‘Behind the Scenes’ video project

“Visitors rarely realise just how much work goes into ensuring that a historical clock ends up on display in an exhibition, or that an actress in a Baroque costume takes to the opera stage. It is precisely these professions and these people that we wanted to showcase,” says Angela Dorn, Minister for Art and Culture.

That is why Motion Pictures students at h_da have produced ten videos as part of a collaborative project with the Hessian Ministry of Science, offering a glimpse behind the scenes of the arts and culture sector in Hesse. “The students’ films show what fascinating people work in unique professions at our cultural institutions in Hesse, and just how diverse our cultural landscape is,” Angela Dorn continues. She has now presented awards for three of the best entries at a ceremony on the Media Campus in Dieburg.

• The first prize, worth 1,500 euros, went to Charleen Iglesias, Tara Dobric and Niklas Uthe for their film about textile conservator Julia Dummer from Hessen Kassel Heritage.
• The second prize, worth 1,000 euros, was awarded to Ellen Starita and Aurelia Langhanke for their film on museum educator Katharina Grießhaber from the Saalburg Roman Fort
• Third prize and 500 euros were awarded to Moritz Brachmann, Janek Adelheim and Jannic Sabo for their portrait of stage painter Tobias Ullrich at the Staatstheater Darmstadt:

“Relaxed and on equal terms”
“We approached our film as a documentary and had the opportunity to engage with the people we were portraying from a wide variety of perspectives. It was interesting to learn about how a ministry operates. The shoot with Minister Angela Dorn was relaxed and on equal terms,” says Ellen Starita, a student on the Motion Pictures study programme at Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences and a member of the production team that produced the film for the museum’s educational programme at the Saalburg Roman Fort.

Quality and practical focus of the film studies programme at the Media Campus
Prof. Dr Matthias Vieth, Vice-President-designate for Studies, Teaching and Student Affairs at Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences: “I congratulate our students, who have dedicated themselves to this collaborative video project with great sensitivity, cinematic talent and under the guidance of Professor Alexander Herzog. The film study programme here at the Media Campus produces outstanding filmmakers who regularly win awards such as the Hessian University Film Prize whilst still studying. The videos honoured today also underline the quality and practical focus of the film study programme at h_da.”