Gold (2015 film)

Gold. is a German experimental short documentary film directed by Alexander Tuschinski. It intercuts abandoned 19th century gold-mining towns in the desert with sequoia trees in a forest. The film had its world premiere at Mykonos Biennale on July 3, 2015, where it was screened in competition and received the Biennale's Golden Pelican Award by Lydia Venieri. It had its German premiere at Berlin Short Film Festival on July 4, 2015, was screened in competition at Braunschweig International Film Festival 2015. and had its US-premiere at Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival in 2016.

Production
The film is set to the fourth movement of Beethoven's seventh symphony, which has been called "Apotheosis of Dance" by Richard Wagner. The director's intention was to intercut nature and human structures to show nature overtaking. It was filmed with a tight schedule and the crew travelled long distances in a short amount of time to get many different shots needed. Tuschinski edited the film from six hours of material from "countless camera-angles", as most shots are shown only very briefly due to the often rapid editing. Planning the film, he was inspired by the early works of his friend and mentor Hugo Niebeling that connect cinematography and music in a very direct way.

Reception
"He knows how to use the power of images."

"Alexander Tuschinski in 'Gold.' narrates the constant story of the exploits just with images and music (...). His original and personal style make us honor 'Gold.' with The Golden Pelican."

"An experimental short film (...) looking at humanity's battle for currency and profit."

Screenings
The film was screened in competition at the following festivals:
 * Mykonos Biennale 2015 (Winner: Golden Pelican Award)
 * Berlin Short Film Festival 2015
 * Braunschweig International Film Festival 2015
 * Berlin Independent Film Festival 2016
 * Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival 2016