Small film from Kirchwerder reaches a large audience

The Kirchwerder School prevailed against almost 100 competitors at the Rüsselsheim Film Festival – including an Oscar winner.

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Kirchwerder/Rüsselsheim. The day at the Ruesselsheim Film Days was long. After the screening of the many films – 17 had made it into the final round – and the numerous interviews on stage, Jula Bornhöft and Isabell Timm (both eleven years old) were just tired. the award ceremony around 11.15 p.m. the two schoolgirls from Kirchwerder missed. When Jula looked at her cell phone shortly after 6 a.m. the next morning, she could hardly believe her eyes. The film by the elementary and district school in Kirchwerder entitled “The best local school” won first prize, and headmaster Niko Gärtner sent a photo of the certificate that night. Jula woke up her classmate and called her mother: “That’s right, right, right, right, right awesome!”

The school from Vierlanden won over the audience and the jurors at the Rüsselsheim Film Festival, Germany’s most important festival for satirical short films, with its witty, self-deprecating “election commercial”. “The best local school” prevailed against a total of almost 100 competitors. Director Martin D’Costa accepted prize money of 5,000 euros. “Our film was more popular with the public than the contributions of an Oscar winner, experienced commercial filmmakers and graduates of the Babelsberg Film School,” says headmaster Gärtner, who can be seen in the film as the caretaker.

The quartet was surprised by their victory at the Rüsselsheim Film Festival

He was there with director D’Costa as well as Jula and Isabell, both of whom appear frequently in the short film, at the Rüsselsheim Theater. The quartet was surprised by the victory: “We are all enthusiastic – about the festival and about our good performance,” says Gärtner.

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The four and a half minute film is the result of “hectic cooperation” between D’Costa, Jörg Mexner (teaching director of the Kirchwerder school), the program “Cultural Agents for Creative Schools” and almost 100 children and young people, emphasizes Gärtner. “The film was only made because an open day could not take place at short notice due to Corona.”

“Our school isn’t pretty, actually it’s nothing special”

In an interview with moderator Philipp Engel from Hessischer Rundfunk on the Filmtage stage, Gärtner then confirmed the need for this film in particular: “Our school isn’t pretty, it’s actually nothing special, but it has these great students. Martin did an excellent job of portraying our funny, irreverent and charming children and young people.”