REMEMBERING KARL SAURER
IFFI 2020 – 24.10.2020
HELMUT GROSCHUP REMEMBERING KARL SAURER
I cannot get used to the fact that he is gone, to the fact that I cannot meet him anymore. Kari was one of my teachers, a professional guy and then again not professional at all. He was like the morning star in an industry that, due to its arrogance, has its open future anyway. Well, the cinema industry has progressed terribly far. Not just because of Corona, also because of Netflix and other concerns. Kari passed away in the first days of the Corona crisis, maybe not a coincidence, but he would have been one of the ones who would have held against it. Karl Saurer was someone who always stood against it, and was always a friend of those who stood against it.
The way I got to know him was before IFFI was founded, before 1992, so we supported each other for at least 30 years. His works are not bestsellers - they are, in my words, long sellers as opposed to bestsellers. What does that mean. Today movies are made for a release and then they are gone. You can watch Kari's pictures over and over again and sadly they have kept their relevance, like KEBAB AND ROSOLI. We toured Tyrol together with this movie in the early 1990s and I could still do this today.
Kari was very committed to the IFFI, he was always there whenever we needed him and he was very responsive from one second to the next. Kari has enriched the IFFI with his movies, but also with his endless patience. And with his calmness he made sure that we sometimes didn't slip away, as filmmaker, juror, presenter, guest advisor, laudator, keynote speaker and critical spirit during film discussions.
Kari's works are a legacy for people for whom he was a mouthpiece because they were unable to put themselves in the spotlight. He was committed to the environment. He was a democrat, a humanist and one of my best friends, my teacher, my brother, my father and my boss. I can' t think of anything more about this great man.Rest in Peace my brother Kari. Oh, I wish we could drink a bottle of red again.
Helmut Groschup (Founder of the IFFI and former director)
At the IFFI the films KEBAB UND ROSOLI (1992) and AHIMSA (2012) by Karl Saurer will be shown. Elena Hinshaw-Fischli has selected both films. They testify to Karl Saurer's humanistic commitment. They encourage, because they not only point out problems, but always show possibilities for action and for breaking up power structures. Thank you Helmut Groschup for this beautiful and personal text.
