Willy Haas Award

The Willy Haas Award is an award for an important international print and DVD publication – not older than two years – on German cinema, chosen from five previously nominated titles.

Willy Haas was an author, filmcritic and screenwriter who was born in Prague and died in Hamburg.

The award is presented by an international and independent jury, which consists of at least five members. Jury membership is limited to three years maximum, and every year at least one seat is newly appointed. The winner of the Willy Haas-prize automatically joins the jury for next year.

Willy Haas Award 2005

The international jury – Francesco Bono (Rome), Jan-Christopher Horak (Los Angeles), Anne Jespersen (Copenhagen), Peter Körte (Berlin) und Catherine Surowiec (London) – has chosen the following international publications (books / dvd) for the short list. The final winners in both categories were announced during the opening ceremony of CineFest – International Festival of German Film Heritage on Saturday 12.11.2005 in Hamburg.

Der Willy Haas Award 2005 in the Category Books
goes to:

Krenn, Günter (Hg.): Walter Reisch – Film schreiben.
Wien: Verlag Filmarchiv Austria 2004. 368 S.

The short list also listed the following DVD-editions, which were honored with a certificate:

Grafe, Frieda: Aus dem Off. Zum Kino in den Sechzigern. Ausgewählte Schriften 4.
Berlin: Brinkmann & Bose 2003. 200 S.

Jacobsen, Wolfgang / Rolf Aurich: Der Sonnensucher. Konrad Wolf.
Berlin: Aufbau Verlag 2005. 589 S.

Omasta, Michael / Brigitte Mayr / Elisabeth Streit : Peter Lorre. Ein Fremder im Paradies.
Wien: Zsolnay-Verlag 2004. 269 S.

Thompson, Kristin: Herr Lubitsch Goes to Hollywood. German and American Film after World War I.
Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press 2005. 224 S.

Der Willy Haas Award 2005 in the Category DVD
goes to:

M.
1931. Regie: Fritz Lang.
New York : The Criterion Collection. Producer: Issa Clubb.

A honorable mention was given to absolut MEDIEN, Berlin, especially to Mr. Molto Menz, for an uncompromising programme of exceptional and unknown films like DVD-editions of German directors like Monika Treut, Rosa von Praunheim, Peter Goedel and Romuald Karmakar as well as international documentaries and silent film classics.

The short list also listed the following DVD-editions, which were honored with a certificate:

Die grossen DEFA-Dokumentarfilme.
Blaue Wimpel im Sommerwind & Baumeister des Sozialismus: Walter Ulbricht / Einheit SPD - KPD & Das Leben unseres Präsidenten: Wilhelm Pieck / Die Mauer & Schaut auf diese Stadt / Immer bereit & Wer die Erde liebt / Aufbau Ost 1946 & Der Weg nach oben.
Berlin : Icestorm Entertainment.

Der letzte Mann.
1924. Regie: F. W. Murnau.
München : Transit Classics (Universum) / Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau Stiftung.

Michael.
1924. Regie: Carl-Theodor Dreyer.
London : Eureka Video, Masters of Cinema Series no. 3.

People on Sunday / Menschen am Sonntag.
1929. Regie. Robert Siodmak / Edgar G. Ulmer.
London : bfi Video Publishing.