1st place – Grand Prize of the City of Innsbruck (3000 €)
SNOW – directed by: August Pflugfelder, GER 2012
Jury statement:
The portrait of a dream tourist destination: much visited, much appreciated, a place where everything is done to satisfy the guests’ needs. Without accusations, the film draws a genre picture; with quiet shots developments are shown which to many seem less than healthy. This film with its subtle effects shows that tourism has become a veritable industry – in other words, shows a high degree of mechanization and automation – captured by the isolation and loneliness of a landscape turned into a sports facility.
The sensitive characterization of the protagonists, the great balance of pictures, sound and shots have made this film the clear winner!
You really can’t help those who have seen this film about totally “normal” tourism madness and don’t start to think twice!
2nd place (2000 €)
THE WORLD THEREAFTER – directed by: Jens Wischnewski, GER 2012
Jury statement:
This film stood out from the other contestants, because it is fiction – a short feature film and no nature documentary. But it tells a real story with environmental impact: The disastrous condition of the nuclear waste depository at the German salt mine in Asse, where for years radioactive drums have been rotting and contaminating ground water.
The way the film presents the drama has moved all of us deeply. Depressing pictures from the depths of the mine where Lisa, a young expert on radioactive radiation, is drilling holes are contrasted with pictures from her apartment, where her family life crumbles slowly, because she cannot bear the pressure. It is almost like a chamber play with excellent dramatic composition, very convincing characters and strong visual language. The conflict of having to decide between family and the common good could hardly have been presented more clearly. A convincing film which has touched us strongly and – against the realistic background – has left us in shock.
3rd place (1000 €)
THE BILLION-DOLLAR-FISH – Regie: Alfred Schwarzenberger, AUT 2012
Jury statement:
A film about someone sentenced to death: 200 million years of survival – now threatened by extinction. This was the starting point for a film which impressively reflects the hopelessness of science and natural protection against decades of human intervention. With spectacular underwater shots and documents of the desperate attempts to save the beluga, the director manages to generate concern and to show that nature requires long-term protection, forward-looking solutions and, most of all, respect in planning. The film shows that at our doorsteps, human intrusion into the ecosystem of rivers causes biodiversity to be lost permanently. A well-deserved 3rd Place!