In the VOX documentary “The Black Forest Deer – An Extraordinary Kitchen Crew” Tim Mälzer and actor André Dietz dared to carry out a special experiment. Can a crew of 13 people with Down Syndrome run their own restaurant? With a lot of hard work and full commitment, the participants have shown that they can very well be used as full-fledged workers in the catering industry. The documentary won two awards at the Grimme Prize: both in the “Entertainment” category and the audience award.
For maker André Dietz, however, the prices are secondary. He has a disabled daughter himself and thinks the documentary has made a big difference. The show has reduced fears of contact and hopefully also led to a change in thinking among bosses, he said, so that people with disabilities also get more opportunities on the job market and are brought on board. “We did that with ‘Zum Schwarzwälder Hirsch’,” says Dietz.
One of the protagonists of the documentary also had a say at the award ceremony. 18-year-old Alya-Marie was allowed to give an acceptance speech and delighted the audience. “I’m super happy that we did it together and that we were able to show that we’re really great people who want to work and aren’t aliens. We’re just really great and I think it’s really nice that we two Grimme awards,” said the young woman.
Tim Mälzer was also visibly touched by her words. In his own speech, he emphasized again how important it is to trust people. “We so often underestimate our counterparts. We judge too early and deny them their competencies. That was the most fluent, intelligent and by far the most pointed acceptance speech we had tonight!”
Source: RTL
