This was a year full of losses – to be quiet frank – one of the worst in my life.
The most painful loss was the death of my second brother Detlev Triphan (1955-2020) who passed away last summer. He was the chronicler of my family and many of stories and details of my history and the history of my family are probably lost forever. For years I am thinking about a project about my home town Bochum, about places which were important for my life my story and the only person I could consult was my late brother.
Another loss was the death of Erika Richter (1938-2020), a dramatic adviser at the DEFA and for a long time the editor and publisher of one of the finest film magazine in German language Film Und Fernsehen. The last time I met her in person was of all things a screening at the cinema Arsenal of Ritwik Ghatak´s masterpiece Subarnarekha.
Also Soumitra Chatterjee (1935-2020) a legendary actor of Bengali Cinema passed away. Outside of India he is mostly known for his collaboration with Satyajit Ray.
Ironically since film theatres around the globe were and are still closed because of the pandemic caused the worst crisis cinema faced in its 125 years long history. And the situations remains critical.Ironically this crisis began for me just a few days after one of the finest edition of the Berlin Filmfestival 2020, the first edition with a new festival staff.
I am grateful for films which helped me in dark times came always as an unexpected but most welcome surprise. 1997 when my mother passed away it was the Vietnamese masterpiece Thuong nho dong que (Nostalghia for the Countryside) by Dang Nhat Minh. In 2018 when my father died and I felt old and lost, the wonderful Road Movie 303 by Hans Weingartner brought new energy and strength into my life. This year two films, I saw more often helped me through these dark times, Anjan Dutts films Aami Ashbo Phirey and Finally Bhalobasha. The songs, composed by Dutts son Neel (who also created the masterful score for Aparna Sens Ghawre Bairey Aaj) and the lyrics written by Anjan Dutt himself are still in my mind.
1. Ghawre Bairey Aaj (The Home and the World Today), Aparna Sen, India: 2019
2.Laila aur Satt Geet (The Shepherdess and the seven Songs), Pushpendra Singh, India: 2020
3. Never Rarely Sometimes Always, Eliza Hittman, USA: 2020
4. Sthalpuran, (Chronicle of Space), Akshay Indikar, India: 2020
5.Ochite Mi sini Rocjlata Sharena (Blue Eyes and colorful my Dress), Polina Gumiela, Germany/Bulgaria: 2020
6.Sweet Thing, Alexandre Rockwell, USA: 2020
7. The Sky is pink, Shonali Bose, India: 2019
8.La Cordillera de los sueños, (Die Kordelliere der Träume) Patricio Guzman, Chile: 2019)
9. Irradiés (Rithy Panh, Cambodia/France: 2020
10 Robibaar, Atanu Ghosh, India: 2019
11.Bamboo Stories, Shaheen Dill-Riaz, Banlgadesh/Germany: 2019
12. Tenet, Christopher Nolan, USA: 2020
13.Richard Jewell, Clint Eastwood, USA: 2019
14.Kaze no Denwa (Voices in the Wind), Nobuhiro Suwa, Japan: 2020
15.La Déesse des Mouches À Feu (Goddess of the Fireflies), Anais Barbeau Lavalette Canada:
Special Mentions:
Kokon, Leonie Krippendorff, Germany: 2020
Undine, Christian Petzolt, Germany: 2020
Wagenknecht, Sandra Kaudelka, Deutschland: 2020
Eep Alley Ooo!, Prateek Vats, Indien: 2019
Tasher Ghawr, Sudipto Roy, India: 2020
Favorite short films:
1-Huntsville Station, Jamie Meltzer, Chris Filippone , USA: 2020
2-Gumnaam Din, Ekta Mittal, Indien: 2019
3-Afternoon Audition, Sudipto Roy, Indien: 2019
4-A Million years, Danech San, Kambodscha: 2019
5-So We Live, Rand Abou Fakher, Beldien: 2020
6-Girl and Body, Charlotte Mars, Australien: 2020
Rüdiger Tomczak