Why Competitions
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | Why Competitions |
| Country of production |
Poland Germany |
| original language |
Polish , German , English , Russian |
| Publishing year | 2011 |
| length | 78 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Christine Jezior |
| script |
Oskar Jezior , Christine Jezior |
| production |
Slawomir Jezior , Gina Lopacinska-Komasa |
| music | Oskar Jezior |
| camera |
Phillip Kaminiak , Theo Solnik |
| cut | Oskar Jezior |
| occupation | |
| |
Why Competitions (Polish title: Dlaczego Konkurs ) is a German - Polish documentary film by Christine Jezior from 2011. The theme is the question of the fairness and influence of jury decisions in music competitions.
The film was commissioned by the Polish Ministry of Culture to mark the 200th birthday of Frédéric Chopin and premiered on May 8, 2011 at the Planete DOC Film Festival in Warsaw .
action
Using the example of the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, Why Competitions examines the extent to which the competitive concept of music competitions is compatible with objective and ethical evaluation principles, whether the winners actually benefit from their success and what happens to those who are often "losers" to be branded.
The focus is on the scandal surrounding the Croatian pianist Ivo Pogorelich , who was not admitted to the final in the 1980 competition, whereupon the Argentine juror Martha Argerich left the competition jury with extremely high media impact, which overnight made Pogorelich the star and enfant terrible of the classical music scene. 1980 also marked an important turning point in Poland's post-war history: a few months before the competition, the " Solidarność " union was formed , so that the participants had the opportunity to attend an important historical event up close .
For many, taking part in the Chopin Competition was associated with their first stay in a communist country, which in the film leads to the question of to what extent participating in the competition can be enriching beyond the career aspect - especially since the Polish competition listeners also benefit from the fact that they benefit Event represented one of the very few opportunities to get in touch with the political outside world. It goes without saying that the communist governments tried to make the competition a competition between western and eastern powers. B. Soviet participants, who could not meet the high expectations, were banned from performing abroad.
The film is divided into individual chapters, each of which is devoted to a single competition year. In 1980, Pogorelich was the focus of attention as the alleged loser; In 1975, three Soviet citizens caused a sensation when they finished 2-4, but were prevented by the Soviet government from developing their careers internationally after the competition as punishment for their "failure" ; In 1970 a large number of the participants came from the USA and were confronted for the first time in their lives with a political reality that was completely unfamiliar to them.
The last part of the film revolves around the more general question of justice and the benefit of music competitions and comes to paradoxical, downright dramatic results. Ultimately, the question remains what has led these people to remain connected to the international competitive circus, not infrequently throughout their lives.
The documentary works without a narrator and allows the participants and jurors to have their say, some of whom are able to maintain a visible distance from their experiences, but for the most part still after up to 60 years do not forget the injustice which they believe has happened to them can.
background
The film was produced by maamtv , Bremen in co-production with Gina Komasa , Warsaw, and realized in collaboration with students from the German Film and Television Academy Berlin and the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media . The budget was around 750,000 złoty , the equivalent of around 180,000 euros. The film was shot in the cities of Brussels , Hanover , New York City , Warsaw and Żelazowa Wola .
The international TV version is 78 minutes long, there is also a director's cut of 90 minutes.
criticism
“ Why Competitions is an enlightening document from the world of competitive piano playing: starting with the Chopin Competition in Warsaw, which takes place every five years, the filmmaker interviews all great pianists, including many jurors from the present and the past, and tries to express the different views and Putting together reactions to the 1980 decision. [...] Why Competitions succeeds in accommodating a large number of political, social and historical explanations in its 85 minutes, and does so with a breathtaking sense of rhythm and storytelling. "
Festivals
- 2011: Planete DOC Film Festival, Warsaw in the Chopin's Nose Award category
- 2011: Polish Film Festival in America, Chicago
- 2011: Festiwal Form Dokumentalnych NURT
- 2012: New York Polish Film Festival, New York
Web links
- Why competitions in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Why competitions - Official trailer. In: Youtube . maamtv, March 19, 2011, accessed October 11, 2015 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c maamtv - Films: Why Competitions. maamtv, accessed on August 27, 2013 (English).
- ↑ Planete DOC Film Festival Warsaw, May 6-15 , 2011. Planete DOC, accessed on August 27, 2013 (English).
- ↑ Why Competitions. Institute of Documentary Film, accessed August 27, 2013 .
- ↑ Why Competitions? A film by Christine Jezior. Kulturelle Filmförderung Vertrieb 2010. Filmbüro Bremen , accessed on July 1, 2015 .
- ↑ Box office. Internet Movie Database , accessed August 31, 2020 .
- ↑ Filming Locations. Internet Movie Database , accessed August 31, 2020 .
- ^ André Crous: Review: Why Competitions (2011). Celluloid Paradiso, October 29, 2011, accessed August 28, 2013 .