INTERFILM member Hans-Martin Gutmann traces a narrative arc from his departure for the KVIFF 2026, through his work on the festival’s Ecumenical Jury and its decision on the winner, right up to his return.
Film critic Ron Holloway reviews the panorama of the 58th Festival de Cannes 2005.
The film *Yasmin* by Kenny Glenaan (UK/Germany 2004) has been awarded the 2004 European Templeton Film Award. The prize, funded by the American John Templeton Foundation, is presented by the international church-based film organisation INTERFILM and the Conference of European Churches (CEC).
No other European festival is better positioned than Cottbus to measure the depth and range of the current film revival in Central and Eastern Europe. Abetted by the smart programming skill of festival director Roland Rust, the 14th FilmFestival Cottbus (2-6 November 2004) – aka the 14th Festival of East European Cinema – was again a must-visit event for critics, cineastes, and fest directors interested in keeping apace with the hundred or more important productions released annually in filmlands stretching from the former German Democratic Republic to Kazakhstan in Central Asia.
The 2004 Locarno International Film Festival took place 4 to 14 August in one of the most rain-filled 10 days of its 57 years. The outdoor evening screenings in the Piazza Grande...
In the most dense and concentrated manner imaginable, the Russian director Andrej Swaginzew tells the story of the battle between authority and rebellion, of the conflict between a father and his two sons. The film that has been awarded several prices – among others two Golden Lions in Venice, for the best debut and the best film respectively, and the John Templeton European Film of the Year Award 2003 (awarded by the churches) – is now shown in German cinemas. “The Return” is also Film of the Month (April 2004), chosen by the Protestant film jury.
The 7th European John Templeton Film Award went to “Vosvraščenie” (The Return) by Andrei Svjagincev. The award was presented on 8 February 2004 at the Matthäuskirche on the Kulturforum during the Berlinale, as part of an hORA service. The sermon was delivered by INTERFILM President Hans Werner Dannowski.
Roland Rust, as astute a film critic as he is festival director, hit the nail right on the head when he chose Russian cinema as the focus of the 13th Cottbus Festival of East European Films, scheduled 4-8 November 2003. All three of the competition awards for feature films went to Russian directors, in addition to a special prize in the short film competition. And both the FIPRESCI (International Critics) and the Ecumenical Juries doubled up on the same opinions of the International Jury...
Dossier
The lists in this dossier summarize the church film awards of past years.