleven minute Mexican epic in which the young gay lovers die and are reborn through myth (watch the "trailer"); a documentary about Canadian and South African aids rebels interspersed with imagined scenes of Gertrude Stein forcing them to sing opera; and a short about ovarian cancer, horses, and swimming. In order, those three directors are Julián Hernández, who won the 2003 Teddy for his feature A Thousand Clouds of Peace; John Greyson, whose 1996 knockout Lilies won four Genie Awards, including Best Film, out of fourteen nominations and is also well-known for his aids musical Zero Patience; and pioneer lesbian filmmaker Barbara Hammer who was been directing for more than thirty-five years.

For the first time in its long history, the Teddy Awards also presented an award for acting in a current film (in addition to their annual career achievement award, this year to Joe Dallesandro). The winner was John Hurt for his portrayal of Quentin Crisp in the new feature An Englishman in New York. It's the second time Hurt has played Crisp, after 1975's television adaptation The Naked Civil Servant, for which he won a BAFTA.

This year's nominees and winners (in bold caps) for films are:

BEST FEATURE

RAGING SUN, RAGING SKY (Rabioso sol, rabioso cielo) by Julián Hernández
The Fish Child (El niño pez) by Lucía Puenzo
Soundless Wind Chime (Wu Sheng Feng Ling) by Kit Hung

Jury statement: We award the Teddy for best feature to the Mexican film Raging Sun, Raging Sky for its masterful cinematography and its visionary use of color and sound - for its explorations of love, desire and sexuality within the framework of ancient mythology, juxtaposed with modern urbanity.

Berlinale synopsis: In his latest film, Julián Hernández portrays love as an epic act of martyrdom in which redemption and fulfilment can only be found in the afterlife. This new work tells the story of two men, Kieri and Ryo, and their unquestioning love for each other. The absoluteness of this love gives meaning to their lives. But their mutual devotion is not to last – Ryo is abducted and, as a result, Kieri must now embark upon a mysterious journey. Unbeknown to him, it is “Corazón del cielo”, or heaven’s heart herself that leads and protects the lovers on their quest and spurs on Kieri’s longing.
Escape, searching and waiting are the stages of Ryo’s lonely journey which ends in his death, while Kieri, desperate to find his beloved, agrees to sacrifice his body to bring about Ryo’s resurrection. When they die, “Corazón del cielo” guides the earth to cover them, so that new life can spring from their demise. United in death, Ryo and Kieri return to life through myth – for heaven does not forget those capable of unconditional love.

BEST DOCUMENTARY

FIG TREES by John Greyson
City Of Borders by Yun Suh
Queer Sarajevo Festival 2008 by Masa Hilcisin, Cazim Dervisevic

Jury statement: With his familiar cheeky style, Greyson’s operatic tour de force smashes conventional barriers of form and genre to reinvent the documentary. Integrating personal histories with an indictment of governments and pharmaceutical companies, Fig Trees colorfully expands the conversation about AIDS and AIDS activism from local struggles to global collaboration.

Berlinale synopsis: An operatic documentary about the struggle of two Aids activists – Canadian Tim McCaskell and South African Zackie Achmat. Both have fought tooth and nail for the provision of anti-retroviral drugs to treat Aids. In John Greyson’s film they are ably supported by Gertrude Stein, a singing albino squirrel, and St. Teresa of Ávila. FIG TREES is nonetheless based on true stories. Tim McCaskell has spent more than twenty years fighting Aids and addressing the concerns of gay men. In Johannesburg in 1999 Zackie Achmat, who is himself virus-positive, began refusing to take his medication: he said he would only continue his treatment if it were made freely available to all South Africans suffering from Aids. His symbolic act caused a stir in the international arena. His private Treatment Action Campaign soon became a nationwide movement – meanwhile his own state of health continued to deteriorate … John Greyson has re-edited documentary interviews, speeches made by both men, archive footage of press conferences and demonstrations, and, with the addition of music, has turned his film into an operatic scenario. The work combines the authentic struggle of two Aids activists against the authorities and the pharmaceutical industry with a surrealistic narrative, at the centre of which is Gertrude Stein who wants to write a tragic opera about Achmat and McCaskell and their saint-like heroics. To this end she abducts the two men to Niagara Falls where she forces them to belt out complicated avant-garde arias. These arias are also authentic – having originated from Gertrude Stein’s ambitious opera, “Four Saints in Three Acts.”

BEST SHORT

A HORSE IS NOT A METAPHOR by Barbara Hammer
The Casuarina Cove (Tanjong Rhu) by Junfeng Boo
contre – jour by Christoph Girardet and Matthias Müller

Jury statement: The Teddy Award fort he best short film goes to Barbara Hammer`s A Horse Is Not A Metaphor. An intimate visual essay about her journey to survive ovarian cancer - the film continues her ongoing investigation of the body and sexuality as well as the transformational possibilities of hope and healing within us all.

Berlinale synopsis: Filmmaker Barbara Hammer fights ovarian cancer with visions of horseback riding and river swimming in her new experimental film A Horse Is Not A Metaphor. Hammer says she is a "cancer thriver as well as survivor" in this hopeful and densely layered personal work with music by composer Meredith Monk.

The eight members of this year's Teddy jury represent film festivals from Germany, London, New York,  Sarajevo, St. Petersburg, Seattle, Turin, and Uruguay.

In honor of Valentine's Day, here are the Raging Sun, Raging Sky lads raging in bed. NSFW.

Comments

[Sebastian]

He deserve for that award. It's a big sign of art and hardwork. I am proud of him.I am happy everytime I read success stories because I know hardship and dedication is there. Its a movie of equality and unconditional love.