Emanuel Aeneas Megersa's documentary film project with the working title "(Grand)Father and Other Forgotten Things" has been selected for project funding in the Film / Material Development section by the Cultural Foundation of the Free State of Saxony. The Friends of the HGB Leipzig are also involved in funding the project. Emanuel Aeneas Megersa studies in the photography and moving image class of Prof. Tina Bara and in the expanded cinema class of Prof. Clemens von Wedemeyer.
Emanuel Aeneas Megersa deals with the effects of the Second World War and post-colonial issues. He examines the life stages of his grandfather, who grew up in Ethiopia and now lives in the USA, and his grandmother, who was traumatized by fascist violence as a child in what is now Poland and now lives in Bavaria. Together with his mother and aunt, who grew up in post-war, white, conservative Germany, Emanuel Aeneas Megersa attempts to explore biographical gaps that raise questions about his own identity, both for him and for other members of the younger generations of his family.
The jury's statement said: "The project is one of the projects awarded funding by the Cultural Foundation due to its quality and significance for the Free State of Saxony."
As part of its project funding, the Cultural Foundation supports nationally significant art and cultural projects in the Free State of Saxony that are characterized by outstanding quality and a clear profile in terms of content. Applications can be submitted twice a year for projects in the fields of visual arts, performing arts and music, film, literature, socio-culture, industrial culture and cross-disciplinary projects. Independent advisory boards decide on the awards.