Of Special Merit

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Poster for Of Special Merit
MOVIE

Of Special Merit

An attack on a piece of reactionary German legislation discriminating against young film directors. The film features a head-on, close-up shot of a penis ‘mouthing’ the parliamentary defense of the law by its author. A landmark in political pamphleteering, the film was selected for the 1968 Oberhausen International Short Film Festival by a committee of leading German critics and promptly banned by the city government, causing the withdrawal of almost all German directors from the festival and a national scandal. The title satirically refers to the official certificate of ‘Particularly Valuable’ given each year to the best film shorts by an Establishment selection.

Original Title

Besonders wertvoll

Release Date

1968-02-17

Year

1968

Duration

11m

Status

Released

Score

3.60

Cast

Hellmuth Costard

Hellmuth Costard

No Image

Hans Toussaint

(voice)