Regional Competition
The Golden Hercules awards an outstanding production from the region of Northern Hesse. The prize is endowed with €3,500. In 2024, 120 works were submitted for the section. The selection committee selected 28 and nominated 17 of them. They range from animated films, committed documentaries over experimental video works to ambitious short fiction films.
Eligible for the regional competition are works:
- whose directors reside in North Hesse, or
- whose directors are studying at the University of Kassel, the Kunsthochschule Kassel, or a comparable media institution in North Hesse, or
- which were realized and produced in Northern Hesse.
Out of all the films shown in the section Golden Hercules, a jury nominates a selection for the Golden Hercules award. It is possible for an outstanding documentary work from the section Golden Hercules to be nominated for the Golden Key competition, or rather the Golden Key award.
Jury 2024
Mirjam Ebersbach, Professor of Developmental Psychology at the University of Kassel since 2012, with previous stops at universities in various neighboring European countries, born in Leipzig. Keen interest in film, fine arts, opera, prose and poetry. Active rower on the Fulda.
Thorsten Ebert is a founding partner of Qoncept Energy GmbH, which offers consulting services for innovative heat supply concepts. He is also managing partner of MultiMOBIL GmbH, which develops models, strategies and concepts to support the sustainable, socially and environmentally friendly development of transport. Thorsten Ebert lives in Kassel, is a board member of the Kasseler Kunstverein and the documenta Forum and has been enthusiastic about the Kassel Dokfest for many years.
Bettina Fraschke is head of the culture section of the Hessische/Niedersächsische Allgemeine newspaper. Her main focus is on film and theatre.
Petra Stipetić is an animator and educator. Her passion for characters and stories developed during her studies at the Kunsthochschule Kassel, where she graduated in 2023. Her award-winning short films are shown internationally. She has been teaching Animation and Visual Storytelling since 2022, is a member of the selection committee at Filmfest Dresden and involved in the AG Animationsfilm. At the 40th Kassel Dokfest, Petra Stipetić and Maren Wiese won the Golden Hercules for their film “The Scent of Beetroot and the People who Live Forever”.
Dilan Yildirim studied film studies as well as social and cultural anthropology at the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. She has been working at Hessen Film & Medien (HF&M) since 2020, where she started as a project coordinator for the Kreativprämie – an award for departments behind the camera. Since 2022, she is the funding consultant for short films and treatments at HF&M.
Award Winners
2023: Petra Stipetić und Maren Wiese: The Scent of Beetroot and the People who Live Forever
2022 Mo Harawe: Will My Parents Come to See Me
2021 Joey Arand: La sorsier kabiné
2020 Manuel Domes und Jean Claire Dy: A House in Pieces
2019 Franziska Wank: sunday morning
2018 Frauke Lodders: Inseparable
2017 Jonatan Schwenk: Sog
2016 Christian Wittmoser: Emily Must Wait
2015 Zuniel Kim: Der Langstreckenläufer
2014 Martin Schmidt: Emil
2013 Benjamin Brix, Steffen Martin, Felix M. Ott: EMPTYLANDS
2012 Jan Riesenbeck: Sechster Sinn, drittes Auge, zweites Gesicht
2011 Dennis Stein-Schomburg: Andersartig
2010 Olaf Saumer: Suicide Club
2009 Thomas Majewski: Verborgen in Schnuttenbach
2008 Nico Sommer: Stiller Frühling
2007 Marta Malowanczyk: Marla
2006 Hyekung Jung: Drawing the Line
2005 Matthias Stockloew (Ütz): Grosse Kinder
2004 Héctor Jesús Gutiérrez Rodriguez: Ese es mi chama? Das ist mein Junge
2003 Salah Ahmed El Oulidi: Die Andalusische Nacht
2002 Christoph Steinau: Kommt alles Anders
2001 Holger Ernst: Kleine Fische