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FILMFEST MÜNCHEN 2019 Awards

Bacurau and Song Without a Name triumph at the 37th Filmfest München

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- Further awards at the German gathering went to Lara and The Invisible Life of Eurídice Gusmão

Bacurau and Song Without a Name triumph at the 37th Filmfest München
Producer Emilie Lesclaux (Bacurau), the donors of the prize Michael Klopp (OSRAM) and Dr Jörg Pohlman (ARRI), and the CineMasters jury members listen to director Juliano Dornelles as he collects the ARRI/OSRAM Award for Best International Film (© Filmfest München)

The 37th edition of the Filmfest München came to a close on Saturday with a ceremonious presentation of its awards. Boasting a wide-ranging programme, the festival, which unspooled from 27 June-6 July in the Bavarian capital, this year introduced a new competitive section dedicated to co-productions involving German co-producers, as well as its first virtual-reality section.

One of the two titles honoured with the Jury Prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Bacurau [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kleber Mendonça Filho, Juli…
film profile
]
(Brazil/France) by Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles, claimed victory in the CineMasters competition, scooping the ARRI/Osram Award for Best International Film. "This movie blew us away. The story is set in the near future – one that seems uncomfortably close. What looks like a simple plot about a village defending itself from a gang of white supremacists trying to exterminate them turns out to be a multilayered poetical allegory of our world today. The filmmakers skilfully mix elements of magical realism, western, fantasy, horror and trash. This film shows us that only with solidarity and empathy can there be hope,” stated the jury, which brought together Susan Senk, founder of Susan Senk Public Relations and Marketing, Bulgarian-German actor Samuel Finzi, and film director Emily Atef.

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The jury of the CineMasters competition also decided to bestow an Honourable Mention upon Mads Brügger's investigative documentary Cold Case Hammarskjöld [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mads Brügger
interview: Mads Brügger
film profile
]
(Belgium/Denmark/Norway/Sweden). This year, the festival also honoured the Danish director with a retrospective.

As for the CineVision Award for Best International Film by a New Director, this went to Melina León’s Song Without a Name [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
(Peru/Spain/USA), which the jury, comprising actress Ursina Lardi, artistic director of the Mumbai Film Festival Smriti Kiran and actress Saskia Rosendahl, praised for its “elaborate visual style, deep empathy and respect for the indigenous communities of its homeland”.

The newly created CineCoPro Award, valued at €100,000, was pocketed by The Invisible Life of Eurídice Gusmão [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Karim Aïnouz
film profile
]
by Karim Aïnouz (the winner of the Un Certain Regard Prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival), and was handed out during a separate ceremony, which took place on Friday. While justifying its decision, the jury praised the German-Brazilian co-production for the manner in which it “effectively uses a recognisable genre and builds upon outstanding camera work and engaging performances”, and described the film as “an emotional story set largely in the past, which beautifully manages to extend the echo of history into the contemporary political climate as it delves into the status of women in Brazil”.

Moreover, Lara [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: GoCritic! Interview: Jan-Ol…
interview: Jan Ole Gerster
film profile
]
celebrated a double victory at Filmfest München, earning Jan-Ole Gerster both the FIPRESCI Prize and the German Cinema New Talent Award for Best Director. Described by the FIPRESCI jury as a “brilliant cinematic portrait of the consequences of judgemental parenting and of art as a resolution”, the German drama also scooped three awards at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival on Saturday: the Special Jury Prize, the Award for Best Lead Actress (for Corinna Harfouch) and the Ecumenical Jury Award.

Lastly, both Antonio Banderas and Ralph Fiennes were honoured this year for their extraordinary contributions to motion pictures as an art form, while Louis Garrel received the Margot Hielscher Award, a prize dedicated to an outstanding national or international artistic personality, who in his or her youth demonstrated versatility and achievement in various cultural disciplines.

Here is the complete list of winners at the 37th Filmfest München:

ARRI/OSRAM Award for Best International Film
Bacurau [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kleber Mendonça Filho, Juli…
film profile
]
- Kleber Mendonca Filho and Juliano Dornelles (Brazil/France)

Special Mention, CineMasters competition
Cold Case Hammarskjöld [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mads Brügger
interview: Mads Brügger
film profile
]
- Mads Brügger (Belgium/Denmark/Norway/Sweden)

CineVision Award for Best International Film by a New Director
Song Without a Name [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
- Melina León (Peru/Spain/USA)

CineCoPro Award for German Co-producers of International Co-productions
The Invisible Life of Eurídice Gusmão [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Karim Aïnouz
film profile
]
- Karim Aïnouz (Germany/Brazil)

FIPRESCI Prize
Lara [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: GoCritic! Interview: Jan-Ol…
interview: Jan Ole Gerster
film profile
]
- Jan-Ole Gerster (Germany)

German Cinema New Talent Award for Best Director
Lara - Jan-Ole Gerster

German Cinema New Talent Award for Best Producer
Martin Lischke - Leif in Concert (Germany)

German Cinema New Talent Award for Best Screenplay
Nils Mohl, Ilker Çatak - I Was, I Am, I Will Be [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
(Germany/France)

German Cinema New Talent Award for Best New Actor/Actress
Oğulcan Arman Uslu - I Was, I Am, I Will Be (Germany/France)

CineMerit Award
Actor-director Ralph Fiennes
Actor Antonio Banderas

Margot Hielscher Award
Actor-director Louis Garrel

BAYERN 2 and SZ Audience Award
For Sama [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Waad Al-Kateab, Edward Watts
film profile
]
- Waad Al Kateab and Edward Watts (Syria/UK)

Kinderfilmfest Audience Award
Lotte and the Lost Dragons [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
- Janno Põldma and Heiki Ernits (Estonia/Latvia)

Bernd Burgemeister TV Movie Award
Ein verhängnisvoller Plan - Ed Herzog (TV channel: ZDF)

ONE-FUTURE-PRIZE for Best Film
Perro Bomba - Juan Cáceres (Chile)

ONE-FUTURE-PRIZE - Honorary Award of the Interfilm-Akademie
Elisabeth Wicki-Endriss for her lifetime achievement

"White Elephant" Children’s Media Prize

Best TV Production
Der Krieg und ich - Matthias Zirzow (Germany)

Best TV Host
Clarissa Corréa da Silva (TV channel: KiKa)

Best Young Actor
Julius Weckauf - Der Junge muss an die frische Luft [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
(Germany)

Best Game
Unforeseen Incidents

Best Film
Double Trouble – The Magical Mirror [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
- Marcus H Rosenmüller (Germany)

Starter Film Awards
The Secrets of Handsome Leo [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
- Benedikt Schwarzer (Germany)
Hauptinstitut für seelische Gesundheit
- Lisa Voelter
Fame
- Lene Pottgießer and Christian Hödl (Germany, short)

Starter Film Award for Production
ENDLING - Alex Schaad (director), Richard Lamprecht and Veronika Faistbauer (both producers) (Germany, short)

Cinema Awards
Thomas Kuchenreuther - ABC Kino
Markus Eisele and Christian Pfeil - Arena Filmtheater
Fritz and Christoph Pressmar - Filmtheater Sendlinger Tor
Thomas Wilhelm - Neues Rex Filmtheater
Elisabeth Kuonen-Reich - Rio Filmpalast
Wolfgang Bihlmeir, Bernd Brehmer, Doris Kuhn and Erich Wagner - Werkstattkino

13th Street Shocking Short
Tod einer Fruchtfliege - Lukas von Berg

Fritz Gerlich Prize

What You Gonna Do When the World’s on Fire? [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Roberto Minervini
film profile
]
- Roberto Minervini (Italy/USA/France)

Transmedia Prize

First Place
Kai - Jennifer Beitel, Bahar Bektas, Markus Traber

Second Place
400 Stunden - Paula Redlefsen

Third Place
Future Diaries - Alexander Herrmann, Thomas Bernhardt, Burkhardt Schütz

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