Friday, January 18, 2013

THEY WERE ALL REJECTED BY THE FILM SCHOOL



I just learned that three of my most favourite queer filmmakers of all time: Werner Schroeter, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, and Rosa von Praunheim once tried to study in the Berlin Film School, but they were all rejected. Somehow I believe that their films are great because they didn't study in the film school.

Werner Schroeter is one of my most favourite filmmakers of all time. http://hcl.harvard.edu/hfa/films/2012julsep/schroeter.html
" Though his second attempt to go to film school, this time in Berlin, ended with a rejection letter (ironically, Schroeter and fellow rejects Fassbinder and von Praunheim would later hold seminars at that same school), Schroeter made 20 8mm films in 1968 alone before switching to 16mm, a format that brought him his first recognition with such medium-length films as Neurasia and Argila and then with Eika Katappa, Schroeter’s feature-length breakthrough film for which he received the Josef von Sternberg Award at the 1969 Mannheim film festival and which garnered him an invitation to Cannes the following year."

" To gain entry to the Berlin Film School, Fassbinder submitted a film version of his play Parallels. He also entered several 8 mm films including This Night (now lost),[14] but he was turned down for admission, as were Werner Schroeter and Rosa von Praunheim, who would also have careers as film directors.[15]"

THE DEATH OF MARIA MALIBRAN (1972, Werner Schroeter) and BREMEN FREEDOM (1972, Rainer Werner Fassbinder) are ones of my most favourite films of all time. A VIRUS KNOWS NO MORALS (1985, Rosa von Praunheim) is one of my most favourite films I saw in 2003.

The photo is from EIKA KATAPPA (1969, Werner Schroeter).




No comments: