With his portrait of an ambitious open water swimmer, film student Miguel Temme has not only successfully completed his Bachelor's degree at Fachhochschule Dortmund. At the 34th Bamberg Short Film Festival, Bavaria's oldest short film festival, he also won the award for best documentary and the audience award. The reward: two prizes of 1,000 euros and two gold centaur trophies.
Miguel Temme still remembers his vacations in northern France as a child with his parents very well. Even back then, he marveled at the daredevils who swam through the waters of the English Channel between Calais and Dover. "I wanted to draw on these memories for the theme of my graduation film," says the now 28-year-old. In a Facebook group about Channel swimming, he set off in search of the subject - and finally found the protagonist for his documentary "Open Water": Nikki from Manchester.
"Nikki never originally thought that she could be a successful athlete," says Miguel Temme. "She was never really athletic and doesn't fit the typical image of an athlete." Nevertheless, she took on the challenge of swimming in open waters - in extreme conditions with icy lakes and challenging straits. "In doing so, she discovered the incredible strength and resilience of her mind and body," says Miguel Temme. "Nikki is now passing on this experience of believing in herself and her own abilities to children with various disabilities: she trains and accompanies them as part of a relay team that wants to swim across the English Channel."
23 impressive minutes
The audience at the Bamberg Short Film Festival and the expert jury were equally enthusiastic about the 23-minute work by Miguel Temme, who wrote, directed and edited the film. The film was shot in Manchester, a lake in the Lake District and the coast of Wales. Sound design and music were provided by fellow UAS student Melis Sarikaya, who also completed her Bachelor's degree with the film. UAS students Mattis Schulte (camera) and Jonas Borgloh (production and sound) were also involved.
The jury's laudation for the "sensitive portrait" states: "The film takes its protagonist seriously and approaches her without being intrusive or exposing. Her two worlds - on land and on water - are visualized in clear and calm images." It is an "aesthetically convincing documentary film of social relevance that moves away from classic role models."