The journalist Fritz Gerlich wrote against dictatorship and intolerance. The prize named after him has been awarded annually since 2012 to films that speak out against totalitarian abuse of power, persecution and humiliation.
The Fritz Gerlich Prize 2024 was awarded on Wednesday evening as part of the 41st Munich Film Festival. The award, worth 10,000 euros, went to the drama “Tatami,” which was co-directed by Israeli director Guy Nattiv and Iranian filmmaker Zar Amir. The film addresses Iranian hostility towards Israel.
“Tatami” takes place during a women’s judo world championship in Tbilisi, Georgia. An Iranian judoka competes there with justified hopes of a good placing and defeats her first opponents with ease. This alarms the representatives of the Iranian regime, however, because the athlete could meet an Israeli during the tournament. The Iranian is supposed to fake an injury, but she refuses and continues her fights. The pressure, however, is increasing, because not only the athlete and her trainer are threatened, but their families are also threatened.
Munich Cardinal Reinhard Marx presented the Fritz Gerlich Prize, donated by the Catholic film production company Tellux. The award, which has been presented for the twelfth time, commemorates the Catholic journalist Fritz Gerlich (1883-1934). In the early 1930s, he took a staunch stance as an opponent of the Nazis in his weekly newspaper “Der gerade Weg”. On June 30, 1934, the National Socialists murdered him. The award goes to filmmakers who, in their work, campaign for more humanity and against dictatorship, intolerance and persecution.
The jury praised “Tatami” as a moving, always believable and thrilling film. “Resistance against dictatorial regimes, showing backbone, fighting for personal freedom, resisting violence and lies, the sacrifices that come with it – these motifs connect Fritz Gerlich and the film across time and culture in an impressive way,” explained the jury.
2024-07-03 20:57:45
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