7th International Short Film Festival The Way We Live! 4 to 7 November 2009, Filmmuseum München

Dear friends and colleagues, dear film-lovers,

The International Short Film Festival ended on Monday, 9 November, with a completely sold-out screening for students. The awards ceremony had been held on Saturday, 7 November. The abm - arbeitsgemeinschaft behinderung und medien (Association for Disability and Media) - hosted this festival for, by and about people with disabilities, chronic or mental illnesses.

The winners and the jury's statements:

- The first prize, worth 5000 euros in combination with the "Jury Fred", goes to the film Jak to jest byc moja matka – What it's like to be my mother, by Norah McGettigan (Poland/Ireland).
The Jury wrote: This is a fictional film with incredible authenticity. It has the power to reach out to an audience with no experience of disability. It opens cracks in a guarded façade to reveal the fears and the truths of this mother and daughter at their most vulnerable. This highly sophisticated film leads us to an emotional climax with a masterful touch.

- The second prize (2500 euros) was given to the documentary film Body and Soul: Diana and Kathy (USA) by Alice Elliott.
Diana and Kathy, two unique pioneering women, had a long and remarkable life together. They didn’t follow the rules, in fact they broke them. Body and Soul shows their vulnerability and extreme strength, and their courage to take responsibility for their own choices. The film captures them at a time when their dreams of changing the world could be seen to be fading, but despite extreme adversity they continue to demonstrate their exceptional tenacity.

- The third prize (1000 euros) goes to Henio, idziemy na Widzew - Football Father by Michal Jozwiak (Poland).
This is a film about Marcin, a blind man who doesn’t let his blindness stop him from doing anything. The filmmaker takes us into a potentially dangerous world that Marcin walks through without fear. He embraces every part of life, which he wants to experience with humour and self-confidence. He empowers his son by demonstrating his own self-reliance. He wants his son to have the same courage, to be independent and able to live by himself. A world without sight, but full of passion for life.

- The audience also voted for the American documentary film Body and Soul: Diana and Kathy by Alice Elliott (worth 1000 euros, along with the "Audience Fred")

- The jury gave an Honourable Mention to the fiction film Outcasts by Ian Clark (Great Britain).
The Jury would like to give a special mention to Outcasts, because this road movie has an anarchist heart, a refreshing energy and a self-confident sexuality. The film challenges ideas about the status of people with disabilities. We support the filmmaker and the actors to keep going further in this direction in an even more courageous manner.

Please find out more about the members of the Jury.

Audience and Guests

Never before have we had as many guests as this year. Filmmakers and protagonists from 14 countries came to the festival, many of them with their partners or friends.  The screenings were well attended; some were sold out.

We’d like to express our gratitude to all colleagues and friends, journalists, guests and the audience – and to our sponsors!

Your festival team

Barbara Sabel, Gregor Kern  (Tel. 089-307 992-20; info@abm-festival.de)