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{{Short description|German director}}
{{Short description|German director}}
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[[File:Oliver Herbrich 2019 quer.jpeg|thumb|Oliver Herbrich presenting the film retrospective at Cinema Breitwand, 2018/19]]
[[File:Oliver Herbrich 2019 quer.jpeg|thumb|Oliver Herbrich presenting the film retrospective at Cinema Breitwand, 2018/19]]
'''Oliver Herbrich''' (born 1961 in [[Munich]]) is a German filmmaker working as author, film director and producer. He is associated with the [[New German Cinema]] movement in the 1980s. From 2016, his films are digitally remastered and re-released in the ''Fiction – Non-Fiction Film Edition''. In 2018, the Film Museum Düsseldorf added all archival documents to its collection.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Filmmuseum der Landeshauptstadt Düsseldorf|title=Vorlass Oliver Herbrich|url=https://emuseum.duesseldorf.de/objects/943035/vorlass-oliver-herbrich?ctx=71c5b0bc-ed0e-47d3-af72-c3893efbac75&idx=0|url-status=live|access-date=2021-09-02|website=emuseum.duesseldorf.de}}</ref>
'''Oliver Herbrich''' (born 1961 in [[Munich]]) is a German filmmaker working as an author, film director and producer. He is associated with the very end of the [[New German Cinema]] movement. From 2016 to 2018, his films were digitally remastered and re-released in the ''Fiction – Non-Fiction Film Edition''. In 2018, the Film Museum Düsseldorf added all archival documents to its collection.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Filmmuseum der Landeshauptstadt Düsseldorf|title=Vorlass Oliver Herbrich|url=https://emuseum.duesseldorf.de/objects/943035/vorlass-oliver-herbrich?ctx=71c5b0bc-ed0e-47d3-af72-c3893efbac75&idx=0|access-date=2021-09-02|website=emuseum.duesseldorf.de}}</ref>


== Work ==
== Work ==
Before his [[Abitur]], Herbrich realized his cinema debut <ref>{{Cite web|last=Holetz|first=Lotte, e.o.|date=1979-81|title=Press articles on shooting of "Mathias Kneissl" (German)|url=https://1150efdc-7b08-4eab-9cf4-97f5970839aa.usrfiles.com/ugd/1150ef_92e33803e6c341af98b5097067c0d30d.pdf|url-status=live|access-date=2021-09-10}}</ref>''The Proud and Sad Life of [[Mathias Kneißl|Mathias Kneissl]]''<ref>{{Cite web|last=Jochum|first=Norbert, e.o.|date=1981|title=Reviews "Mathias Kneissl" (Engl/Germ)|url=https://1150efdc-7b08-4eab-9cf4-97f5970839aa.usrfiles.com/ugd/1150ef_25791a4f07454bcaa4e36cc81e2aa466.pdf|url-status=live|access-date=2021-09-10}}</ref> in 1979 with the support of the “Kuratorium Junger Deutscher Film” (Young German Film Committee).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/1150ef_cfcffea66e834cf4945c2c5b10627519.pdf|title=Kreative Radikalität|last=Film & Video|date=Oct 1980|website=Interview Oliver Herbrich (German)|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=}}</ref> Although Herbrich was enrolled in the [[feature film]] department of the [[University of Television and Film Munich]] since 1980, it was here that he made his first two [[Documentary film|documentaries]], which were shot under adverse conditions in the Australian desert and the Amazon jungle.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/1150ef_c119eabfde354b96a80456724a969c35.pdf|title=Diploma (German)|last=University of Television and Film Munich|date=1985|website=|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=}}</ref> Since then, he has worked on both narrative and documentary films.
In 1979, before his [[Abitur]], Herbrich made his cinema debut with ''The Proud and Sad Life of [[Mathias Kneißl|Mathias Kneissl]]''<ref>{{Cite web|last=DFF - Deutsches Filminstitut und Filmmuseum|date=|title=The Proud and Sad Life of Mathias Kneissl (symopsis & cast English)|url=https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/das-stolze-und-traurige-leben-des-mathias-kneissl_ea43d4a70d2b5006e03053d50b37753d|access-date=2021-09-04|website=filmportal.de}}</ref> with the support of the “Kuratorium Junger Deutscher Film” (Young German Film Committee).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/1150ef_cfcffea66e834cf4945c2c5b10627519.pdf|title=Kreative Radikalität|last=Film & Video|date=Oct 1980|website=Interview Oliver Herbrich (German)|access-date=}}</ref> Although Herbrich was enrolled in the [[feature film]] department of the [[University of Television and Film Munich]] starting in 1980, it was here that he made his first two [[Documentary film|documentaries]], which were shot under adverse conditions in the Australian desert and the Amazon jungle.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/1150ef_c119eabfde354b96a80456724a969c35.pdf|title=Diploma (German)|last=University of Television and Film Munich|date=1985|website=|access-date=}}</ref> Since then he has worked on both narrative and documentary films.


After completing his studies, Herbrich turned back to feature filmmaking in 1984<ref>{{Cite web|last=Wollschläger|first=André, e.o.|date=1984|title=News articles on shooting of "Wodzeck" (German)|url=https://1150efdc-7b08-4eab-9cf4-97f5970839aa.usrfiles.com/ugd/1150ef_c26b5fc8776e40108711a82755c345e7.pdf|url-status=live|access-date=2021-09-10}}</ref>. [[Wodzek|Wodzeck]]<ref>{{Cite web|last=Huth|first=Peter Paul e.o.|date=1984-85|title=Reviews "Wodzeck" (Engl./Germ.)|url=https://1150efdc-7b08-4eab-9cf4-97f5970839aa.usrfiles.com/ugd/1150ef_2a631748dba343c69080adc6c5526264.pdf|url-status=live|access-date=2021-09-10}}</ref>, an adaptation of [[Georg Büchner]]'s [[Woyzeck]], ran as a German entry in the competition of the [[14th Moscow International Film Festival]] and was awarded for the "Best Male Leading Role"<ref>{{Cite web|last=Wedemeyer|first=Georg|date=1985-07-26|title=Den Wahnsinn echt gespielt (German)|url=https://1150efdc-7b08-4eab-9cf4-97f5970839aa.usrfiles.com/ugd/1150ef_3376332783bb41aebe28063b78102f10.pdf|url-status=live|access-date=2021-09-10|website=Abendzeitung}}</ref>. The film was also presented at 20 other festivals.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://582b21a9-78cb-4db6-9393-a87d88b491be.filesusr.com/ugd/1150ef_1717f7b3f947401ea280958e6b351fca.pdf|title=Wodzeck|last=|first=|date=|website=Festival presentations|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=}}</ref> As an [[List of film auteurs|auteur filmmaker]] (Herbrich is involved in all films as director, screenwriter and producer) he is a representative of the New German Cinema of the 1980s and 90s. In order to have his own production equipment such as film cameras and editing tables, Herbrich founded the technology service provider LICHT & TON Ltd, which existed until 2010.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Lusznat|first=Hams Albrecht|date=Jan 1995|title=Licht & Ton München - 15 Jahre Filmgeräteverleih (German)|url=https://1150efdc-7b08-4eab-9cf4-97f5970839aa.usrfiles.com/ugd/1150ef_4c3c692690cc4920854a342cb5fc814b.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-09-10|website=Film & TV Kameramann}}</ref>
After completing his studies, Herbrich turned back to feature filmmaking in 1984. ''[[Wodzeck]]'',<ref>{{Cite web|last=DFF - Deutsches Filminstitut und Filmmuseum|date=|title=Wodzeck (synopsis & cast English)|url=https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/wodzeck_ea43d4a795f15006e03053d50b37753d|access-date=2021-09-04|website=filmportal.de}}</ref> an adaptation of [[Georg Büchner]]'s ''[[Woyzeck]]'', was a German entry in the competition at the [[14th Moscow International Film Festival]] and won the award for "Best Male Leading Role". The film was also presented at 20 other festivals.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://582b21a9-78cb-4db6-9393-a87d88b491be.filesusr.com/ugd/1150ef_1717f7b3f947401ea280958e6b351fca.pdf|title=Wodzeck|last=|first=|date=|website=Festival presentations|access-date=}}</ref> As an [[List of film auteurs|auteur filmmaker]] (Herbrich is involved in all films as director, screenwriter and producer) he is a representative of the New German Cinema of the 1980s and 90s. In order to have his own production equipment such as film cameras and editing tables, Herbrich founded the technology service provider LICHT & TON Ltd, which existed until 2010.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://582b21a9-78cb-4db6-9393-a87d88b491be.filesusr.com/ugd/1150ef_c927d76f3f9847aa8a87db93b42883c0.pdf|title=Es begann in einer Garage|last=AV Invest (Aug 2000)|date=|website=Interview (German)|access-date=}}</ref>


After the success of ''Wodzeck'' followed further documentaries: ''Bikini - mon amour''<ref>{{Cite web|last=Koch|first=Luitgard, e.o.|date=1988|title=Reviews "Bikini - mon amour" (Germ/Engl)|url=https://1150efdc-7b08-4eab-9cf4-97f5970839aa.usrfiles.com/ugd/1150ef_a01d0edda9944c9fb4d8e807fd71af57.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-09-10|website=}}</ref> dealt with the recent consequences of above-ground [[Nuclear testing at Bikini Atoll|atomic bomb tests]]. Like ''Searching for El Dorado''<ref>{{Cite web|last=Loy|first=Birgit. e.o.|date=1985-86|title=Reviews "El Dorado" (Engl/Germ)|url=https://1150efdc-7b08-4eab-9cf4-97f5970839aa.usrfiles.com/ugd/1150ef_0fb3cb7acd20425682f2ea4a3a710894.pdf|url-status=live|access-date=2021-09-10|website=}}</ref>, ''Bikini - mon amour'' reached an audience of millions when it was shown in prime time on German TV Channel 1 ([[ARD (broadcaster)|ARD]]). In 1985/86 Herbrich realized a documentary biopic with the Bavarian jail break king, [[Theo Berger]]. ''The Bavarian Al Capone''<ref>{{Cite web|last=Faltin|first=Cornel, e.o.|date=|title=News articles on shootimg "The Bavarian Al Capone" (German)|url=https://1150efdc-7b08-4eab-9cf4-97f5970839aa.usrfiles.com/ugd/1150ef_09f34e4f5a914690bc2f2022158abc5e.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=1986|access-date=2021-09-10|website=}}</ref> also caused a sensation, but was not allowed to broadcast on Bavarian television ([[Bayerischer Rundfunk|BR]]). After cinema distribution<ref>{{Cite web|last=Hank|first=Frauke, e.o.|date=1987|title=Reviews "The Bavarian Al Capone" (Engl/Germ)|url=https://1150efdc-7b08-4eab-9cf4-97f5970839aa.usrfiles.com/ugd/1150ef_290a43003e6d4758874462b85ee1adf7.pdf|url-status=live|access-date=2021-09-10}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Richter|first=Horst|date=2017-11-24|title=Der Mensch Theo Berger|url=https://www.donaukurier.de/nachrichten/bayern/Ingolstadt-DKmobil-Ludwigsmoos-Donaumoos-wochennl482017-Der-Mensch-Theo-Berger;art155371,3601932|url-status=live|archive-date=2017-11-24|access-date=2021-09-02|website=Donaukurier}}</ref>, the film was broadcast on West German television ([[WDR Fernsehen|WDR]]). For this broadcast, the film needed to be subtitled in High German.
The success of ''Wodzeck'' was followed by further documentaries: ''Bikini - mon amour''<ref>{{Cite web|last=DFF - Deutsches Filminstitut und Filmmuseum|date=|title=Bikini - mon amour (synopsis & crew English)|url=https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/bikini-mon-amour_73808c49840fdcdde040007f01007478|access-date=2021-09-04|website=filmportal.de}}</ref> dealt with the recent consequences of above-ground [[Nuclear testing at Bikini Atoll|atomic bomb tests]]. Like ''Searching for El Dorado'',<ref>{{Cite web|last=Strobl|first=Birgit|date=2019-12-12|title=Der Regisseur Oliver Herbrich - Geld statt Glück? Verantwortung im politischen Handeln|url=https://www.hss.de/?document=0xffb47199a67e4e56b77ce8baf6d74569&event=0xedb24943d6c84ecea6d04279a174d512&fileResolver=eventProgramResolver&no_cache=1&cHash=f62d2a3e59c9d30483ce5a0e6b5e4a4e|access-date=2021-09-02|website=Hanns Seidel Stiftung}}</ref> ''Bikini - mon amour'' reached an audience of millions when it was shown in prime time on German TV Channel 1 ([[ARD (broadcaster)|ARD]]). In 1985/86 Herbrich made a documentary biopic with Bavarian jailbreak king [[Theo Berger]]. Titled ''The Bavarian Al Capone,''<ref>{{Cite web|last=DFF - Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum|date=|title=The Bavarian Al Capone (synopsis & crew English)|url=https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/der-al-capone-vom-donaumoos_710e3b3ab68d4a8ee040007f01006727|access-date=2021-09-04|website=filmportal.de}}</ref> it also caused a sensation and was not allowed to be broadcast on Bavarian television ([[Bayerischer Rundfunk|BR]]).<ref>{{Cite web|last=Suhr|first=Heinz|date=1987-05-01|title=Gegen die Herren in München|url=https://www.zeit.de/1987/19/gegen-die-herren-in-muenchen|access-date=2021-09-02|website=Die ZEIT Archiv}}</ref> After being released in cinemas,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Richter|first=Horst|date=2017-11-24|title=Der Mensch Theo Berger|url=https://www.donaukurier.de/nachrichten/bayern/Ingolstadt-DKmobil-Ludwigsmoos-Donaumoos-wochennl482017-Der-Mensch-Theo-Berger;art155371,3601932|access-date=2021-09-02|website=Donaukurier}}</ref> the film was broadcast on West German television ([[WDR Fernsehen|WDR]]). For this broadcast, the film needed to be subtitled in [[Standard German]].


In 1988, the “Filmmakers' Distribution Association” re-released Herbrich's films in the edition "Fiction - Non-Fiction".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://582b21a9-78cb-4db6-9393-a87d88b491be.filesusr.com/ugd/1150ef_b299d537e72745519f2dc456dd14125f.pdf|title=Alle Filme von Oliver Herbrich|last=Verleih der Filmemacher|date=1990|website=Film catalogue (German)|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=}}</ref> In the same year, he shot his third feature film ''Earthbound''<ref>{{Cite web|last=Buk-Kluger|first=Marion|date=2018-08-29|title=Franz Seliger und sein Traum vom Fliegen|url=https://www.augsburger-allgemeine.de/dillingen/Open-Air-in-Wertingen-Kinofilm-Franz-Seeliger-und-sein-Traum-vom-Fliegen-id52034591.html|url-status=live|access-date=2021-09-02|website=Augsburger Allgemeine Zeitung}}</ref>. The film is a fictional adaptation inspired by the life story of [[Gustav Mesmer]]. ''Earthbound'' received international awards<ref>{{Cite web|last=DFF - Deutsches Filminstitut und Filmmuseum|date=|title=Earthbound (synopsis & cast English)|url=https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/erdenschwer_ea43d4a6e93e5006e03053d50b37753d|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-09-04|website=filmportal.de}}</ref> and stars [[Hannes Thanheiser,]] [[Rüdiger Vogler]] and [[Vera Tschechowa]].
In 1988, the “Filmmakers' Distribution Association” re-released Herbrich's films in the edition "Fiction - Non-Fiction".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://582b21a9-78cb-4db6-9393-a87d88b491be.filesusr.com/ugd/1150ef_b299d537e72745519f2dc456dd14125f.pdf|title=Alle Filme von Oliver Herbrich|last=Verleih der Filmemacher|date=1990|website=Film catalogue (German)|access-date=}}</ref> In the same year, he shot his third feature film ''Earthbound''.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Buk-Kluger|first=Marion|date=2018-08-29|title=Franz Seliger und sein Traum vom Fliegen|url=https://www.augsburger-allgemeine.de/dillingen/Open-Air-in-Wertingen-Kinofilm-Franz-Seeliger-und-sein-Traum-vom-Fliegen-id52034591.html|access-date=2021-09-02|website=Augsburger Allgemeine Zeitung}}</ref> The film is a fictional adaptation inspired by the life story of [[Gustav Mesmer]]. ''Earthbound'' received international awards<ref>{{Cite web|last=DFF - Deutsches Filminstitut und Filmmuseum|date=|title=Earthbound (synopsis & cast English)|url=https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/erdenschwer_ea43d4a6e93e5006e03053d50b37753d|access-date=2021-09-04|website=filmportal.de}}</ref> and stars [[Hannes Thanheiser,]] [[Rüdiger Vogler]] and [[Vera Tschechowa]].


Oliver Herbrich ended his career as a filmmaker with two cinema documentaries shot in Nepal<ref>{{Cite web|last=German Films|title=Priests of the Condemned|url=https://www.german-films.de/filmarchive/browse-archive/view/detail/pos/2060/film/priests-of-the-condemned/index.html|url-status=live|access-date=2021-09-02|website=geman-films.de/filmarchive}}</ref> and Ireland<ref>{{Cite web|last=German Films|title=Rules of the Road|url=https://www.german-films.de/filmarchive/browse-archive/view/detail/film/rules-of-the-road/index.html|url-status=live|access-date=2021-09-02|website=german-films.de/filmarchive}}</ref>. For his complete works, he was awarded the "Film Prize of the City of Munich" in 1994.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.muenchen.de/rathaus/Stadtverwaltung/Kulturreferat/Film/Auszeichnungen/Filmpreis.html|title=Filmpreis der Landeshauptstadt München|last=City of Munich|date=|website=Film prize (German)|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=}}</ref>
Oliver Herbrich ended his career as a filmmaker with two cinema documentaries shot in Nepal<ref>{{Cite web|last=German Films|title=Priests of the Condemned|url=https://www.german-films.de/filmarchive/browse-archive/view/detail/pos/2060/film/priests-of-the-condemned/index.html|access-date=2021-09-02|website=german-films.de/filmarchive}}</ref> and Ireland.<ref>{{Cite web|last=German Films|title=Rules of the Road|url=https://www.german-films.de/filmarchive/browse-archive/view/detail/film/rules-of-the-road/index.html|access-date=2021-09-02|website=german-films.de/filmarchive}}</ref> For his complete works, he was awarded the "Film Prize of the City of Munich" in 1994.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.muenchen.de/rathaus/Stadtverwaltung/Kulturreferat/Film/Auszeichnungen/Filmpreis.html|title=Filmpreis der Landeshauptstadt München|last=City of Munich|date=|website=Film prize (German)|access-date=}}</ref>


In 2016-18 the reels of negative films archived in the [[German Federal Archives|Federal Film Archive Berlin]] were digitally remastered and reissued in the "Fiction - Non-Fiction Film Edition"<ref>{{Cite web|last=Daschner|first=Andreas|date=2017-11-05|title=Wenn Schurken zu Filmhelden werden|url=https://www.merkur.de/lokales/fuerstenfeldbruck/grafrath-ort28747/wenn-schurken-zu-filmhelden-werden-9133416.html|url-status=live|website=Münchner Merkur}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Amann|first=Manfred|date=2019-03-20|title=Ein Leben hinter Gitterstäben|url=https://www.sueddeutsche.de/muenchen/fuerstenfeldbruck/fuerstenfeldbruck-ein-leben-hinter-gitterstaeben-1.4375862|url-status=live|access-date=2021-09-04|website=Süddeutsche Zeitung (sueddeutsche.de)}}</ref>. A collection of analogue (16 and 35&nbsp;mm) film copies is owned by the [[Cinematheque|Film Museum]] Munich and the Film Museum Düsseldorf. In 2018, Film Museum Düsseldorf catalogued all written documents from the films.
In 2016-18 the reels of negative films archived in the [[German Federal Archives|Federal Film Archive Berlin]] were digitally remastered and reissued in the "Fiction - Non-Fiction Film Edition".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Daschner|first=Andreas|date=2017-11-05|title=Wenn Schurken zu Filmhelden werden|url=https://www.merkur.de/lokales/fuerstenfeldbruck/grafrath-ort28747/wenn-schurken-zu-filmhelden-werden-9133416.html|website=Münchner Merkur}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Amann|first=Manfred|date=2019-03-20|title=Ein Leben hinter Gitterstäben|url=https://www.sueddeutsche.de/muenchen/fuerstenfeldbruck/fuerstenfeldbruck-ein-leben-hinter-gitterstaeben-1.4375862|access-date=2021-09-04|website=Süddeutsche Zeitung (sueddeutsche.de)}}</ref> A collection of analogue (16 and 35&nbsp;mm) film copies is owned by the [[Cinematheque|Film Museum]] Munich and the Film Museum Düsseldorf. In 2018, Film Museum Düsseldorf catalogued all written documents from the films.


== Cinematic approach ==
== Cinematic approach ==
[[Dieter Kosslick]], former director of [[Berlin International Film Festival]] outlined Herbrich's working style as follows:
[[Dieter Kosslick]], former director of [[Berlin International Film Festival]] outlined Herbrich's working style as follows:


"Fortunately Oliver Herbrich doesn’t create an ideology when walking the line between fictional movie and documentary film. Herbrich’s approach is solely based on the storytelling needs of the subjects. Remarkably, this technique results in a combination of documentary and fictional elements. There’s one scene sequence during the ''Mathias Kneissl'' movie, when the gendarmerie brigade is closing in on the folk hero. The resulting police violence is reminiscent of documentary reports. Vice versa, his documentary films include elements of fiction. The scenes of gold diggers carrying sacks of mud uphill from their claims in the documentary ''Searching for El Dorado'' reminds the viewer of monumental feature movies. This evokes a mythologization of the real life, revealing the general in the particular. One can describe Herbrich’s films as stories about human behavior, depicting the mechanisms of reality. Reaching limits and crossing borders is something to be taken in the literal sense in Herbrich’s oeuvre.“ (Dieter Kosslick, 1994).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://582b21a9-78cb-4db6-9393-a87d88b491be.filesusr.com/ugd/1150ef_f943a2006f944fed97cc8d6bb0a017c2.pdf|title=Laudation Film Prize Munich|last=Kosslick|first=Dieter|date=1994|website=(German)|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=}}</ref>
"Fortunately Oliver Herbrich doesn't create an ideology when walking the line between fictional movie and documentary film. Herbrich’s approach is solely based on the storytelling needs of the subjects. Remarkably, this technique results in a combination of documentary and fictional elements. There's one sequence in the film ''Mathias Kneissl'' where a brigade of gendarmes is closing in on the folk hero. The resulting police violence is reminiscent of documentary reports. Vice versa, his documentary films include elements of fiction. The scenes of gold diggers carrying sacks of mud uphill from their claims in the documentary ''Searching for El Dorado'' reminds the viewer of monumental feature movies. This evokes a mythologization of real life, revealing the general in the particular. One can describe Herbrich’s films as stories about human behavior, depicting the mechanisms of reality. Reaching limits and crossing borders is something to be taken in the literal sense in Herbrich’s oeuvre.“ (Dieter Kosslick, 1994).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://582b21a9-78cb-4db6-9393-a87d88b491be.filesusr.com/ugd/1150ef_f943a2006f944fed97cc8d6bb0a017c2.pdf|title=Laudation Film Prize Munich|last=Kosslick|first=Dieter|date=1994|website=(German)|access-date=}}</ref>


== Filmography ==
== Filmography ==
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* 1980 and 1984 [[Deutsche Film- und Medienbewertung (FBW)|rating]] “Highly Recommended” for ''Mathias Kneissl'' and ''Searching for El Dorado''
* 1980 and 1984 [[Deutsche Film- und Medienbewertung (FBW)|rating]] “Highly Recommended” for ''Mathias Kneissl'' and ''Searching for El Dorado''
* 1985 Prix d'[[France 2|Antenne II]], Paris (Festival [[Cinéma du Réel]]) for ''Searching for El Dorado''; 2nd Prize Cine-stud Film Fest, Amsterdam for ''Searching for El Dorado''; Best Male Actor (International Film Festival Moskow) for Detlef Kügow in ''Wodzeck''
* 1985 Prix d'[[France 2|Antenne II]], Paris (Festival [[Cinéma du Réel]]) for ''Searching for El Dorado''; 2nd Prize Cine-stud Film Fest, Amsterdam for ''Searching for El Dorado''; Best Male Actor (International Film Festival Moscow) for Detlef Kügow in ''Wodzeck''
* 1989 Honorary Mention at 4th Medikinale International Parma, Italy for ''Bikini – mon amour''; Honorary Mention at Red Cross and Health Film Fest Varna, Bulgaria for ''Bikini – mon amour''
* 1989 Honorary Mention at 4th Medikinale International Parma, Italy for ''Bikini – mon amour''; Honorary Mention at Red Cross and Health Film Fest Varna, Bulgaria for ''Bikini – mon amour''
* 1990 Best Screenplay (Festival Imag Fic, Madrid) for ''Earthbound''; Best Artistic Contribution (Festival Europa Cinema, Viareggio) for ''Earthbound''; Prix de la Fédération international del Cine Club (Festival Figuera da Foz, Portugal) for ''Earthbound''
* 1990 Best Screenplay (Festival Imag Fic, Madrid) for ''Earthbound''; Best Artistic Contribution (Festival Europa Cinema, Viareggio) for ''Earthbound''; Prix de la Fédération international del Cine Club (Festival Figuera da Foz, Portugal) for ''Earthbound''
Line 72: Line 68:
*[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0378688/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1 Oliver Herbrich] on IMDb.com (English)
*[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0378688/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1 Oliver Herbrich] on IMDb.com (English)
*[https://www.filmdienst.de/person/details/44/oliver-herbrich Oliver Herbrich] in Lexikon des int. Films (German)
*[https://www.filmdienst.de/person/details/44/oliver-herbrich Oliver Herbrich] in Lexikon des int. Films (German)
*[https://582b21a9-78cb-4db6-9393-a87d88b491be.filesusr.com/ugd/1150ef_13f09b4a6f58410e813ddb8a8f430fa7.pdf Film reviews] (Pressclips English)
*Oliver Herbrich (2017): [https://582b21a9-78cb-4db6-9393-a87d88b491be.filesusr.com/ugd/1150ef_29e9fab0820c48c8966cbd232d75c921.pdf The Making of Film Restoration] (English)
*[https://582b21a9-78cb-4db6-9393-a87d88b491be.filesusr.com/ugd/1150ef_b8985ed2c7354bd0b45dcd8d046581c3.pdf Press articles Re-release 2017/18] (German)
*[https://www.oliver-herbrich-kinderfonds.org/?lang=en Foundation Oliver Herbrich Children's Fund] (English)
*[https://www.oliver-herbrich-kinderfonds.org/?lang=en Foundation Oliver Herbrich Children's Fund] (English)


Latest revision as of 17:01, 30 June 2024

Oliver Herbrich presenting the film retrospective at Cinema Breitwand, 2018/19

Oliver Herbrich (born 1961 in Munich) is a German filmmaker working as an author, film director and producer. He is associated with the very end of the New German Cinema movement. From 2016 to 2018, his films were digitally remastered and re-released in the Fiction – Non-Fiction Film Edition. In 2018, the Film Museum Düsseldorf added all archival documents to its collection.[1]

Work

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In 1979, before his Abitur, Herbrich made his cinema debut with The Proud and Sad Life of Mathias Kneissl[2] with the support of the “Kuratorium Junger Deutscher Film” (Young German Film Committee).[3] Although Herbrich was enrolled in the feature film department of the University of Television and Film Munich starting in 1980, it was here that he made his first two documentaries, which were shot under adverse conditions in the Australian desert and the Amazon jungle.[4] Since then he has worked on both narrative and documentary films.

After completing his studies, Herbrich turned back to feature filmmaking in 1984. Wodzeck,[5] an adaptation of Georg Büchner's Woyzeck, was a German entry in the competition at the 14th Moscow International Film Festival and won the award for "Best Male Leading Role". The film was also presented at 20 other festivals.[6] As an auteur filmmaker (Herbrich is involved in all films as director, screenwriter and producer) he is a representative of the New German Cinema of the 1980s and 90s. In order to have his own production equipment such as film cameras and editing tables, Herbrich founded the technology service provider LICHT & TON Ltd, which existed until 2010.[7]

The success of Wodzeck was followed by further documentaries: Bikini - mon amour[8] dealt with the recent consequences of above-ground atomic bomb tests. Like Searching for El Dorado,[9] Bikini - mon amour reached an audience of millions when it was shown in prime time on German TV Channel 1 (ARD). In 1985/86 Herbrich made a documentary biopic with Bavarian jailbreak king Theo Berger. Titled The Bavarian Al Capone,[10] it also caused a sensation and was not allowed to be broadcast on Bavarian television (BR).[11] After being released in cinemas,[12] the film was broadcast on West German television (WDR). For this broadcast, the film needed to be subtitled in Standard German.

In 1988, the “Filmmakers' Distribution Association” re-released Herbrich's films in the edition "Fiction - Non-Fiction".[13] In the same year, he shot his third feature film Earthbound.[14] The film is a fictional adaptation inspired by the life story of Gustav Mesmer. Earthbound received international awards[15] and stars Hannes Thanheiser, Rüdiger Vogler and Vera Tschechowa.

Oliver Herbrich ended his career as a filmmaker with two cinema documentaries shot in Nepal[16] and Ireland.[17] For his complete works, he was awarded the "Film Prize of the City of Munich" in 1994.[18]

In 2016-18 the reels of negative films archived in the Federal Film Archive Berlin were digitally remastered and reissued in the "Fiction - Non-Fiction Film Edition".[19][20] A collection of analogue (16 and 35 mm) film copies is owned by the Film Museum Munich and the Film Museum Düsseldorf. In 2018, Film Museum Düsseldorf catalogued all written documents from the films.

Cinematic approach

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Dieter Kosslick, former director of Berlin International Film Festival outlined Herbrich's working style as follows:

"Fortunately Oliver Herbrich doesn't create an ideology when walking the line between fictional movie and documentary film. Herbrich’s approach is solely based on the storytelling needs of the subjects. Remarkably, this technique results in a combination of documentary and fictional elements. There's one sequence in the film Mathias Kneissl where a brigade of gendarmes is closing in on the folk hero. The resulting police violence is reminiscent of documentary reports. Vice versa, his documentary films include elements of fiction. The scenes of gold diggers carrying sacks of mud uphill from their claims in the documentary Searching for El Dorado reminds the viewer of monumental feature movies. This evokes a mythologization of real life, revealing the general in the particular. One can describe Herbrich’s films as stories about human behavior, depicting the mechanisms of reality. Reaching limits and crossing borders is something to be taken in the literal sense in Herbrich’s oeuvre.“ (Dieter Kosslick, 1994).[21]

Filmography

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  • 1979/80 The Proud and Sad Life of Mathias Kneissl (Das stolze und traurige Leben des Mathias Kneißl)
  • 1982 Dead Heart (Totes Herz)
  • 1983/84 Searching for El Dorado (Auf der Suche nach El Dorado)
  • 1983/84 Wodzeck
  • 1985/86 The Bavarian Al Capone (Der Al Capone vom Donaumoos)
  • 1986/87 The World beyond the World (Die Welt jenseits der Welt)
  • 1987 Bikini – mon amour
  • 1988/89 Earthbound (Erdenschwer)
  • 1991 Priests of the Condemned (Priester der Verdammten)
  • 1992/93 Rules of the Road (Gesetz der Straße)

Awards

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  • 1980 and 1984 rating “Highly Recommended” for Mathias Kneissl and Searching for El Dorado
  • 1985 Prix d'Antenne II, Paris (Festival Cinéma du Réel) for Searching for El Dorado; 2nd Prize Cine-stud Film Fest, Amsterdam for Searching for El Dorado; Best Male Actor (International Film Festival Moscow) for Detlef Kügow in Wodzeck
  • 1989 Honorary Mention at 4th Medikinale International Parma, Italy for Bikini – mon amour; Honorary Mention at Red Cross and Health Film Fest Varna, Bulgaria for Bikini – mon amour
  • 1990 Best Screenplay (Festival Imag Fic, Madrid) for Earthbound; Best Artistic Contribution (Festival Europa Cinema, Viareggio) for Earthbound; Prix de la Fédération international del Cine Club (Festival Figuera da Foz, Portugal) for Earthbound
  • 1994 Film Prize of the City of Munich (lifetime achievement)

Retrospectives

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  • 1987 Low Budget Festival Hamburg, Germany
  • 1989 Film Week Onikon Cinema Herdecke, Germany
  • 1990 West Virginia Film Festival, Charleston, USA
  • 1993 Film Museum Düsseldorf, Germany
  • 1994 Film Museum Munich, Germany
  • 2018 Breitwand Cinema Gauting, Germany

Social Engagement

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References

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  1. ^ Filmmuseum der Landeshauptstadt Düsseldorf. "Vorlass Oliver Herbrich". emuseum.duesseldorf.de. Retrieved 2021-09-02.
  2. ^ DFF - Deutsches Filminstitut und Filmmuseum. "The Proud and Sad Life of Mathias Kneissl (symopsis & cast English)". filmportal.de. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  3. ^ Film & Video (Oct 1980). "Kreative Radikalität" (PDF). Interview Oliver Herbrich (German).
  4. ^ University of Television and Film Munich (1985). "Diploma (German)" (PDF).
  5. ^ DFF - Deutsches Filminstitut und Filmmuseum. "Wodzeck (synopsis & cast English)". filmportal.de. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  6. ^ "Wodzeck" (PDF). Festival presentations.
  7. ^ AV Invest (Aug 2000). "Es begann in einer Garage" (PDF). Interview (German).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ DFF - Deutsches Filminstitut und Filmmuseum. "Bikini - mon amour (synopsis & crew English)". filmportal.de. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  9. ^ Strobl, Birgit (2019-12-12). "Der Regisseur Oliver Herbrich - Geld statt Glück? Verantwortung im politischen Handeln". Hanns Seidel Stiftung. Retrieved 2021-09-02.
  10. ^ DFF - Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum. "The Bavarian Al Capone (synopsis & crew English)". filmportal.de. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  11. ^ Suhr, Heinz (1987-05-01). "Gegen die Herren in München". Die ZEIT Archiv. Retrieved 2021-09-02.
  12. ^ Richter, Horst (2017-11-24). "Der Mensch Theo Berger". Donaukurier. Retrieved 2021-09-02.
  13. ^ Verleih der Filmemacher (1990). "Alle Filme von Oliver Herbrich" (PDF). Film catalogue (German).
  14. ^ Buk-Kluger, Marion (2018-08-29). "Franz Seliger und sein Traum vom Fliegen". Augsburger Allgemeine Zeitung. Retrieved 2021-09-02.
  15. ^ DFF - Deutsches Filminstitut und Filmmuseum. "Earthbound (synopsis & cast English)". filmportal.de. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  16. ^ German Films. "Priests of the Condemned". german-films.de/filmarchive. Retrieved 2021-09-02.
  17. ^ German Films. "Rules of the Road". german-films.de/filmarchive. Retrieved 2021-09-02.
  18. ^ City of Munich. "Filmpreis der Landeshauptstadt München". Film prize (German).
  19. ^ Daschner, Andreas (2017-11-05). "Wenn Schurken zu Filmhelden werden". Münchner Merkur.
  20. ^ Amann, Manfred (2019-03-20). "Ein Leben hinter Gitterstäben". Süddeutsche Zeitung (sueddeutsche.de). Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  21. ^ Kosslick, Dieter (1994). "Laudation Film Prize Munich" (PDF). (German).

Further reading

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