Wim Wenders' Pina takes top prize at Dimension 3

Wim Wenders’ 3D feature documentary Pina, about the legendary choreographer Pina Bausch, has won the Grand Prize in the fledgling competition of the Dimension 3 forum, a three-day exhibition and festival devoted to 3D technology, held on the outskirts of Paris.

In their second year, Dimension 3’s Dimmy awards are aimed at outstanding 3D content across 11 categories.

Wenders’ innovative documentary was stereographed by Paris-based 3D expert Alain Derobe, who is currently working on Asterix 4 God Save Britannia.Pina producer Erwin Schmidt was due to speak about the production in a presentation on 3D feature film-making at Dimension 3 on Wednesday.

In other key awards, Jury’s Coup de Coeur Special Award went to French Jean-Michel’s Tari’s 22-minute film La Troisieme Voie, revolving around a violent confrontation between a wanted robber and a tough policeman. The film was stereographed by Cédric-Alexandre Saudinos and David Steiner of Paris-based Parallell Cinema.

Tari, who previously worked at French games specialist Ubisoft where he organized and directed the production of the Splinter Cell series, and his producer Alexandre Singer at Kafard Film now have ambitions to develop the short into a full-length 3D feature.

The Technical Award for Stereoscopic Innovation was awarded to Belgian Niko Himschoot’s 28-minute film Dinsdag, capturing the start of the day for various inhabitants of an apartment block. The film was stereographed by Ruben Tondeur.

The UP3D Technical Award went to Pascal Vuong and Ronan Chapalain’s Sea Rex: Journey to a Prehistoric World, an IMAX 3D work taking viewers back into the dinosaur age, made with financial support from the French National Cinema Centre (CNC).

In other prizes awarded on Tuesday night, Paris-based Philippe Gerard’s 3D Lized won the new €100,000 Grand Prize for the Orange 3D Creation Workshops, launched this year by French telecom giant Orange, for its project Circus 3D.

Gérard’s film was selected from 155 projects submitted at the end of 2010. Four runners-up received €50,000 each. They comprised 5 Metres 80, about a troupe of acrobatic diving giraffes; Swell Lovers, following a group of surfers on the French Atlantic Coast; Enfer, following a young fireman on his first tours of duty; and the 3D game Miss Pin-up.