https://koenzen.org Axel Koenzen Thu, 18 Mar 2021 08:19:02 +0000 https://koenzen.org en https://koenzen.org/Front-Page Sat, 06 Mar 2021 07:07:31 +0000 Axel Koenzen https://koenzen.org/Front-Page https://koenzen.org/DW-Photo Sat, 13 Mar 2021 11:03:03 +0000 Axel Koenzen https://koenzen.org/DW-Photo DEADWEIGHT Feature film (88 min) Germany/Finland, 2016 1.85:1/color, 7.1 Dolby SR English, Tagalog, Dutch, Finnish > https://koenzen.org/DW-Play-Excerpts Mon, 08 Mar 2021 15:54:58 +0000 Axel Koenzen https://koenzen.org/DW-Play-Excerpts https://koenzen.org/DW-Film-Info Mon, 08 Mar 2021 15:55:42 +0000 Axel Koenzen https://koenzen.org/DW-Film-Info “Audacious debutant steers his vessel into challenging waters.” — Neil Young, The Hollywood Reporter Ahti Ikonen is a reliable captain at the height of his career. He is in command of the 35,000-ton container vessel Brugge, which enters the port of Savanna (U.S.A.) behind schedule. The loading of the ship commences in haste as the crew, led by the ambitious Romanian officer Katia, works under pressure so that they can sail in time. The Filipino seaman James has an accident during an illegal lashing procedure. Ahti has to face the consequences of his orders: in the port of Rotterdam (Netherlands) unionized dockworkers exploit the incident and refuse to unload the ship. Standstill. The captain is caught between the frontlines. Ahti is keen to resolve the conflict, but the situation becomes more and more contradictory. “Axel Koenzen’s Deadweight is about the exploitation of the working class at sea. With its emphatic documentary approach the film speaks about factual constraints, which are representative of an age in which instructions are conveyed through emails and messages. It reflects the global syndrome of a management distancing itself through technology, where responsibility is often shifted to the lowest level of execution. Deadweight adapts to the rhythm of the ship, yet the author refuses to romanticise the brutal working conditions of the crew.”  — Jury, 9th Subversive Film Festival Zagreb Festival premiere: International Film Festival Berlin (Forum). Awards: 1st price at the 9th Subversive Film Festival Zagreb. Aired by ARTE France/Germany, WDR, YLE Finland. Produced by Rohfilm and BUFO/Finland in co- production with ARTE/WDR. Funded by MBB, MDM, FFHSH, FNDN, BKM and SES. https://koenzen.org/DW-Film-Stills Sat, 13 Mar 2021 11:24:55 +0000 Axel Koenzen https://koenzen.org/DW-Film-Stills https://koenzen.org/MOZ-Photo Wed, 17 Mar 2021 15:55:31 +0000 Axel Koenzen https://koenzen.org/MOZ-Photo MOZAMBIQUE, where the Mango tree used to be Documentary (27 min) Germany/Mozambique, 2019 1,78:1/color, 5.1 Dolby SRPortugese, local dialects > https://koenzen.org/MOZ-Play-Excerpts Wed, 17 Mar 2021 15:53:56 +0000 Axel Koenzen https://koenzen.org/MOZ-Play-Excerpts https://koenzen.org/MOZ-Film-Info Wed, 17 Mar 2021 15:54:06 +0000 Axel Koenzen https://koenzen.org/MOZ-Film-Info MOZAMBIQUE, where the Mango tree used to be centers around the effects of climate change on small communities in rural and remote areas of Mozambique. The film showcases the daily life of two local families over the period of 48 hours, an inside view of what it means to be affected by the unpredictability of weather extremes at the lowest end of the world’s economic pyramid. Each family suffered from the impact of unusually severe droughts and floods over the past years. Their plight and coping mechanisms constitute the narrative of the film. We strictly follow our protagonists in questioning why their everyday life in compliance with their surrounding has changed: Is God or the white man to blame for nature’s whims? “A movie that pushes us to think about the difference between the essential and the superfluous, and how in order to get the superfluous, Western civilization is irremediably compromising the climate and the future of the planet, making it difficult for these populations to procure what is indispensable.” — Jury, Life after Oil Festival Festival premiere: Life after Oil (Sardinia). Prices: Life after Oil (special mention). Funded by Oxfam/COSACA. Produced by Axel Koenzen and Oxfam. https://koenzen.org/PAT-Photo Thu, 18 Mar 2021 08:18:53 +0000 Axel Koenzen https://koenzen.org/PAT-Photo PATARA Documentary (72 min) Germany/Turkey, 2016 1:1,78/color, 5.1 Dolby SR Turkish, English, Kurdish > https://koenzen.org/PAT-Play-Excerpts Thu, 18 Mar 2021 08:19:02 +0000 Axel Koenzen https://koenzen.org/PAT-Play-Excerpts