Berlinale – glamor for everyone

Berlin never stands still – even if the BVG goes on strike. Moderator Britta Steffenhagen affirmed the strip right at the beginning of the 39th Teddy Award Gala last Friday evening in the Volksbühne on Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz. She also gave the work on off -stage a touch of glamor, symbolized on stage by a red glove with shimmering moon – a fingerling that protruded into the reduced atmosphere for the next two hours.

Before the bear became teddy, a glitter glove of this size would have been unthinkable. In 1987 Manfred Salzg-Eber launched the unique lesbian-gay film award in Europe and made it visible for the first time, which the Berlinale Malestream has so far ignored. What was considered strange is something special today: the queer trophy not only recognizes the work of LGBTIQA+filmmakers, it is also a sign against discrimination in a world of heteronormative production conditions and visual habits.

Taking queer (es) always means: brush something against the stroke. The teddy had no fur this year either, but the political clout of a double ax. For “Lesbian Space Princess”, the Australian filmmakers Leela Varghese and Emma Hough Hobbs received the award in the category »Best feature film«. The characters of her animation drama arouse hints to the cartoons of the lesbian comic pioneer Ariel Schrag: the introverted Saira becomes a space pilot. She has to leave her home planet Clitopolis to free her ex-girlfriend Kiki from the catch of Straight White Maliens. The parliamentary white rectangles, which look like milk boys on a fruit juice, put Kiki in loops that Saira cuts with sharp blades. Not only in lesbian life, but also in the film the double ax is a significant weapon that even desires Maliens. For Saira, who leaves her hopelessly narcissistic partner after her rescue, she becomes a symbol of self -determination. At the end of her trip she comes to her.

“Who would have thought that a film about lesbian princesses would conquer so many hearts in space? Maybe next time we should try heterosexual cowboys on Mars, «joked the award winners, visibly surprised by their award. The difference between space animation and working on found footage could not be greater-and yet the latter was adequately appreciated that evening. With “Lloyd Wong, Unfinished”, Lesley Loksi Chan subsequently completed the video work of the Chinese-Canadian artist Lloyd Wong, which was centered around the life with HIV, and received a teddy for the “best short film” for her film, which is also a bit of wide grief work.

There is often a little pig behind every shiny moment. With plush companions under the arm under the arm, Rosa von Praunheim entered the stage over the side entrance and took the teddy in the category »Best Documentary and Essay Film« for “satanic sow”. Todd Haynes, also chairman of this year’s Berlinale jury, received the Special Teddy for his life’s work. Based on Fassbinder, he described the language of cinema as a socially necessary lie – “24 frames of lie perception” – that the audience always presented it with accomplished facts. The attitude of the »Learn to act over« grew out of the AIDS crisis, it is particularly suitable in the fight against the right of the right these days.

The Award of the Teddy jury Going to the Austrian director Marie Luise Lehner for “If you are afraid, take your heart in your mouth and smile”. Transident and non-fleeting characters occur in this without focusing on their special features. Lehner’s protagonist fights with the educational barriers in poverty classes, the queer feminist icon Leslie Feinberg was also groundbreaking for the director. So there are: lesbian women from the worker class who find space on this stage. At this year’s Teddy Awards you have proven one thing above all: how Queer can be class.