The Pitch Award of the Haus des Dokumentarfilms was won by Max Carlo Kohal for his film Der Siebte Sohn, described as “a documentary river-movie about growing up between the big ports of Europe, which also addresses the economic-political importance of international shipping trade.”
Rudmer is a 17-year-old sailor who wants to fulfil his life’s dream to become a captain. In telling Rudmer’s story, director Kohal, who has always been both impressed and fascinated by the River Rhine he lives beside in Basel, seeks answers to his own questions.
“What is hidden in the containers and the huge bellies of the ships? Who works and lives on these ships? How do these people perceive their lives between the big ports of Europe? And above all, if I were to get to know life on the ship and the globalisation associated with it, which clichés will disappear and what discoveries will I make?” he asks.
Rudmer’s life on the ship consists of loading and unloading containers, docking the boat, painting and all the other daily chores such as cleaning, shopping and doing the laundry. “I think with his “baby face” he looks completely out of place between metres of rope and thousands of tonnes of steel. He wears glasses, his left ear is full of piercings and his elbows are plagued by his neurodermatitis,” says Kohal.
“To me, he looks like a child who wants to steer a boat but has never heard of growing up. Because when he has time off, he sits at home in Harlingen with his unemployed father and builds model boats,” Kohal adds. “I want to observe him for a longer period of time to find out what work, home and growing up mean to a young person. I am very interested in the decisions young people like him make for their lives.”
There are other characters onboard too. Tattoed Lorenzo (21), an avowed Rotterdam Feyernord fan, at first sight seems to have bullying tendencies but in essence has a big heart. Then there is the captain Martin, clumsy, chain-smoking and his mid-40s, who maintains a good relationship with his ancient and overweight beagle. He seems to be an easy-going boss, but is also more concerned with himself than with his crew.
“I want to make this film because I see it as an exciting coming-of-age piece: the young sailors grow up on a ship and will probably ask themselves similar questions as other young people do, just not in such an environment. The work on deck is hard and there are no regular working hours. When containers are being loaded, it can be at 3.00 am. And the containers have to be loaded, even after a 14-hour shift,” said the director during his Munich pitch.
The design of the film’s visuals will be key, Kohal argues in the project notes, stressing how, with a 35 mm lens as a fixed focal length, the figures can be portrayed well from close up in relation to their surroundings. “The camera must always be close to the characters and the faces, because I do not care what tasks they perform. The focus is on emotions and relationships. It is not only the relationship between the characters that plays a role here, but also the relationship between the harbour area, the ship and the people. It is important to me that the audience realises how small the people are in their self-made industrial systems and what significance an individual has.”
“I want the audience of the film to go on the journey of a young sailor and the crew of an inland vessel: the spatial confinement, the youthful free spirit, the hard work and the size comparison between man and industry will be experienced,” he summarises. “I also want to highlight the pressure and impact of global trade on those working in shipping, showing a young sailor who has to find his way in this world. The film is a documentary river-movie about growing up between the big ports of Europe, which also addresses the economic-political importance of international shipping trade.”
The DOK.Forum Haus des Dokumentarfilms award is designed to help both the development of the project and in gaining new financing partners. The prize is valued at €2,500 euros.
From the jury’s statement: “For his long-term observation, Max Carlo Kohal takes us into a clearly defined universe – a cargo ship on European inland waters. From Basel to Rotterdam, always along the Rhine. Three men steer the ship and spend their lives there. With the director, we accompany the young Rudmer, who will spend the next three years training to become a sailor. The jury of the Pitch Award appreciates this insight into a world that is unknown and unseen. […] The director shows us the complex world of industrialised goods traffic – and at the same time presents a very personal film here, shot in a very small space, a globalisation story from below.”
