Raju (Film)
- Wotan Wilke Möhring: Jan Fischer
- Julia Judge: Sarah Fischer
- Krish Gupta: Raju
- Taranjit Kaur: orphanage director ( she also worked as a casting director in the film crew )
- Gosh Arindom
- Suroma Nag
- Arindam Sil
- Bikash Naskar
Raju is a German - Indian short film by Max Count from the year 2010, he addressed the -. Flourishing from Western countries as a result of well-intentioned adoptions - illicit trafficking in India. The film was screened at over 150 festivals worldwide and won more than 40 international awards. In the 38th Student Academy Awards ( "Student Oscar" ) 2011 Raju was awarded in the category Foreign Language Film at the bronze medal. 2012 Raju for an Academy Award (Oscar) was nominated Best Short Film in the category.
Action
The couple Jan and Sarah Fischer, played by Wotan Wilke Möhring and Julia Richter, traveled from Germany to Calcutta to seek out there an orphan. The German authorities them an orphanage has been recommended on site. There they will be the five -year-old, originally from a slum boy Raju, played by Krish Gupta, presented and passed. When the child suddenly disappears in front of a day planned after departure from its hotel and the Indian police with their investigation not progressing Jan itself begins an intensive search. Gradually, the couple finds out that they are not as thought to contribute to the solution of a problem, but are part of a problem: Because the child is not an orphan, but was his biological parents removed, in order to sell to well-meaning, comparatively wealthy parents in Western countries.
Background
Raju is the closing film of three students at the Hamburg Media School, Max Count, Sin Huh and Stefan yaw. The idea for the film came Thread Count director after the devastating earthquake in Haiti in 2010, in consequence of numerous partly dubious foreign adoptions were communicated. In an interview he mentioned as an explicit trigger the actions of a Christian based organization that went by the media at the time.
The first contacts to India mediated professor Insa Sjurts and Hubertus Meyer -Burckhardt under an existing cooperation since 2010 the Hamburg Media School with the film school Roopkala Kendro in Calcutta. The making of the film accompanied Professor Richard Reitinger, program director film the Hamburg Media School. For property research, the team was supported by the children's charity Terre des Hommes. Financial aid awarded the student project by the Hamburg Film Fund Schleswig -Holstein. It was realized with very low budget. The two German protagonists, who promised due to the screenplay draft, and most employees waived a fee.
Good for two months the German ten -member team was then on location in Calcutta, supported by a about 50 people counting Indian crew members. It appeared on various difficulties, such as monsoon rains, cultural differences, problems with local authorities and the equipment that require some degree of improvisation. The ten days of filming pure the two main actors were flown in the day before. During the filming of the film crew of two journalists from the newspaper The Times of India was accompanied. This then researched further obscured and published a report that led to India to political consequences. Two rogue children's homes were closed and politicians stood before the resignation. As a consequence of the problem of child trafficking, the film crew set up on the initiative of film production designer in the team, Hans Tillmann, in Calcutta itself a charity, "We help children in Kolkata ", which supports the education of slum children in the country without them from their culture tear. Their brand ambassador is cooperating in the film actress Taranjit Kaur from Kolkata.
The film was shot Super 16 film with a Arriflex camera by CinemaScope process in the format ratio 1:2.35. The 2K scan was exposed on 35 mm.
The working title of the film was Kolkata, as the final title was first City of Joy (like the eponymous film by Roland Joffé from 1992 ) into consideration.
Awards, nominations and performances (selection)
- Best Foreign Film at the LA Shorts Fest 2011 Short Film Competition, Los Angeles / USA
- 3rd Prize at the 2nd Lions International Short Film Competition 2011, Istanbul / Turkey
- Best Production for Stefan yaw the Studio Hamburg Newcomer Award 2011
- Producer price for Stefan yaw when Sehsüchte Film Festival 2011, Potsdam / Germany
- 2nd Prize at the International Film and Video Festival 2011, Athens, Ohio / USA
- Special Jury Prize and Audience Award at the 20th Short Fest 2011 Aspen / USA
- Bronze in the category Foreign Film at the Student Academy Awards ( "Student Oscar" ), Beverly Hills / USA; Ceremony on 11 June 2011 at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater
The premiere of the film was on January 20, 2011 at the Short Film competition at the 32nd Film Festival Max Ophüls Prize in Saarbrücken. He has also been shown in the Short Film Corner of the 64th Cannes Film Festival 2011 as well as in numerous other national and international festivals, including in January 2012 at the Sundance Film Festival. 2011 Raju was nominated for the First Steps, the award but did not get the end.
In December 2011, managed the film - as one of 10 under total of 107 submissions in the category of live action shorts (not animated short films ) - shortlisted for the nominations for Best Short Film at the Academy Awards 2012 On January 24, 2012 nominated the. AMPAS the film as one of five candidates for this Oscar. Ultimately, Raju but had to admit defeat his Irish competitors The Shore.