Of Special Merit / 1968

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.

The Power of Accumulated Merit / 2012

While on a road trip to the country side, a group of students find themselves at a police station, where they learn valuable lessons about history. This is among nine films commissioned by Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej for the 2012 Terdglao Project.

Meritorious Artist Terezie Brzková / 1961

The Dog and His Various Merits / 1908

We see a working dog, a beggar's dog, a shepherd's dog, and a milkman's dog. The working dog is locked inside a large wire wheel; the dog runs inside the wheel, turning it to run a machine. The beggar's dog pulls its legless master, who's sitting on a low cart, down the street. The shepherd's dog keeps a flock of at least 20 sheep in a tight circle. The milkman's dog pulls a cart on which is mounted a large cylinder of milk. A lad leads the dog to a house with a Dutch door; the top half of the door opens, and the lady of the house hands out a pitcher that the boy fills as the dog waits.