German Short Film Award 2024 for "Melodies of Barking Dogs"

Produced as part of the Atelier Ludwigsburg-Paris

At yesterday's (November 21st) award ceremony for the German Short Film Award 2024 in Hamburg, MELODIES OF BARKING DOGS won the “Lola” in the category “Fiction Film up to 10 Minutes in Length”. The prize was awarded by the Minister of State for Culture and Media, Claudia Roth. The film was created as part of the postgraduate programme Atelier Ludwigsburg-Paris, which is based on the German side at Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg.

MELODIES OF BARKING DOGS delves deep into the world of Toni, who is spending an evening with friends in a club house. Schlager music plays in the background and the air becomes increasingly thick. As he watches an older couple dancing during the course of the evening, Toni begins to question his own desires and longings.

Excerpt from the jury's statement: “With extraordinary lightness, MELODIES OF BARKING DOGS tells the story of a group of teenagers on the verge of adulthood. (...) The original narrative, combined with a strong ensemble and sensitive camerawork, make for an atmospheric short film that draws us into the cinematic world from the very beginning and celebrates a very special humor. MELODIES OF BARKING DOGS is a quiet film that doesn't seem to want too much, but it succeeds in everything it wants."

While director *Daniel Huss, like many other team members (see credits), is studying at the Filmakademie, the two producers Rebecca Hartung and Alexia Wallemacq are graduates of the Atelier Ludwigsburg-Paris. This is a one-year international training programme in cooperation with the FABW and the film school La Fémis in Paris, which is primarily aimed at prospective film producers and distributors who have already completed a degree.

The winning films were selected from a total of 273 entries. Among the twelve nominated films were the FABW production SKIN ON SKIN in the category “Feature Film longer than 10 minutes and up to 30 minutes in length” and THAT'S ALL FROM ME by Filmakademie graduate Eva Könnemann in the category “Experimental Film up to 30 minutes”.

The German Short Film Award is the most important award for short films in Germany. It is presented every year by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media. Prizes are awarded in the categories of feature film, documentary, animation and experimental film. The awards are endowed with a total of €275,000.

The winners of the short film awards each receive a prize money of €30,000. A nomination is associated with a prize of €15,000, which is credited to the award prize. The prizes are to be used for the production, project development or project preparation of a new film of artistic quality.

The winning films in the categories of feature film up to 10 minutes and from more than 10 minutes to 30 minutes in length, animated film and documentary film up to 30 minutes in length are also automatically qualified for the selection process for the Oscars®.

All nominated and winning films will be shown at municipal cinemas throughout Germany next year as part of the “KURZ.FILM.TOUR – The German Short Film Award. On the Big Screen”.

Further information at:
www.deutscher-kurzfilmpreis.de

More about the Ludwigsburg-Paris studio at:
https://www.filmakademie.de/de/ueber-die-fabw/organisation-abteilungen/alp

*Daniel Huss is a scholarship holder of the foundation Baden-Wuerttemberg Stiftung and participated in an international partner programme as part of his studies.

Produced as part of the Atelier Ludwigsburg-Paris

Film Credits