Munich: München Akademie; presentation of Graduates’ work; highlight Anne Kodura’s film ‘ödland/wasteland’

by Venetia Kapernekas

The Munich Academy opened its doors this to present the “Diplome” graduate students’  work; from the class of Prof. Klaus vom Bruch, I was taken by an amazing work, the documentary  ‘ödland/wateland’ by Anne Kodura,  photography by Friede Clausz   The film is about 80 min. was presented in a small custom made film room in her studio at the Academy. Saturday, February 11:30 will be screened at ARRI KINO München (Türkenstrasse 91)
It is an excellent job by a young and much promising new filmmaker.  Reflections in my mind  of
Truffaut’s film “400 Blows” and the british neo realism films, such as “Life at the Top” with Laurence Harvey.  But here Anne Kodura is working with a difficult subject; children.  Anne  told me she was for some months close to the children to get to know them before the camera came in. The photography by Friede Clausz is par excellence.

By kind permission by the  artist Anne Kodura.  All photo credit@Friede Clausz

Aya

synopsis :” It is the summer holidays.

Deep in the woods and among some sheep pastures a bloc of flats stands on a former military base of the Soviet army. Surrounded by ruinous barracks, an overgrown soccer field and a brand new wire mesh fence.  This is where Aya, Momo and Mustafa grow up. They spend the holidays at home at the asylum seeker’s camp. Born and raised in Germany, they do not really understand this “asylum seeking thing”, but rather want to be quite normal. They chase away the boredom by playing football, make a trip to the nearby lake and dabble in copper scrap trading.

A story of childhood, home and the search for identity.”

Muhammad

Wald

“ödland/wasteland”  has participated in the following festivals and has received many prices:

63th Berlin International Film Festival; Refugee Review Warsaw;12 Semana de Cine Aleman (Mexico);Festival International De Cine De Monterey;Oaxaca Film Festival ;Nuremberg International Human Rights, Festival, Unabhängiges FilmFest Osnabrück; Duisburger Filmwoche; International Film Festival, Bratislava; Kinofest Lünen;Exposed Filmfestival;Olympia Inernational Film Festival; 54 Festival dei Popoli; This Human World’ 3rd Flashpoint Human Rights Festival Mumbai; London International Documentary Festival (LIDF)

more here on the film’s site