<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" class=""><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" class=""><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><font size="4" class=""><span class=""><b class="">ENDPHASE</b></span></font><span class="" style="font-size: 14px;">, Hans Hochstögerns eindringliche und intensiv recherchierte Chronik des Massakers an 228 jüdischen Zwangsarbeitern in Hofmat Priel eine Woche vor Kriegsende wurde beim diesjährigen</span></div></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><span style="font-size: 14px;" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div class=""><font size="4" class=""><span style="font-style: normal;" class=""><b class="">Jüdischen Filmfestival Berlin und Brandenburg</b></span></font></div><div class=""><span style="font-size: 14px;" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div class=""><span style="font-size: 14px;" class="">mit dem </span></div><div class=""><span style="font-size: 14px;" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div class=""><font size="4" class=""><span style="font-style: normal;" class=""><b class="">Preis für Interkulturellen Dialog</b></span></font></div><div class=""><span style="font-size: 14px;" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div class=""><span style="font-size: 14px;" class="">der Dokumentarfilm-Jury ausgezeichnet.</span></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><span style="font-size: 14px;" class="">Wir gratulieren Hans Hochstöger und seinem Team ganz herzliche zu der Auszeichnung !</span><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><span style="font-style: normal; font-size: 14px;" class="">-> Jury-Begründung: </span><i style="font-size: 14px;" class="">Hans Hochstögers Endphase ist eine nachdenkliche Auseinandersetzung mit der Geschichte seiner eigenen, lokalen österreichischen Gemeinde und rückt die im Wesentlichen unbekannte Ermordung von 228 Juden im Mai 1945 in den Vordergrund. Wir hoffen, dass dieser Film andere Filmemacher dazu ermutigt, sich mit der undiskutierten und schwierigen Geschichte zu befassen, zu der auch die der Täter und Zuschauer gehört. </i><a href="http://jfbb.info/" class=""><span style="font-size: 14px;" class=""><i class="">—</i></span><i style="font-size: 14px;" class="">>></i></a></div><div class=""><span style="font-size: 14px;" class=""><i class=""><br class=""></i></span></div><div class=""><span style="font-size: 14px;" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div class=""><span style="font-size: 14px;" class=""><br class=""></span></div></div><blockquote style="margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;" class=""><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><span style="font-size: 14px;" class=""><img apple-inline="yes" id="84F57176-4143-440A-9336-40E88D90095A" class="" src="cid:3ADD108E-87D6-4EB1-9019-848A7D040E29"></span></div><div class=""><span style="font-size: 14px;" class=""><br class=""></span></div></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><div class=""><span style="font-style: normal; font-size: 14px;" class=""><b class="">ENDPHASE</b></span></div></div></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><div class=""><span style="font-size: 14px;" class="">AT 2021, 86 min</span></div></div></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><br class=""></div></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><span style="font-size: 14px;" class="">Erinnerungsarbeit scheitert häufig an der Sorge, sich in der eigenen
Region Feinde zu machen. Daher müssen die Nachgeborenen den Mut
aufbringen, unbequeme Fragen zu stellen. Im niederösterreichischen
Hofamt Priel ist das der Filmemacher und Fotograf Hans Hochstöger, der
daraus einen Dokumentarfilm dreht, der einer der letzten seiner Art sein
wird: ein Oral History-Projekt, Spurensuche nach einem fast vergessenen
Massaker, bei der Zeitzeug*innen ihre Version von Erinnerung aus dem
Jahr 1945 schildern. Dabei findet er zusammen mit seinem Bruder Tobias,
einem Politikwissenschafter, sanfte Berichte der Betroffenen ebenso wie
die Banalität des Bösen, die Hannah Arendt beschrieben hatte, zudem aber
auch Fragmente des Guten. </span></div></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><span style="font-size: 14px;" class=""><br class=""></span></div></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><span style="font-size: 14px;" class="">Wenn ein Überlebender mit
zitternder Hand auf einer Tafel die eingravierten Namen der Ermordeten
berührt und zu jedem Namen eine persönliche Geschichte hat, entfaltet <strong class="">Endphase</strong>
schon in den ersten Minuten eine Kraft, die nahezu ohne Inszenierung
auskommt. Regie, Kamera und Schnitt hören respektvoll zu und warten ab,
was den Sich-Erinnernden nach so langer Zeit einfallen will. Dazwischen
Fotos aus einer glücklicheren Zeit, vor dem Massaker vom 2. Mai 1945.
Die heute noch von jener Nacht erzählen können, tun dies erschüttert,
aber sie alle hatten damals – auch das zeigt der Film – ihre eigenen
Sorgen, eigene Ängste. So wurde die Ermordung von 228 ungarischen Juden
und Jüdinnen ganz kurz vor Kriegsende für sie zum verschwommenen
Eindruck. Wer mehr wusste, schwieg. </span></div></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><span style="font-size: 14px;" class=""><br class=""></span></div></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><span style="font-size: 14px;" class="">Die Wahrheit, der Hans
Hochstöger nachgeht, stellt sich als Plural heraus, weil sich nicht alle
an dasselbe erinnern können (wollen) und die letzten Wissenden nicht
mehr am Leben sind. Gerade noch rechtzeitig, zugleich für einige
Zeug*innen zu spät, findet diese Suche statt nach dem, was nicht in den
Geschichtsbüchern steht. Hochstöger forscht weiter, gibt jahrelang nicht
auf. Dementsprechend kommen die Brüder der Wahrheit schließlich recht
nahe, bis sie wieder auf Gleichgültigkeit stoßen, auch bei späteren
Generationen, weil man sich nicht vorstellen will, dass die
Kriegsverbrecher normale Bürger*innen waren, die das regionale
Miteinander geprägt haben. <em class="">(Daniela Ingruber)</em></span></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;" class=""><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><i style="font-size: 14px;" class=""><br class=""></i></div></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><br class=""></div></div></blockquote><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><i style="font-size: 14px;" class=""><br class=""></i><span style="font-size: 36px;" class="">——</span></div><div dir="auto" class="" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div class=""><font size="4" class=""><span class=""><b class="">ENDPHASE</b></span></font><span class="" style="font-size: 14px;">, Hans Hochstöger’s emphatic and well investigated chronicle of the massacre on 228 jewish forced laborers in Hofamt Priel/AT one week before the end of WW2 has been awarded with the</span></div><div class=""><span class="" style="font-size: 14px;"><br class=""></span></div><div class=""><font size="4" class=""><span class=""><b class="">Prize for Intercultural Dialogue</b></span></font></div><div class=""><span class="" style="font-size: 14px;"><br class=""></span></div><div class=""><span class="" style="font-size: 14px;">by the Jury for Documentary Film at this year’s</span></div><div class=""><span class="" style="font-size: 14px;"><br class=""></span></div><div class=""><font size="4" class=""><span class=""><b class="">Jewish Filmfestival Berlin and Brandenburg</b></span></font></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><span class="" style="font-size: 14px;">Cordial</span><span class="" style="font-size: 14px;"> Congratulations to Hans Hochstöger and his team !</span></div><div class=""><span class="" style="font-size: 14px;"><br class=""></span></div><div class=""><span class="" style="font-size: 14px;">-> Jury statement: </span><span class="" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><i class="" style="font-size: 14px;">Hans Hochstöger’s Endphase is a thoughtful, probing of the history of his own, local Austrian community and brings to the fore the essentially unknown murder of 228 Jews in May 1945. We hope that this film will encourage other filmmakers to explore undiscussed and difficult history, which includes that of perpetrators and bystanders. </i></span><a href="http://jfbb.info/" class=""><span class="" style="font-size: 14px;"><i class="">—</i></span><i class="" style="font-size: 14px;">>></i></a></div><div class="page" title="Page 1"><div class="section" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><span class="" style="font-size: 14pt; font-style: oblique;"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div></div></div></div><div class=""><span class="" style="font-size: 14px;"><br class=""></span></div></div><blockquote class="" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;"><div dir="auto" class="" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div class=""><span class="" style="font-size: 14px;"><b class=""><img apple-inline="yes" id="0589EFEB-0EF9-4B7E-BA74-9452681368A3" class="" src="cid:92B08669-AE84-4855-8BB5-4F3B4586DC70"></b></span></div><div class=""><span class="" style="font-size: 14px;"><b class=""><br class=""></b></span></div><div class=""><span class="" style="font-size: 14px;"><b class="">ENDPHASE</b></span></div></div><div dir="auto" class="" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div class=""><span class="" style="font-size: 14px;">AT 2021, 86 min</span></div></div><div dir="auto" class="" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div class=""><span class="" style="font-size: 14px;"><br class=""></span></div></div><div dir="auto" class="" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div class=""><span class="" style="font-size: 14px;">Remembrance work often fails for fear of making enemies in one’s region. That is why those born later must have the courage to ask uncomfortable questions. In the Lower Austrian town Hofamt Priel, filmmaker and photographer Hans Hochstöger does, and he shoots a documentary film that will be one of the last of its kind: an oral history project searching for the traces of a nearly forgotten massacre in which contemporary witnesses sketch out their version of memories from 1945. In doing so, he and his brother Tobias, a political scientist, encounter smooth statements from those involved as well as the banality of evil that Hannah Arendt described, but also, fragments of the good. </span></div></div><div dir="auto" class="" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div class=""><span class="" style="font-size: 14px;"><br class=""></span></div></div><div dir="auto" class="" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div class=""><span class="" style="font-size: 14px;">Right from the first few minutes, when a survivor touches the name of a murdered person on a plaque, his hands trembling, and has a personal story for every name, <strong class="">Endphase</strong> unfurls a power that is effective with virtually no staging. Directing, camera, and editing listen respectfully and wait for what comes to those who remember after such a long time. In between, photos from happier days, before the massacres of May 2, 1945. Those who are still able to tell of that night are distressed as they do so, but back then they all had—as the film also shows—their own worries, their own fears. In this way, for them, the murder of 228 Hungarian Jews shortly before the end of the war became a blurry, rough idea. Those who knew more, remained silent. </span></div></div><div dir="auto" class="" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div class=""><span class="" style="font-size: 14px;"><br class=""></span></div></div><div dir="auto" class="" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div class=""><span class="" style="font-size: 14px;">The truth that Hans Hochstöger pursues turns out to be multiple, as not everyone could (wants to) recall the same thing, and the last of those who knew, are no longer alive. This search for what isn’t found in the history books takes place just in time, yet likewise, for some contemporary witnesses, it is too late. Hochstöger pursues his research for years, does not give up. Correspondingly, the brothers ultimately get very close to the truth, until once again they encounter indifference, also in generations born later, because people don’t want to imagine that the war criminals were normal citizens who characterized the region’s collective life. <em class="">(Daniela Ingruber // </em></span><em class="" style="font-size: 14px;">Translation: Lisa Rosenblatt)</em></div></div><div dir="auto" class="" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div class=""><span class="" style="font-size: 14px;"><br class=""></span></div></div><div dir="auto" class="" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div class=""><br class=""></div></div></blockquote><div dir="auto" class="" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div class=""><span class="" style="font-size: 36px;"><br class=""></span></div></div><div class=""><span style="font-size: 14px;" class=""><span style="font-size: 36px;" class="">——</span></span></div><div class=""><span style="font-size: 14px;" class="">sixpack<b class="">film</b></span></div></div></div></div></body></html>