So many films, so many prizes. The 40th FILMFEST MÜNCHEN congratulates all winners on their prizes and thanks all award donors who make it possible to honor special films. What a great 9 days we had. Let's celebrate the winners together.

German cinema new talent award

Yesterday, Friday, 30.06.2023, the German Cinema New Talent Award was already awarded in four categories: Best Production, Best Actor, Best Screenplay and Best Director.

Every year, a three-member jury decides on the award - in 2023, this jury was made up of actor Friedrich Mücke, actress and director Sheri Hagen and director Sophie Linnenbaum . The German Cinema New Talent Award is one of the most important and most highly endowed prizes for young filmmakers in Germany. The prize, worth a total of 70,000 euros, is sponsored by Bavaria Film, Bayerischer Rundfunk and DZ Bank.

Best Director: Sylvie Michel for MORE THAN STRANGERS

The jury:

"A chamber play, a microcosm.

In the tightest of spaces, this production gives us amusing insight into human tragedies, great and small.

The composition, which is clearly defined and deliberately restrained, along with the fine directing, allows the characters to become people and friends who take us on a journey that explores right and wrong.

They say that getting there is half the fun. But sometimes a detour is better.

Congratulations to Sylvie Michel on her solid achievement as the director of MORE THAN STRANGERS."

Best Screenplay: Merle Grimme for CLASHING DIFFERENCES

The jury:

"Taking a humorous approach, this screenplay reflects the state of the film industry and the way it deals with the issue of diversity in essence, appearance, and reality. We are delighted with CLASHING DIFFERENCES, this unusual form of satirical narrative that seeks to breach the structural inequality in our film industry. We congratulate Merle Grimme on her audacious screenplay"

Best Production: Uschi Feldges for EMPTY NETS

The jury:

"Far from the images and headlines that we in the Western world tend to associate with Iran, this film tells an unusual story of escape in the style of Romeo and Juliet on the coast of Iran.

This film offers a well-executed change of perspective in its story, cast, and setting. Thanks to her bold decisions as a producer, Uschi Feldges, in collaboration with Eva Kemme and Ansgar Frerich, has created a hopeful and suspenseful journey in EMPTY NETS."

Best Acting Performance: Dor Aloni for SALTY WATER

The jury:

"You make a charming impression. And you have a strong, alluring desire to play a game. You approach your partner with great openness and with your willingness to offer surprises in the game of action and reaction. In doing so, you’re cocky and funny — as you probably are in real life — and thus invite your audience in. People want to watch you, to be near you. The subtle nuances are what make all the difference in the work we have seen.

The way you say your lines, make funny observations, ask questions — play with language in general — it was all a great pleasure to watch.

In a very interesting mixture of lightness, sensuality, and an unhurried game, we observe a talented individual whom we would like to see more of in the future. A lot, quite a lot, is imaginable."

Arri Award

The award in the CineMasters competition is the main prize of FILMFEST MÜNCHEN and is sponsored by long-time partners ARRI. Director Doris Dörrie, director İlker Çatak and Kim Yutani, the director of programming at the Sundance Film Festival, selected the winning film from the twelve entries in the competition and they chose FOUR DAUGHTERS by Kaouther Ben Hania as Best International Film:

"The jury chose the film LES FILLES D'OLFA (FOUR DAUGHTERS) by Kaouther Ben Hania because this film stands out on many levels. It tells the moving story of Olfa, a single mother raising four daughters in Tunisia at the turn of the millennium. In the process, the women recall and recreate their narratives, opening up a panorama of a society in transition and only rarely have we seen such unsparing honesty in a film such as this one. It is the courage of the protagonists to confide in this filmmaker. And it is the courage of the filmmaker to tell this moving and complex story in her very own way. This is a film within a film that makes the horrors of the past bearable only through their abstraction. At the same time, however, through its form and commitment, FOUR DAUGHTERS also radiates hope, warmth, and humanity. The jury unanimously chose this film."

CineVision Award

The CineVision Award is given to the Best International Newcomer Film and is sponsored by MPLC. The jurors this year were director Andreas Kleinert, actress Luisa-Céline Gaffron and Dr. Monika Bayer-Wermuth, the senior curator at Museum Brandhorst. They chose the brazilian film THE BURITI FLOWER by João Salaviza and Renée Nader Messora:

"The film CROWRÃ by João Salaviza and Renée Nader Messora shows us the paradise of a community in which nature and humans live in harmony. It opens up a space for fundamental questions of our time, which are portrayed in an aesthetically and politically visionary way. In choosing a fictional-documentary narrative style, the directors have succeeded in finding a respectful and poetic approach to depicting the everyday life, history, and present situation of the indigenous Krahô people. The continuous oppression and capitalism’s unyielding grip on resources and living space find expression here, as does the portrayal of the community’s coexistence. The directors’ intensive work with the Krahô, which extended over a long period of time, becomes evident in an aesthetically and emotionally moving way in the sensitive and close encounters with the people of the community and the history of the village. This is a sensual and physical cinematic experience that resonates for a long time."

CineRebels Award

The CineRebels Award is sponsored by our main partner AUDI and is endowed with 10,000 euros. It is a platform for format junkies, film adventurers and people with cinephile film taste. This year's jury of three, actress Anne Ratte-Polle, director Axel Ranisch and director and artist Bruce LaBruce chose the film OMEN by Baloji.

"AUGURE (OMEN) is the film that at some point each of us referred to as a masterpiece.

As a first-time director, Baloji blew us away with his originality, his endless inventiveness, his life-affirming humor, and the lyrical power of his imagery.

Barraging us with one astonishing scene after another, he has created a vivid experience that is both a portrait of a highly dysfunctional family, torn between traditional religious values and the modern world, and a declaration of love to his native Congo.

The subject matter may be tough and challenging, but he manages to deliver it all as a superb piece of entertainment that surprises us at every turn.

The stunning locations and the flawless art direction and costumes (the latter designed by the director himself), as well as an intermittent explosion of queer aesthetics, all contribute to the telling of a story that can be universally appreciated."

An honorable mention goes to QUEENDOM by Agniia Galdanova.

The jury:

"Although we were not allowed, we had to insist on giving QUEENDOM a special mention. Agniia Galdanova’s film is an extraordinary achievement in documentary filmmaking.

The name of our section is CineRebels, and no one could embody this spirit more than the protagonist, Gena Marvin. In a country where being queer is practically forbidden and its mere expression can be punishable by persecution or even by death by the state, Gena Marvin is willing to risk her very life in pursuit of freedom of expression in queer and artistic political activism.

Balancing her struggles against governmental oppression and her attempt to remain her authentic self in the face of her disapproving family, she exhibits both uncommon bravery and real heart.

The filmmaker Agniia Galdanova achieves a true intimacy with her protagonist as an invisible yet powerful presence. On a modest budget, she attains a high level of craft in both sound and image. The result is a film that is both political and poetic."

CineKindl Award

The prize, awarded for the first time in 2022, comes with €2,500 and is sponsored by megaherz. The three-member jury that chose the winning film this year consisted of director Joya Thome, DoP Philip Henze and  producer Maite Woköck, and selected the Swedish film NELLY RAPP - THE DARK FOREST by Johan Rosell from among the nominees:

"This film delighted the children as well as us adults on many levels. It relates the grand adventure of monster agent Nelly Rapp in a very exciting, funny, and touching way. In doing so, it portrays all of its characters entertainingly and at all times authentically. This film appreciates that children are a sophisticated audience, and as a side effect of this, it appeals to all ages. The terrific interaction between Johan Rosell’s directing and all the other crafts of filmmaking immerses the audience in Nelly’s world and gives us an inspiring cinematic experience."

An Honorable Mention goes to the film AND THE KING SAID, WHAT A FANTASTIC MACHINE by Axel Danielson and Maximilien Van Aertryck .

"It is very important to us to highlight this film. Instead of grasping the subject only on a theoretical level, it allows us to experience the power of images firsthand."

FIPRESCI-Prize

The FIPRESCI Prizes are film prizes awarded by the international film critics' and film journalists' association Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique. At FILMFEST MÜNCHEN, a three-member international jury selected the best film in the New German Cinema series. This year's jury was composed of Brazil based film journalist Ela Bittencourt, German film journalist Frank Arnold and Ukranian film journalist Serhii Ksaverov. The 2023 FIPRESCI Award goes to Henning Beckhoff for FOSSIL:

"The FIPRESCI critics’ jury awards the prize to FOSSIL, directed by Henning Beckhoff, for his remarkable ability to mix social incisiveness — connecting the issues of working-class labor, generational family conflicts and environmental activism — with wry situational and visual humor and a satirical yet empathetic perspective. This film depicts a prickly and at times unlikeable protagonist with great tenderness and surprising intimacy. The director’s use of the post-industrial landscape of the mining region is unique yet universal."

Kinderfilmfest audience award

Probably the strictest and most honest jury in the world decides on the awarding of prizes at the Kinderfilmfest: All visitors to the KINDERFILMFEST MÜNCHEN evaluate the films shown during the festival week and vote for their favorite via voting cards. And this year's winner is the TV series PUMUCKL'S NEW ADVENTURES by Marcus H. Rosenmüller.