Seifen, Serien, Standardsituationen – Der Prix Europa 2014

Am 8. November lauft um ca. 21.35 Uhr im Deutschlandfunk (DLF):

Seifen, Serien, Standardsituationen

Meine Beobachtungen zum  Prix Europa 2014.

und zwar im Anschluss an das „Wiedersehen mit Brideshead“ von Evelyn Waugh (HR/RB 1956).

Darin erfährt man was das Radio mit der Seife zu tun hat, und dabei geht es nicht um die sprichwörtlichen „Seifenopern“ mit denen der Kosmetikkonzern Lux ein Genre begründet hat, das später im Fernsehen Erfolge feierte.
Es geht vielmehr um einen Gott aus Seife, der ein Loch hat, um einen Insektenvernichtungsmittelvertreter namens Gregor Samsa und um eine tote salonkommunistische Mutter, die im Körper ihre Sohnes nach Moskau reist.
Außerdem kommt eine frische französische Politserie und ein paar Anmerkungen zu den deutschsprachigen Einreichungen.

Prix Europa 2014 – die Preisträger. Bild: Prix Europa

Hier die Gewinner in der Hörspielkategorie des Prix Europa 2014:

Best European Radio Drama 2014:

Everything, Nothing, Harvey Keitel

von Pejk Malinovski (Buch, Regie, Sound)
Falling Tree Productions / BBC

In the midst of a week full of very good radio drama, the jury fell in love with a small and brilliant jewel of a play. As we listened, we were forcibly reminded that radio at its very best is an intimate medium and this piece demonstrated so clearly the ability to reach out and hold the listener in the palm of its hand from beginning to end. It contains no high drama and no tragedy but with wit and elegance presents us with a beautifully pitched picture. The jury greatly admired the unity of the dramaturgy and the gentle development of the script. With outstanding editing and wonderful recordings, the writer-director takes us to a meditation class in New York city where he finds himself sitting next to an older man with a red bandana. Against the background of a brilliantly constructed New york vibe, he wryly explores the difficulty of focusing on one’s breath when it transpires that the man with the red bandana is the famous American actor, Harvey Keitel.

Best European Radio Fiction Serial or Mni-Series 2014:

57, rue de Varenne

von François Pérache
Regie: Cedric Aussir
Sound: Sophie Bissantz, Stéphane Desmons, Anil Bhosle
France Culture

The jury were very enthusiastic about the pace of this piece, its bounce and the way it succeeded in controlling the material it presented. In a debut piece of dramatic writing, carefully poised between satire, comedy and reality, it presented us with a “river of life” view of a contemporary political situation. It was funny but never went over the top, with well written conversations between the characters. The jury thought it was beautifully directed with good acting and that it was refreshing in the way it brought us drama without being overly dramatic. The real time dramaturgy of the piece was also regarded as being a good choice. The French Prime Minister awakens to the news that his Minister of Health has gone missing during a trip to Africa and, nearer home, there is a scandal brewing about the Minister of Finance’s official residence. In a five-part series about the vagaries of the French political establishment, the author sets out to present a penetrating vision of “the hell that is politics” and he succeeds.

Hier noch der Preis an einen Kriegsblindenpreisgewinner für sein erstes Filmdrehbuch (übrigens der einzige Preis beim diesjährigen Prix Europa der nach Deutschland ging).

Prix Genève-Europe Most innovative Television Fiction Script by a newcomer

Zeit der Kannibalen

von Stefan Weigl
Regie: Johannes Naber
Studio.TV.Film GmbH / WDR / ARTE / BR

This year some of the most promising writers come from other fields of professional storytelling than television drama; such as the winner who bravely put chamber-play back onto the TV-screen. After 10 successful years as creative director he left the world of advertisement and turned to radio drama where he swiftly became equally succesfull. And now tv drama! The Jury was enchanted by the concept of three arrogant characters fighting over promotions in luxurious hotel-rooms somewhere around the globe. Witty dialogues combined with black humor give us a critical and claustrophobic glimpse of the western over-capitalized society. With THE AGE OF CANNIBAL the experienced novelist and radio dramatist Stefan Weigl has made his successful debut in the world of Television drama.