Heaven
Is Our Homeland:
The Glückstalers in New Russia and North America
Glückstal
Colonies Research Association, Redondo Beach, California,
2005, 60 minutes, DVD
The
four villages known as the Glückstal Colonies were established
northwest of Odessa in 1809-1810. However, the earliest of
these immigrants had already arrived in July, 1804. Eventually
106 families were settled in Glückstal in the spring
of 1809. The first 100 families of Neudorf arrived in 1808-1809.
 These families lived with other settlers at three different
locations before establishing Neudorf in the spring of 1810.
In the same spring, the 68 families of Bergdorf (who arrived
in 1808-1809) and the 99 families of Kassel (who arrived in
the fall of 1809) were also settled.
Glückstalers began the migration
to North America in 1874, first settling in Hutchinson County,
Dakota Territory. Later they moved north and west as the railroads
were completed and land became available. Migration continued
to Western Canada, the Pacific Northwest and California. Today,
descendants of these Glückstal Colonies are found throughout
the United States and Canada, parts of Europe, particularly
Germany, in Australia, and in the former Soviet Union.
 For
more information about the Germans from Russia,
consult the following websites:
Glueckstal Colonies Research Association
http://www.glueckstal.net
Germans from Russia Heritage Collection,
North Dakota State University Libraries, Fargo, North Dakota
at the Media section "Video Documentary and Other Projects"
http://library.ndsu.edu/grhc
Documentary Awards
The Heaven Is Our Homeland documentary
has received in 2005 the Crystal Award of Excellence, the
top prize in the 2004 "Communicator Awards." There
were almost 3,000 entries from forty-eight states and seven
foreign countries. Less than ten percent of all entries win
any awards of these entries, less than one-half receive the
Crystal Award of Excellence. The award is judged on story
telling ability and technical excellence.
In 2006, this program won a Silver
Telly Award, the top prize in the documentary category in
the 27th Telly Award Competition.
2006 Aurora Award
"Heaven is Our Homeland:
The Glueckstalers in New Russia and North America" produced
by Roadshow productions in cooperation with Prairie Public
Broadcasting, and funded by the Glueckstal Colonies Research
Association has won a 2006 Gold Aurora Award in the Documentary-Historical
category.
The program been distributed nationally
to PBS stations by NETA.
The Aurora Awards recognizes individuals
in the film and video industries who have achieved that same
ability to captivate their audiences with the displays produced
from their own creative forces. Competitors come from private
and corporate production groups, advertising agencies and
television stations throughout the country.
The Aurora Awards is also an international
competition designed to recognize excellence in the film and
video industries. Entries have come from across the US, and
abroad, such as Canada, Hong Kong, Denmark, Mexico, etc.
The judging functions are performed
by panels of working film and video professionals that are
set up in major cities across the country. Most are writers,
producers, or directors who are previous award winners. Judges
with specific proficiencies are matched with specific categories;
for example music composers sit on the original music panels.
The basic premise of the judging structure for the Aurora
Awards is receiving the endorsement of your peers that your
work is outstanding. Programs are judged on a fixed scale
in areas of creativity, message effectiveness and technical
excellence. Added together this provides a score that is measured
against an absolute scale to determine if the program is award
worthy or not. Using this method there could be several winners
in one category or none at all. Overall scores from each panel
are also compared to a statistical model to see if there is
a consistency and fairness in each panel. Less than 2 out
of every 10 entries receive an award.
Bob Dambach
Director of Television
Prairie Public Broadcasting
Fargo, North Dakota
August, 2006
Heaven Is Our Homeland: The Glückstalers
in New Russia and North America
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