Schwarzfahrer (Black Rider)

Academy Award winning, anti-racism film
1992/93 12 min, 35mm

“… a great short film, not one superfluous word plus a surprising twist which plays on the double meaning of the word Schwarzfahrer (the literal translation is ‘black rider’ but the term generally means ‘fair dodger’). The cinematography has been described as outstanding.” (FWB - German federal authority for evaluating and rating film and media).

"Schwarzfahrer" is a black and white film about an incident of colour related racism on a tram in Germany: An elderly lady launches into a tirade of verbal abuse against an African American passenger, bringing up a whole host of prejudices against asylum-seekers and immigrants. The other passengers eavesdrop, but don’t intervene. When the ticket inspector turns up to check everyone’s tickets something unexpected occurs and the tables turn…

Writer/ Director:
Pepe Danquart
Cinematographer:
Ciro Cappellari
Sound:
Ed Cantu
Editor:
Mona Bräuer
Cast:
Stefan Merki, Senta Moira, Paul Outlaw
Producer:
Albert Kitzler
Distribution: :
Kinowelt
Distribution worldwide:
Trans Film Vertrieb
Festivals:
screened at over 100 festivals world wide
Seal of Approval:
Besonders wertvoll
Awards:
an Oscar in 1994 and over 20 other festival awards including: New York, Minsk, San Francisco, Montreal, Berlin, Valladolid, San Sebastian, Nordic Film Festival (Scandinavia), Cairo, Paris, Jerusalem, Milan, among others.