73rd Berlinale: Five awards for films backed by the Filmstiftung

• Thea Ehre wins the Silver Bear for her performance in "Till the End of the Night" by Christoph Hochhäusler
• The Encounter Award for Best Director and the Berlinale Documentary F Award go to Tatiana Huezo and "The Echo"
• Perspektive and Peace Film Prize for "Seven Winters in Tehran" by Steffi Niederzoll
• A total of 5 prizes for Filmstiftung-backed productions at the 73rd Berlinale

Thea Ehre has just been awarded the Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance at Saturday evening’s awards ceremony of the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival. Thea Ehre plays the trans woman Leni in the thriller "Till The End of the Night" (dir: Christoph Hochhäusler; production company: Heimatfilm), which had its premiere at the Berlinale Palast on Friday night as the last competition entry.

A Golden Bear plaque for "Best Director" in the "Encounters" Competition was presented to the Mexican director Tatiana Huezo for her film "The Echo". The documentary, which also won the Berlinale Documentary Award, was co-produced by Cologne-based Match Factory Productions, Viola Fügen and Michael Weber. The lead producer is Mexico’s Radiola Films. The Documentary Award is endowed with 40,000 Euros.

Friday had already seen the highly acclaimed documentary "Seven Winters in Tehran" receiving the Compass-Perspective-Award as the best film in the Perspektive Deutsches Kino programme. Director Steffi Niederzoll accepted the prize which is endowed with 5,000 Euros. "Seven Winters in Tehran" has also been named as the winner of the  Peace Film Prize which will be presented at Berlin’s Hackesche Höfe cinema on 26 February. This was the 38th time that a Peace Film Prize jury selected a film from the Berlinale programme that is noteworthy for promoting peaceful coexistence between people.

"Congratulations to Thea Ehre on winning the Silver Bear! And naturally Christoph Hochhäusler and Bettina Brokemper as well. How wonderful that the last competition entry should become such a festival highlight. Melanie Andernach and Steffi Niederzoll are also to be congratulated for no less than two awards for their important film. And Tatiana Huezo’s documentary in the Encounters programme left a lasting impression on the juries. Congratulations to the director and Match Factory Productions!,"says Petra Müller, CEO of the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW. "This evening has once again shown what NRW and its producers are also particularly capable of in the field of documentaries. A perfect finale for the film region of NRW at the 73rd Berlinale which we were finally able to experience again in person after a break of three years. We would like to thank Mariette Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian for an intensive and  highly political festival, but, above all, we would like to thank all the creatives, filmmakers and producers of series!"

The International Jury for this year’s Competition was presided over by the US actress-screenwriter-director Kristen Stewart ("Spencer"). This year saw 15 Filmstiftung-backed  films screening at the festival, including 3 productions in the Competition and 12 in almost all the other festival sections.

 Five German Film Critics' Awards to four Filmstiftung-backed productions

The German Film Critics Association VDFK once again presented the German Film Critics Prize during the Berlinale. Five of the twelve prizes went to Filmstiftung-backed productions: acting awards were garnered by  Saskia Rosendahl for "No One’s With The Calves" (Weydemann Bros.) by Sabrina Sarabi and Moritz von Treuenfels for "Axiom" (Bon Voyage Films) by Jöns Jönsson. Cem Kaya’s film "Ask, Mark Ve Ölüm – Love, Deutschmarks and Death" (filmfaust) received the awards for Best Documentary and Best Editing. "The Path" (Eyrie Entertainment) by Tobias Wiemann was named Best Children’s Film. In addition, the film production and distribution company Filmgalerie 451, which produced "Seneca" (Berlinale Special) among others, was presented with the Honorary Award.

Berlinale Series Market & Conference

The latest industry developments and trendsetting topics in the world of series were the focus again this year at the Berlinale Series Market, a joint event of EFM, Berlinale Co-Production Market and Berlinale Talents, under the general heading of “Shift happens”; the Filmstiftung has been the main partner for the Series Market from the very beginning. The series community, including renowned producers such as David Bernad, producer of the hit series "The White Lotus", global distributors and creatives, came together at Potsdamer Platz between 20 and 22 February. The three-day conference programme also featured screenings and showcases. "Up Next: Germany" showcased such productions as the six-part spy drama "Davos" as well as the four-part political thriller "Herrhausen – Lord of the Money”, both backed by the Film- und Medienstiftung.

Baumi Script Development Award for Dénes Nagy

Hungarian filmmaker Dénes Nagy received the € 20,000 Baumi Script Development Award at the Filmstiftung NRW’s press lunch. The jury and guest juror Andreas Dresen selected his treatment "The Vacation" for the award. "Dénes Nagy portrays his endearing characters with authenticity and humour. His approach involves extensive research which we are happy to support with the Baumi Award," Andreas Dresen stated. The Baumi Script Development Award was established in 2016 and has since been awarded to authors for their English-language treatments in memory of the legendary producer Karl "Baumi" Baumgartner.

NRW reception and Focus Germany stand at the EFM

Prime-Minister Hendrik Wüst and Filmstiftung CEO Petra Müller welcomed around 1,000 guests to the joint 20th NRW Reception at the State Representation in Berlin. The Berlin "Embassy of the West" also played host this year to the ten European Shooting Stars, including German Shooting Star Leonie Benesch. Staff from the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW provided information about funding opportunities in NRW at the European Film Market in the Gropius-Bau during the festival. The Filmstiftung had a presence at the stand of Focus Germany, the umbrella organisation for  the nine major German regional film funds.

Information about the  festival at www.berlinale.de