We came a long way to now. 

Updates

BORGA will have its world premiere in the competition at Max Ophüls Preis 2021.

Read more in this article by Cineuropa about our post production.

The highest amount of funding from the „Hessen Film and Media“ in the field of production goes to BORGA.

350,000 € production funding for BORGA from MFG Filmförderung Baden-Württemberg.

BORGA receives funding for preproduction from MFG Filmförderung Baden-Württemberg.

BORGA is nominated for the Thomas Strittmatter Prize of MFG Filmförderung Baden-Württemberg.

BORGA (aka „Eisen im Feuer“) was selected for the Berlinale Co-Production Market.

Background

THE FILMS LEADING TO THE FILM.

"Monday, 15.01.2007 – Inside the landing gear of a SN Brussels Airlines plane a male dead body was found." 

As we did not have much money we decided to spend the money on the people in the township.

We shot the film in Berlin, Germany and in Johannesburg, South Africa. In Germany, we were supported by Lufthansa, which gave us a genuine landing gear of an Airbus A300. We transported it to Berlin and built a cocoon around it.

In Africa, we went to the poorest part of the Johannesburg township Tembisa. We made contact with the locals and found a perfect place for our shoot. As we did not have much money we decided to spend the money on the people in the township and not for semi-professional filmmakers. We built the set with the locals, rented other locations from them and bought most of our food from local stores.

This idealistic decision had unforeseen consequences. One was that we made genuine inside experiences which went directly into the film. The other was that we were protected by the people. Because of this, we didnʻt make any bad experiences at one of the most dangerous civil places in the world.

We made this movie because we believe this story has to be told. On the one hand, it is the very personal story of two African brothers who try to flee to Europe, on the other hand it is only one story of more than 60 million refugees worldwide.

The short film BETWEEN HEAVEN AND EARTH was shown at festivals all around the world and won several prices like:

• "Prädikat Besonders Wertvoll“ and „Film of the month“  Highest Award of the „German Film and Media Evaluation Institute“ (FBW)
• World Premiere –  Winner  Best Foreign Film – LA Shorts Fest, 2010
• Winner International Competition Confrontations, Berlin Intl. Short Film Festival, 2010
• Winner National Competition, Kodak Short Film Competition, 2010
• Winner Best Short of the Year – Shortcutz Berlin Competition, 2010
• Winner Audience Award – Shortcutz Berlin Competition, 2010
• Nominated Best Visual/Special Effects – Shortcutz Berlin Competition, 2010
• Winner ARTE Film Award – Filmfest Dresden, 2011
• Winner Best Short – Max Opüls Preis Film Festival, 2011
• Winner 1st. Prize – Kultcrossing.mov Short Film Festival for scholars, 2011

The success of "Between Heaven and Earth" was our gateway to "Children of Sodom" and subsequently BORGA.

During a research trip to Ghana in 2012, York-Fabian Raabe visited Agbogbloshi, the electronic wasted yard in Accra.  It was a very intense experience both physically and emotionally and inspired York-Fabian Raabe and his cameraman Tobias von dem Borne to shoot a short documentary.  This devastating, hopeless and hazardous place had its own special atmosphere that they tried to capture.

During the editing process, they realized that they are losing this atmosphere, as soon as they put more information into the film. Therefore they decided to reduce the info to a minimum and stick to the experience itself. Context is strictly given by montage and sound. No interviews, no comments, no music, no text, just the experience itself.

The informative part of the documentary is outsourced to a website that guides you via screenshots through the movie giving all the background information. The content is based on different studies and info from NGOs, as well as their own research. It also gives opportunities to help, share and comment the situation via social media networks and other sorts of media.

The concept worked and the documentary  had a successful short film festival run: 

SYNOPSIS

CHILDREN OF SODOM shows one day of the lives of two street kids in Agbogbloshi, a market area with a hazardous metal scrap yard in the city of Accra, Ghana.

• World Premiere –  Zinebi 55, Official Selection, 2013
• Exground Filmfest, Official Selection, 2013
• Cinema Vèrite, Official Selection, 2013
• Filmfest Dresden, Childrens Programm, 2014
• Palm Springs Intl. Short Fest, Official Selection, 2014
• Winner "Best Documentary" – Wendland Short, Official Selection, 2014
• Off14, Official Selection, 2014
• Lucas Intl. Children´s Film Festival, 2014
• 11th Intl. Filmfest Eberswalde, 2014
• Children´s Film Festival Uppsala, 33rd Intl. Short Film Festival, 2014
• BIFED - Bozcaada Intl. Festival of Ecological Documentary, Official Selection, 2014
• Kasseler Dok Fest, Official Selection Competition, 2014
• St. Louis, Official Selection Competition, 2014
• Bogazici, Official Selection Competition, 2014
• Official Selection Competition, Lucas Intl. Children`s Film Festival, 2014
• Official Selection Competition, Kasseler Dok Fest, 2014
• Official Selection Competition, Interfilm, 2014