The Thessaloniki Film Festival presented its highest award, the Golden Alexander, to iconic German actress Hanna Schygulla for her life-long achievements in the motion picture industry. The award ceremony took place on Friday, November 7, 2007, at a packed Olympion Theatre in the context of the 55th edition of the Festival. Deputy minister for Culture Antzela Gerekou and Festival director Dimitri Eipides attended the ceremony.
The special event opened with the screening of Hanna Hannah, a film written and directed by Schygulla. The film intertwines the personal life story of the artist with the tragic history of the Holocaust, which is symbolized by the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin.
After the screening, the audience had the rare opportunity to enjoy Hanna Schygulla in a special performance on the Olympion stage. The actress reminisced about her life and art, through songs and poems that expressed the agonies and dreams of the post-war generation. Through music, Ms Schygulla touched on the issue of collective guilt that had haunted her generation and on the conflicting feelings provoked by being a German. She also talked about life, love and freedom. To the accompaniment of a piano, she performed songs by Edith Piaf, Janis Joplin, the Rolling Stones, Steppenwolf, The Beatles and John Lennon, as well as melodized poems by Bertolt Brecht and Reiner Werner Fassbinder. An ecstatic audience cheered the artist.
Taking the floor, Mr Eipides said: “This is a special day for me. I have always been a fan of Hanna Schygulla and it gives me great pleasure to have her here with us today. I can’t thank her enough for giving such an exquisite performance for us. We have gathered here to honor Ms Schygulla with the Golden Alexander, the top prize at the Thessaloniki Film Festival, for her accomplishments in the motion picture industry.” Mr Eipides expressed his thanks to Goethe-Institut Thessaloniki, and especially to institute director Peter Panes, and the German Consulate in Thessaloniki for their collaboration in implementing the tribute to the great German actress.
The Golden Alexander was presented to Hanna Schygulla by deputy minister for Culture Angela Gerekou, who noted: “It is a great honor for me to be here. But how can anyone capture in a brief speech an artistic course so magnificent, a career so important? Her achievements include groundbreaking choices, emblematic collaborations and a multifarious presence in the fields of cinema, culture and the Arts. Every talented and restless artists should become acquainted with her achievements and learn form the passion and love that prompted her to devote herself in her greatest love for all these years.” Addressing Ms Schygulla directly.Ms Gerekou said: “Thank you for being here and enriching this year’s edition of the Thessaloniki Film Festival. Ms Gerekou then congratulated festival organizers for their tribute to Schygulla and “coming up with this thrilling experience we all shared with her.”
In her award acceptance speech, Ms Schygulla thanked the Festival in Greek for this honor and described an incident she was part of the previous day. “Yesterday, I gave press interviews at the Thessaloniki port, surrounded by this beautiful light and the sea. The White Tower was visible behind me. Someone asked me if culture is my home. I replied: ‘humanity as a whole is my home.’ After the interview was concluded, a girl approached me and asked me if I wanted a gift. She handed me a beautiful, flower-themed painting. And today, this award is the second present I receive in this city. Thank you.”
