Prize winners in sight: nominations for the Producers Guild Awards!

Prize winners in sight: nominations for the Producers Guild Awards!

On January 17, 2025, it became known that the films “Conclave” and “September 5” have been nominated for the renowned producer award of the Producers Guild of America (PGA). This award, which will be awarded for the 36th time on February 8, is considered an important barometer for the upcoming Oscars that take place on March 2. There are now ten nominees, including titles such as “Anora”, “The Brutalist” and “Dune: Part Two”.

«Kezlave», at first glance a Vatican thriller, is staged by Edward Berger and tells of the intrigue and power struggles in the election of a new Pope. Edward Berger, born in Wolfsburg, mainly lives in Berlin and also has the citizenship of Austria and Switzerland. The second nominee, “September 5”, is a film that deals with the 1972 Olympics in Munich. Directed by Tim Fehlbaum, the hostage-taking by the militant-Palestinian organization Black September is discussed. The German actress Leonie Benesch embodies an interpreter in this context.

excitement about the film “September 5”

The events that dealt with “September 5” are shocking: During the 1972 Olympic Games, eleven Israeli athletes were deported by militant hostage -makers. The Live Reporting of ABC Sports, which Roone Arledge led, presented new challenges for the media because the reporters were not trained on crisis reporting. This unsafe reporting had far -reaching consequences for the way in which media subsequently deal with crisis situations.

Tim Fehlbaum and his team decided to use the technologies of the 1970s for production and consulted Geoffrey Mason, a producer at that time at ABC. They wanted to ensure that the technical representation is authentic and that the viewer thinks about the moral and ethical questions of media reporting. The film stands out from previous cinematic representations by focusing on the role of the media and addressing the aftermath of reporting.

fundraising campaign of the Producers Guild of America

The events related to the Olympic attack also throw a shadow on the media landscape. In a further discussion about the reporting, it became known that the production company of the ARD documentary “Death and Games-Munich ’72” made a payment of around 2000 euros to one of the hostage-takers, Mohammed Safady. This incident triggered horrified reactions from relatives of the murdered athletes and was described as the media scandal of the ARD.

This is how the films “Conclave” and “September 5” not only remain in the competition for prestigious awards, but also contribute to reflection on media ethics and the responsibility of journalists in crisis situations.

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