Klára Trencsényi wins the 2015 Next Masters Competition (Next Masters Wettbewerb) and the Media Foundation’s Golden Dove at DOK Leipzig
Leipzig, 31 October, 2015. In 2015, the Golden Dove of the Sparkasse Leipzig Media Foundation, awarded for an exceptional film by a new artist, went to filmmaker Klára Trencsényi for her film "Reményvasút" ("Train to Adulthood"). The selection was made by the jury of the Next Masters Competition at the 58th International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film.
The Golden Dove is awarded together with a prize of 10,000 euros funded by the Media Foundation. This prize money is intended to supplement funding for the award winner’s next film project. Stephan Seeger, Managing Director of the Media Foundation and Director of the Sparkasse Leipzig Foundations, warmly congratulated the Hungarian filmmaker during the awards ceremony on Saturday evening in Leipzig: "Your film is a sensitive observation of the transformation process in Hungary through the eyes of three children. We thank you for this insight, hope that your film will reach a broad audience, and wish to contribute to the realization of your next film with this award." John Smith, juror at the Next Masters Competition, explained the selection of Trencsényi, praising "the wonderfully shot and edited 'Train to Adulthood'", saying that her film represented "an anachronistic, utopian project juxtaposed with the harsh realities of life to which two families in Hungary are exposed".
The Sparkasse Leipzig Media Foundation has supported DOK Leipzig since 2004 by providing monetary prizes for exceptional films by new artists. Prior winners of the award, formerly known as the Talent Dove in the Generation DOK Competition, have included Kaveh Bakhtiari in 2013, later nominated for a European Film Award, and Ilian Metev in 2008, winner of the France 4 Visionary Award in Cannes.
About "Reményvasút" ("Train to Adulthood"): The film follows Budapest twins Viktor and Karmen along with Gergo, who work together at the Children’s Railway in the Hungarian capital. They are confronted early on with the reality of the world of grown-ups: The twins’ mother works hard but cannot feed her family, and Gergo lives with his grandparents while his parents must work in Western Europe to support the family.