Cologne Group (film)

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The Cologne Group is a loose association of independent filmmakers from and in Cologne that has existed since the 1990s.

The term 'Kölner Gruppe' was coined by the author and film critic Peter Nau in 1997 when he invited a number of independent Cologne filmmakers from the area around the film club 813 and the Kölner Filmhaus to a retrospective at the Arsenal cinema in Berlin . His expressed wish was to inscribe himself anonymously in film history, as a 'foreteller' of a wave, a style, a cinematographic unit, which he consciously related to the aesthetics and filmmaking of the 'New Munich Group' of the 1960s. Since then, a large number of short films and some feature films have been made within the Cologne group. The film critic Hans Schifferle counts the filmmakers Bernhard Marsch , Rainer Knepperges , Markus Mischkowski , Kai Maria Steinkühler and Christian Mrasek among the hard core of the Cologne group .

Features of style and content

The members of the Cologne group do not follow any jointly formulated aesthetic or content-related program in their filmmaking. In contrast to the Berlin School, there is no discourse that continuously accompanies, interprets or evaluates filmmaking in a journalistic way. Nevertheless, many common aspects can be recognized in the films of the Cologne group in terms of aesthetics, content and production technology:

  • the common preference for the comedy and road movie genres .
  • the common geographical reference to Cologne and the surrounding area as a location and film location.
  • a common stance on dramaturgy and character management: Cologne group films are usually anti-psychological cinema. It is about characters without backstories, without internal conflicts, without family and social ties and obligations.
  • the special meaning of language and the extraordinary use of language by the actors: language is not used to convey information for the viewer or to advance the plot, but made comedically usable as a language game. Amateur-like speaking, spontaneous speaking, “speaking as a happy activity” (Knepperges) or not speaking and incorrect, prefabricated, wooden speaking in discourses picked up on language (Westendfilme) characterize many of the Cologne group's films. For the characters, it is not the past or memory (backstory) that forms the identity-creating moment, but the presence of language as the prevailing discourse to which they are more or less exposed. With the demand for "holidays for language as a carrier of meaning" goes hand in hand with the call to the viewer to become conscious and to break out of the discourse prison of language, a position that is taken to extremes in the short film Tour Eifel (2000).
  • the establishment of work in film production, which runs counter to the premises customary in the branch of filming organization and division of labor. Important areas of responsibility and roles are filled with friends and acquaintances instead of “professionals”, which means that well-rehearsed, familiar and experienced teamwork is used. The same filmmakers have been working together in many positions for many years. The cameraman and film editor Kawe Vakil and the photographer and cameraman KaPe Schmidt ( DGPh ) have been responsible for the image design of numerous Cologne group films since the early 1990s. The filmmakers of the Cologne group sometimes take on roles in their own films, as well as in films by colleagues. Actor friends who are friends play the same character in different films or appear in different roles in films over many years.
  • the deliberate mixing, dissolution or shifting of authorship and script work into the areas of direction, production, acting. The filmmakers act as producers and auteur filmmakers, their film stories and dramaturgies often arise during the specific setting up of the work before and during the production, with the selection of motifs, actors, costumes, cars etc. and develop during the shooting.
  • referring to common cinematic models such as the filmmakers of the New Munich School ( Klaus Lemke , Rudolf Thome , May Spils , Werner Enke ) and the Munich sensibilists (Matthias Weiss, Wim Wenders ).
  • the insistence on artistic independence. All previous productions were made without the participation of the broadcaster and with a relatively low budget, sometimes supported by cultural film subsidies from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and other funding institutions.

Aesthetic standards

The filmmakers of the Cologne group are united by a skeptical to negative attitude towards the working methods and aesthetics of current German mainstream cinema and TV productions. By consciously flirting with amateur, trash and retro aesthetics, combined with a reflective cinematic attitude and sound film knowledge, they sound out a subversive potential that, in conjunction with stylized outsider and desperado attitudes, has lost the creative power of current cinema and should reflect transgressive effects.

Evaluation of the films and reception

The films of the Cologne group run regularly at German and international film festivals, as well as, evaluated by the filmmakers themselves, in synopsis in arthouse cinemas and film museums (junk role by Bernhard Marsch, Westend cycle by Markus Mischkowski / Kai Maria Steinkühler and changing, updated Cologne group Short film programs). Individual short films are distributed by the KurzFilmAgentur Hamburg and can be borrowed as feature films. In addition to numerous short films, several long feature films have been made within and around the Cologne group that have been evaluated in the cinema and released on DVD, such as Happy Weekend ( Eddi Herzog , 1996), Westend (Markus Mischkowski / Kai Maria Steinkühler 2001), Kein Science Fiction (Franz Müller, 2003), The lateral entrants (Rainer Knepperges / Christian Mrasek, 2005). The feature film Hans Dampf by Jukka Schmidt and Christian Mrasek was released in German cinemas in mid-2013 (distributor: realFiction).

The American film scholar Marco Abel assigns the filmmaking of the Cologne group to the ' underground film ' or the 'minor cinema' in the sense of Gilles Deleuze , knowing that the members of the group neither understand themselves in the sense of an avant-garde movement pursue aesthetic or political strategies of the 'underground'.

Trivia

The mascot of the Cologne group is "Haralt, the sheep", a stuffed sheep that is carried through the picture by the Cologne film critic and curator Hans-Dieter Delkus ("The man with the sheep") in a number of Cologne group films. Likewise, the number 813, alluding to François Truffaut's favorite book '813 - Das Doppelleben des Arsène Lupin' and the Cologne Film Club 813, appears in one scene in numerous films. In some short films of the early 2000s, a Cologne group logo appears at the beginning, which is based on a drawing by Rainer Knepperges.

Quotes

“For almost 25 years there has been a film scene in Cologne that is one of the most beautiful and vital in Germany. In this scene, which was mainly formed around the legendary film club 813, but has also influenced some students at the Art School for Media, all aspects of cinematicism permeate each other, as was once the case with the Nouvelle Vague. "

“We are a few residents of the box cinema. It was not until our own cinema (the 813 film club in Cologne) that we learned that we are not isolated cases. Since then, we have been expecting films - regardless of whether they are old or new - to show possibilities that were thought to be lost. The current explosiveness of subjects leaves us almost as cold as the purity of artistic expression. This is of course also heavily influenced by Max Zihlmann, Howard Hawks and outdoor forest pools. We want an unclean cinema, an unadorned replacement for the revolution, an illusion of action. Together with Marsch, Mischkowski and a few others we were baptized by Peter Nau 'Kölner Gruppe'. "

Filmography

  • 1986: Cologne Movements. Dir. Bernhard Marsch .
  • 1987: Marsch and Knepperges show. Dir. Bernhard Marsch and Rainer Knepperges .
  • 1988: break in at dusk. Dir. Rainer Knepperges and Hans-Dieter Delkus.
  • 1988: people in the yard. Dir. Eddi Herzog and Bernhard Marsch.
  • 1990: life and work. Dir. Rainer Knepperges.
  • 1992: hunger. Dir. Bernhard Marsch, Eddi Herzog, and Rainer Knepperges.
  • 1992: Nothing compares to you. Dir. Jakob Hüfner and Bernhard Marsch.
  • 1993: Young dogs. Dir. Bernhard Marsch.
  • 1993: Joachim Krippo. Dir. Rainer Knepperges.
  • 1993: Lenin is waiting. Dir. Markus Mischkowski .
  • 1995: Arosana. Dir. Markus Mischkowski and Tobias Doetsch.
  • 1995: Alleluia. Dir. Bernhard Marsch.
  • 1995: Maria. Dir. Jakob Hüfner.
  • 1995: Once upon a time there was good and bad out there. Dir. Jakob Hüfner.
  • 1995: the sun. The Cameraman. An invention. Dir. Achim Bitzer.
  • 1995: An apron made from bacon. Dir. Eddi Herzog.
  • 1996: Happy Weekend. Dir. Eddi Herzog.
  • 1996: The Servantilist. Dir. Christian Mrasek and Jukka Schmidt.
  • 1996: 8 Essen III. Dir. Thomas Hermel, Rainer Knepperges, Bernhard Marsch and Markus Mischkowski.
  • 1996: China, Mexico. Dir. Rainer Knepperges.
  • 1997: Icarus. Dir. Bernhard Marsch.
  • 1997: Westend (short film). Dir. Markus Mischkowski and Kai Maria Steinkühler .
  • 1997: Love is a matter of taste. Dir. Bernhard Marsch and Piet Fuchs .
  • 1997: Hong Kong Lover. Dir. Jakob Hüfner and Alexander Hoepfner.
  • 1998: Hasi. Dir. Eva von Platen .
  • 1998: closing date. Dir. Bernhard Marsch.
  • 1998: what to do. Dir. Markus Mischkowski and Kai Maria Steinkühler.
  • 1998: The wet grave of the border bandits. Dir. Rainer Knepperges and Christian Mrasek.
  • 1999: Roulez Relax. Dir. Christian Mrasek and Jukka Schmidt.
  • 1999: The carers. Dir. Eva von Platen.
  • 1999: Möller 3000. Dir. Bernhard Marsch and Christian Mrasek.
  • 2000: Tour Eifel. Dir. Rainer Knepperges and Christian Mrasek.
  • 2000: Bazooka Cain. Dir. Bernhard Marsch.
  • 2000: mid-30s director Rainer Knepperges.
  • 2000: Monte Carlo. Dir. Franz Müller & Tom Uhlenbruck.
  • 2000: Tango is right here. Dir. Götz T. Großhans.
  • 2001: Rudi Rastlos - The ball is rolling for Rwanda. Dir. Piet Fuchs.
  • 2001: Westend (feature film). Dir. Markus Mischkowski and Kai Maria Steinkühler.
  • 2001: Disabled, so what? Dir. Klaus Hammerlindl and Bernhard Marsch.
  • 2001: Wallflower. Dir. Bernhard Marsch.
  • 2001: Sorry. Dir. Piet Fuchs.
  • 2002: Friday night. Dir. Franz Müller, Jan Martin Scharf , Jens Schillmöller, Philip Schäfer, Tini Tüllmann & Tom Uhlenbruck
  • 2002: Legolomo V: Melodrama. Dir. Marcel Belledin.
  • 2003: Volga. Dir. Markus Mischkowski and Kai Maria Steinkühler.
  • 2003: Bazooka Cain. Bernhard March.
  • 2003: victory of triumph. Gov. Manuel Francescon.
  • 2003: No science fiction. Dir. Franz Müller.
  • 2004: Resident. Dir. Bernhard Marsch.
  • 2004: Agnoli - The negative potential. Dir. Markus Mischkowski, Siddho Varza, Christoph Burgmer
  • 2004: I love Paris. Dir. Elena Wegner.
  • 2005: The lateral entrants . Dir. Rainer Knepperges and Christian Mrasek.
  • 2006: Come to my House or: The Fall of the Apern House. Dir. Dr. Frank Blum.
  • 2006: The rooster is dead. Dir. Dejan Rakas.
  • 2006: K40 goodbye. Dir. Marcel Belledin and Dejan Rakas.
  • 2006: The fallow fields of your own ideas. Dir. Rainer Knepperges.
  • 2007: Inside Lemke. Dir. Markus Mischkowski.
  • 2007: two goldfish. Dir. Marcel Belledin.
  • 2007: Woodruff. Dir. Markus Mischkowski and Kai Maria Steinkühler.
  • 2008: Erich Lusmann. Dir. Rainer Knepperges.
  • 2008: Marran Gosov visits the film club 813. Dir. Markus Mischkowski.
  • 2009: Amigo a gogo. Dir. Bernhard Marsch.
  • 2009: The love of children. Dir. Franz Müller.
  • 2010: Surf rider. Dir. Markus Mischkowski and Kai Maria Steinkühler.
  • 2010: exploring diversity. Dir. Katrin Leuthe and Rainer Knepperges.
  • 2010: Queues. Dir. Markus Mischkowski and Kai Maria Steinkühler.
  • 2010: Underground Odyssey. Dir. Christos Dassios, Uli Grohs, Robert Nacken.
  • 2010: Naked by the lake. Dir. Bernhard Marsch.
  • 2010: 24h Marrakech. Dir: Christian Mrasek, Narjisse Tahiri, Daniel Gräbner, Munir Abbar, Franz Müller & Mohamed Oumai.
  • 2010: ordinary sailors. Dir. Franz Müller.
  • 2011: L'échappée Dir. Markus Mischkowski and Kai Maria Steinkühler.
  • 2012: Cloud Homes. Dir. Markus Mischkowski and Kai Maria Steinkühler.
  • 2012. Café contact. Dir. Bernhard Marsch.
  • 2012: 50 years of the Oberhausen misunderstanding. Dir. Markus Mischkowski and Kai Maria Steinkühler.
  • 2012: Ordinary Sailors II. Dir. Franz Müller.
  • 2013: the pitch. Dir. Markus Mischkowski and Kai Maria Steinkühler.
  • 2013: Hans Dampf . Dir. Christian Mrasek and Jukka Schmidt.
  • 2013: Adam & Omar. Dir. Piet Fuchs, Marcel Belledin, Franz Müller & Rainer Knepperges.
  • 2014: competitor. Dir. Markus Mischkowski and Kai Maria Steinkühler.
  • 2014: worst case scenario. Dir. Franz Müller.
  • 2014: Billions of years before the end of the world. Dir. Franz Müller.
  • 2015: happy hour. Dir. Franz Müller.
  • 2015: On Air. Dir. Robert Nacken.
  • 2015: White Knights. Dir. Markus Mischkowski and Kai Maria Steinkühler.
  • 2016: The change. Dir. Markus Mischkowski and Kai Maria Steinkühler.
  • 2018: What you share is ours. Dir. Mi Steinbach.
  • 2018: eyelet-toe. Dir. Anna C. Wagner.

Awards (selection)

  • 2003 FBW rating “Particularly valuable” for the short film Tour Eifel by Rainer Knepperges and
  • 2004 FBW rating “Valuable” for the short film Wohnhaft by Bernhard Marsch
  • 2010 FBW rating “Particularly valuable” and Federal Short Film Prize in gold for the short film Underground Odyssey by Christos Dassios, Uli Grohs and Robert Nacken
  • 2017 FBW rating “Particularly valuable” for the short film Der Wechsel von Markus Mischkowski and Kai Maria Steinkühler
  • 2017 1st prize in the NRW competition of the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen for the short film The Change by Markus Mischkowski and Kai Maria Steinkühler

swell

  • Marco Abel: Underground Film Germany in the Age of Control Societies: The Cologne Group. In: Quarterly Review of Film and Video. 27: 2, pp. 89-107. Routledge, London 2010.
  • Marco Abel: Markus Mischkowski and Kai Maria Steinkühler's “Westend” series: Independent German filmmaking in the age of neoliberalism. Flyer for the retrospective “The 'Westend' Films” in Lincoln / Nebraska, Oct. 28 - Nov. 2, 2011. Ed. UNL / Cinema 'The Ross' 2011.
  • Christa Aretz, Irene Schoor: “We want to make cinema!” - The Cologne group and the Cologne film schools. In: Cologne in Film - Film History (s) of a City. Pp. 343-348. Emons Verlag, Cologne 2004. ISBN 3-89705-344-6 .
  • Volker Hummel: No girls' sport. The outsider director Rainer Knepperges in conversation. In: The Friday. August 25, 2006. http://www.freitag.de/autoren/der-freitag/kein-madchensport .
  • Rainer Knepperges, Christian Mrasek: Leaflet for the workshop cinema in Munich. Munich 2005.
  • Peter Nau: An invitation to flirt. In: Kölner Stadtanzeiger. No. 290. 13./14. December 1997.
  • Hans Schifferle: Film Tips. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung. No. 121. May 30, 1997.
  • Hans Schifferle: Glorreicher Ramsch - The wonderful short films by Bernhard Marsch. In: epd film. 3/2005. P. 12. GEP, Frankfurt / Main. ISSN  0176-2044 .
  • Hans Schifferle: Cine-Desperados from the Rhine - The Cologne group and their lived cinema. Munich Film Museum. Program 22/2012. Pp. 64–67.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Nau 1997.
  2. ↑ Schifferle 2012, p. 64. The film scholar Marco Abel also counts the filmmaker and film editor Jukka Schmidt as well as the filmmakers and actors Piet Fuchs and Jakob Hüfner to the 'core' of the Cologne group. See Abel 2010, p. 90.
  3. ↑ So z. B. in Hallelujah, Cologne Movements, The Servantilist, Roulez Relax and the films of the Cologne Westend cycle. See http://www.koeln-im-film.de/koelnergruppe.html
  4. ↑ See Westend (2001), Die Quereinsteigerinnen (2005), Hans Dampf (2013).
  5. ↑ Hummel 2006: http://www.freitag.de/autoren/der-freitag/kein-madchensport .
  6. ↑ ibid.
  7. ↑ See Abel 2010, p. 91: "The Kölner Gruppe filmmakers seem to engage in a practice of filmmaking that we might consider an example of what it means to implement Deleuze's suggestion that in the age of communication driven control societies“ we've got to hijack speech ”because“ speech and communication have been corrupted. They're thoroughly permeated by money - and not by accident but by their very nature ”. […] Instead of adding more talk and thus abide by neoliberalism's imperative to communicate, the "key thing may be to create vacuoles of noncommunication, circuit breakers, so we can elude control". (Deleuze, Gilles: Control and Becoming. Negotiations 1972–1990. Trans. Martin Joughin. New York: Columbia University Press, 1995: 169–176. P. 175)
  8. ↑ cf. z. B. Tour Eifel, 8 Essen III, Westend
  9. ↑ The filmmaker Klaus Lemke plays a guest role in the film Die Quereinsteigerinnen (2005); he is also portrayed as an invited guest of the 813 film club in the short homage Inside Lemke (2007). Werner Enke can be heard as a commentator on the soundtrack of the short film Wohnhaft (2004).
  10. ↑ See Abel 2010, p. 92, Hummel 2006. The filmmakers of the Cologne group are almost exclusively self-taught who have not attended a film school.
  11. ↑ Abel 2010, p. 93.
  12. ↑ Schifferle 2012, p. 64.
  13. ^ Rainer Knepperges / Christian Mrasek 2005; quoted from: http://www.koeln-im-film.de/koelnergruppe.html .
  14. ↑ The filmography is taken from the list by Abel 2010, p. 106: “In this task I let myself be guided by my desire to be inclusive, trying to account for the cinematic activities of both the indisputable core members of the group and those who may be considered more peripheral to the group. “The list is supplemented by the films since 2011. Feature films are underlined.