German TV Oscar for the historical series "Haus Kummerveldt": The renowned Grimme Institute in Marl honors the production by FH Dortmund graduate Lotte Ruf with a special award. The jury's reasoning: In the midst of the historical trend, which is characterized by pompous productions such as the Netflix series "Bridgerton", the low-budget production "Haus Kummerveldt" challenges its viewers. In short: "Punk instead of pomp."
The series is set at the end of the 19th century. Luise von Kummerveldt (Milena Straube) leads the sheltered life of a young noblewoman. She wants to become a writer. But in the German Empire, women are assigned other roles and their scope for action in this patriarchal society is tighter than the corset they have to wear. The story - devised by director Mark Lorei and writers Cécil Röski and Charlotte Krafft - is peppered with black humor and morbidity. The series is produced by Lotte Ruf. The first season can be seen in the Arte-Mediathek(Opens in a new tab) as well as in the ARD-Mediathek(Opens in a new tab) .
The first three episodes of "Haus Kummerveldt" are the practical part of Lotte Ruf's bachelor's thesis in the Film and Sound(Opens in a new tab) study program and a co-production with Fachhochschule Dortmund. She met director Mark Lorei at the Faculty of Design(Opens in a new tab) in Dortmund. He was a guest student at the FH after studying history. The two have since founded their own production company, Goldstoff Filme. FH student Florian Pape was brought on board for the sound design. The team has already won the audience award of the First Steps Award, a prestigious young talent award from the German Film Academy, with the first episodes of the series.
Lotte Ruf and Mark Lorei were able to realize the other episodes of the first season together with Arte and WDR. Since summer 2023, "Haus Kummerveldt" has been available in its entirety in the Arte media library and recently also on ARD. With the Grimme Special Award 2024 in her pocket, Lotte Ruf is hoping for further sequels. "Discussions are underway and the script has long been in the works," says the producer. "And we have enough ideas for at least two more seasons of 'Haus Kummerveldt'."
"The joy of experimentation and maximum imagination"
The Grimme jury attested to these ideas as "the greatest joy in experimentation and maximum imagination". "Haus Kummerveldt" is not so much a costume drama, but rather the "deconstruction of the costume drama". What's more, the production plays out the very contemporary themes of classism and criticism of capitalism in the middle of the Münsterland aristocratic wasteland. The jury's conclusion: "You won't be underchallenged in this highly contemporary historical fun - it's more than exemplary, it's a joy."
The production is also certified with the Green Motion label and makes a contribution to resource-conserving film and television production by complying with ecological standards. An affair of the heart for FH graduate Lotte Ruf, who dealt intensively with sustainability criteria for the film industry in her Bachelor's thesis. For example, energy-saving technology was already used during the filming of the first episodes, which were shot only in real locations and without the costly reconstruction of sets in the studio. Ecological aspects were also a focus when it came to catering for the crew. "I'm particularly pleased that we were able to continue this work for the other episodes and that the production was certified," says Lotte Ruf.
From the Grimme jury's statementA strange stiltedness in the dialogs, an attitude of the inauthentic that, for all its impetuosity, sets a certain irritation like an exclamation mark: This one is not easy to consume, folks, you'll have to listen.