Moving Image student Alisa Grabowski won prizes with two films at the German film festival Jugendfilmpreis Baden-Württemberg for filmmakers under 22. For IWONA WILD, she won the prize for best documentary and with the short film SUR POINTE, she won the prize for best sound design.
About the Jugend Film Preis
The Jugend Film Preis Baden-Württemberg is the most important film festival for all young filmmakers in Baden-Württemberg up to 22 years old. The film festival took place for the 20th time from 7 to 10 December 2023. It is held annually parallel to the state film festival, the Filmschau Baden-Württemberg, organised by the Filmbüro Baden-Württemberg to create exchange between industry professionals and young filmmakers.
About IWONA WILD
Iwona Wild is a Polish immigrant and former singer who now works as a night taxi driver. During her night shifts she meets very different customers and forms her very own impression of humanity. But even though she loves her job, the night shifts weigh heavy on her to the point of burnout. This documentary film-portrait shows the extravagant Iwona Wild, whom I met one evening in Ludwigsburg (Germany). The audio recordings and photos were taken on the same evening with a cell phone and camera.
About the documentary IWONA WILD, the jury said, “Things and people quickly pass you by in everyday life. Years later, these moments come back to mind; the happily repressed, unhappy situations and people with their – unfortunately – ongoing problems. As a film, “Iwona Wild” is a happy moment because it sharpens our attention. (…). The film does not shy away from cutting into reality and gaps in documentation, expanding on the past with epilogue and reflection, which still catches up with us today. A documentary film that can painfully stop time en passant.”
About SUR POINTE
A young ballet dancer gets injured and has now to face a difficult decision: Continuing or quitting? While the film shows the harshness of the ballet world, it also gives us a glimpse on how someone deals with a broken dream and the downward spiral that can come with obsession.
Alisa about her study:
“The most important thing I learned during my studies is to have a playful approach to the filmmaking process: making tryouts before starting to storyboard the final concept. I learned how to think in terms of strong conceptual images and I learned that the concept is way more important than the technical quality of the work.”
