Golden sparrow
The German Children's Media Festival Goldener Spatz , or Goldener Spatz for short , is the largest festival for German-language children's media. It takes place annually in the two Thuringian cities of Gera and Erfurt . A special feature of the festival is that the main prizes are awarded by two children's juries.
In June 2019, the Goldener Spatz celebrated its 40th anniversary with the 27th edition.
history
In 1979 the "National Festival 'Goldener Spatz' for GDR children's films in cinema and television" was held for the first time in Gera. The Golden Sparrow emerged from the children's film weeks, which previously took place every two years in various cities in the GDR . The initiators included the scriptwriter Günter Mehnert and the dramaturge of the GDR children's television company Beate Hanspach . Like all other film festivals in the GDR, the Golden Spatz was organized and financed by the state.
The winners of the various categories (including feature film, documentary film, animation) were determined by a jury of experts until 1989. The jury members were selected by a committee that was convened by the Ministry of Culture and the Association of Television Professionals in collaboration with the Gera District Council. This committee also determined the program committee and the president of the festival. A children's jury from the Gera district also awarded honorary and special prizes. The well-known festival logo and mascot, the Golden Sparrow, was created by Gera-based graphic artist Rolf F. Müller .
After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the biennial children's film festival was faced with radical political and social changes. The continuation was uncertain due to insufficient funding and the Goldene Spatz had to find a new, all-German identity. Ultimately, the uniqueness of the festival, which presents films and television programs for children and is aimed at the general public and professionals alike, was convincing. In 1990, the Federal Ministry of the Interior promised funding for two transition cohorts. Also in 1990 the Gera city council decided to support the festival. The format should be retained. In 1991 the first all-German Sparrow took place under the direction of director Rolf Losansky . This was made possible by funds from the state of Thuringia, the federal government , public television broadcasters and sponsorship funds from some Gera companies. In order to give the festival a solid foundation and long-term perspective, the German Children's Foundation Goldener Spatz was established in 1993 by the city of Gera, the MDR (as representatives of ARD ), ZDF and RTL . In the following years, the Thuringian State Media Authority (TLM) , the Central German Media Fund (MDM) and the state capital Erfurt were added as donors.
As part of the restructuring, it was also determined that the main prizes - the Golden Sparrows - will no longer be awarded by an expert jury, but by a children's jury from all over the German-speaking region. In 1993, the jury children came for the first time from all German federal states, since 2005 also from the German-speaking Community of Belgium , Luxembourg , the Principality of Liechtenstein , Austria , South Tyrol and Switzerland . Since 2001, an additional children's jury has been awarding a Golden Sparrow for the best digital offer.
From 1994 to 2006, the German Children's Media Foundation, Goldener Spatz, organized the “Children's Film & TV Days”, alternating annually with the festival. The festival has been a meeting point for the children's media industry from the very beginning. With this series of events, the media was offered a forum for a well-founded discussion of the status, development and prospects of media offers for children. In 2008 this program item became an integral part of the festival.
In 2003 the city of Erfurt was added as the second location for the festival. This decision, which was heavily criticized in Gera (slogan: "My nest is Gera"), was justified with the central location of Erfurt and its role as the state capital, but also as the location of the KiKA . The German Children's Media Festival Goldener Spatz has been held annually in both cities since 2007.
Nicola Jones has been the festival director and managing director of the German Children's Foundation Goldener Spatz since 2016. She replaced Margret Albers, who held this office for 20 years.
In 2019 the Golden Sparrow celebrated its 40th anniversary with a festive event in Gera's St. Johanniskirche . In the presence of many companions and supporters, the DEFA film " Als Unku Ede's girlfriend was " (1980) by the director and Spatz Prize winner Helmut Dziuba was shown.
procedure
The traditional start of the six-day festival takes place in Gera. All competition entries as well as entries from the Golden Spatz Spezial series will be shown over three days. The screenings are accompanied by film talks in which the directors or actors are on site and answer questions from the young audience. The festival will then move to Erfurt for another three days. At the end of the festival week, the trophies will be awarded at the festive award ceremony in the Thuringian capital.
In addition to the competition entries and the Golden Spatz Spezial series, there is a diverse supporting program in both cities. While the accompanying events in Gera focus on media education, Erfurt presents a wide range of offers for the specialist audience.
The children's juries
A special feature of the festival is the awarding of the Golden Spatzen by the target group itself: Around 30 selected boys and girls aged 9 to 13 from all over the German-speaking area view, test and discuss the cinema and TV contributions submitted during the festival week digital offers and hand over the Golden Sparrows at the end.
Young media fans from Germany, Austria, South Tyrol, Switzerland, the German-speaking Community of Belgium, the Principality of Liechtenstein and Luxembourg can apply for the cinema / TV and digital children's juries. A selection committee then sifts through all applications and assigns the jury places. In 2016, 1,383 boys and girls applied for one of the jury seats - a record since the beginning.
Festival program & prices (as of May 2020)
The competition program consists of German language films and TV programs as well as digital productions for children. High-quality and innovative German-language as well as co-produced films and contributions for children up to the age of 12, which are intended for publication in the cinema, television, Internet and / or other platforms, may be submitted. A total of 206 German-language productions were submitted for the 2020 festival, setting a new record. The nomination of the entries is made by the festival management in coordination with various viewing commissions.
The cinema / TV competition is divided into five categories:
- Feature film
- Short film
- Information / documentation / documentary film
- entertainment
- Series / series of animation or series / series of live action (alternating annually).
In addition to classic websites and apps , the digital competition also includes games , virtual reality applications , multiplatform content projects and other creative digital technologies.
In addition to the competition program, current children's and youth films are shown in the Goldener Spatz Spezial series. There is also a retrospective with films from past festivals.
The main prize: The Golden Sparrow
The 25-member cinema / TV children's jury awards main prizes in the following competition categories:
- Feature film *
- Short film
- Series / series of animation or series / series of live action (alternating annually)
- Information / documentation / documentary film
- entertainment
- In addition, the Children's Jury Cinema / TV awards the best presentation or the best moderation with a Golden Sparrow.
* The Thuringian Prime Minister's Prize for the best director is linked to the feature film . This special prize is endowed with 1500 euros.
The five-member digital children's jury awards a prize for the best digital offer in the digital competition.
Further prices
Prize of the jury of the MDR Broadcasting Council
The jury of the MDR Broadcasting Council, together with last year's award-winning scriptwriter, awards a certificate prize for the best script. This award is endowed with 4,000 euros.
Audience award
An audience award for the best youth film has been awarded since 2018. This is endowed with 2500 euros and is donated by the Erfurt Chamber of Crafts .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ 950: Film festivals. Retrieved May 7, 2020 .
- ^ Nicola Jones, Margret Albers // Children's Media Foundation "Goldener Spatz". Retrieved May 7, 2020 .