Prizes

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International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam IDFA – Special Jury Award, Joris Ivens Competition 2008:
“In this documentary home movies show us an ordinary happy family in twentieth century America. However, not all is as it seems. The father in the movies is still alive but he does not remember anything. Or does he? Rick Minnich made a documentary about his own father, who says he lost his memory after a car accident but the doctors cannot find anything wrong with him and the members of the family are not convinced either. Memory loss might be an act of will.
In the risky genre of the personal documentary Rick Minnich and Matthew Sweetwood managed to do everything right. The structure gives the film a beautiful sense of suspense. The notion of the possibility to escape from your own life permeates the film and makes the movie not only touching but also exhilarating.”

FBW Siegel

Highest Rating of German Film Assessment Center FBW:
“Rick Minnich tells the story of his father, who lost his memory at the age of forty-five and became an unapproachable stranger to his family, in a way that has all the excitement of a detective story. Minnich’s carefully crafted documentary impresses the viewer due to the very direct and personal insight it gives into the feelings of a family who are dealing with this traumatic situation in very different ways. It is above all Minnich’s love of craftsmanship that helps him make a film that goes beyond the private to attain universal significance. An eerie, impressive film that is deeply moving.”

Achtung Berlin – New Berlin Film Award – Honorable Mention, Berlin, Germany, April 2009

Ippokrates 1st International Health Film Festival – 2nd Audience Award, Kos, Greece, September 2009

William Dieterle Filmpreis (Special Prize), Ludwigshafen, Germany, 23 October 2009:
“The documentary film “Forgetting Dad” begins as a very personal search of a son forgotten by his father, and climaxes in a criminal case, only to return to a private drama in the end. As a child, filmmaker Rick Minnich had to witness how his father suffered total amnesia following a minor car accident. The father – a computer expert who was apparently involved in a bank scandal – cannot remember anyone or anything from his past, and never returns from his role as “New Richard.” In virtuostic cinematic manner, Minnich delves into his own biography, which is inseparably intertwined with his estranged father’s. The film gains its thriller structure – which could compete with any narrative film – from the tale of an illness whose truth is questioned until the very end of the film.”

GZDOC – Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival – Grand Jury Prize, China, 10 December 2009
“The film captures a private issue which seems to be restricted to a family. Dad lost his memory because of a car accident. The director takes a step-by-step way to tell a story which is closely related to everyone of us. Everyone has the right to choose their lifestyle. Respecting their choice is respecting ourselves. The film is warm and thought-provoking.”

Dallas Video Fest: Honorable Mention, Dallas, Texas, 23-26 September 2010