74th Berlinale: Congratulations! Seven awards for NRW films, including two Silver Bears

A total of three awards were presented to Filmstiftung-backed  productions at Saturday evening’s awards ceremony for the 74th Berlin International Film Festival which was presided over by the jury president Lupita Nyong’o. The Silver Bear for Best Screenplay went to Matthias Glasner for "Dying", while the Silver Bear for an Outstanding Artistic Contribution was given to the director of photography Martin Gschlacht for "The Devil’s Bath". Juliana Rojas was recognised as Best Director in the Encounters competition for "Cidade; Campo". There had also been awards for supported productions at the Independent Juries award ceremony earlier on Saturday and at another ceremony the previous evening:  "Dying" received the Guild Film Prize and the Berliner Morgenpost Readers' Prize here, while the FIPRESCI Critics' Prize went to "Sleep With Your Eyes Open" and Eva Trobisch’s  "Ivo" won the DEFA Foundation’s Heiner Carow Prize.

Walid Nakschbandi, CEO of the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW: "An exciting, thrilling and highly political Berlinale is now drawing to a close with wonderful news for North Rhine-Westphalia. We extend our warmest congratulation to the award winners and the entire film teams whose work convinced the Berlinale juries! Special congratulations go to Matthias Glasner who fascinated audiences and exhibitors alike with "Dying" and picked up the Silver Bear tonight for his extraordinary and touching screenplay. Congratulations are also due to the director of photography Martin Gschlacht, whose images are so stunning the way they set the scene for the historical-psychological drama 'The Devil’s Bath'. And to Juliana Rojas, whose Brazilian migration story in 'Cidade; Campo' is deeply moving. We are now looking back on ten eventful days with highly acclaimed premieres, a glittering NRW reception and intensive dialogue with the industry. Thank you and grazie, Mariette Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian, for the fantastic festival and all your work!"

About the awards

Writer-director Matthias Glasner was presented with the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay for "Dying". The drama starring Corinna Harfouch and Lars Eidinger was produced by Port au Prince Film & Kultur Produktion. "Dying" is a film about the intensity of life in the face of the impertinence of death. The Filmstiftung supported the production with 500,000 Euros. "Dying" will be released  by Wild Bunch Germany in cinemas throughout Germany on 25 April.

The Silver Bear for an Outstanding Artistic Contribution went to the director of photography Martin Gschlacht for "The Devil’s Bath" by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala. The production, which was awarded 850,000 Euros in funding by the Filmstiftung, is a co-production with Cologne’s Heimatfilm. The historical-psychological drama is set in 18th century Upper Austria and was warmly received on the occasion of its world premiere at the Berlinale Palast last Tuesday. Anja Plaschg, Maria Hofstätter and David Scheid also came to NRW for part of the film’s shoot.

Juliana Rojas was named Best Director for "Cidade; Campo" in the second competitive section of Encounters. The film centres on two migration stories between the urban and rural worlds in Brazil and was also shot there. The international co-production was made with German participation from Cologne-based Sutor Kolonko.

Independent Jury Awards and FIPRESCI Prize

The FIPRESCI Prize and several prizes from the Independent Juries had already been announced ahead of the main awards ceremony.

The competition film "Dying" by Matthias Glasner left a lasting  impression on exhibitors and cinema-goers alike and was awarded the Prize of the Guild of German Arthouse Cinemas and the Berliner Morgenpost Readers' Jury Award.

"Sleep with Your Eyes Open" by Nele Wohlatz received the FIPRESCI Prize in the Encounters section. The international co-production is set in a coastal metropolis in Brazil and was made with German participation by Cologne-based Blinker Filmproduktion, in co-production with Cinema Scopio (Brazil), Ruda Cine (Argentina) and Li Tao Long Hu Boa (Taiwan).

Thursday had already seen writer-director Eva Trobisch’s  "Ivo" being presented with the DEFA Foundation’s Heiner Carow Prize for the best newcomer film. "Ivo" deals with palliative medicine and euthanasia and accompanies Ivo in her day-to-day life as an outpatient palliative carer. The production by Studio Zentral/Network Movie was shot entirely in NRW with the lead actresses Minna Wündrich and Pia Hierzegger.

The German Screenplay Award was also presented during the Berlinale. Author Sandra Schröder received the Golden Lola for the Filmstiftung-funded screenplay "Als Bestie bin ich aufgewacht".

NRW reception

This was the 21st time that the state government of North Rhine-Westphalia and the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW invited the industry to the NRW State Representation on the first Sunday of the Berlinale. 1,000 guests from the worlds of film, media and politics celebrated well into the night at the “Embassy of the West”.

Film- und Medienstiftung NRW at the European Film Market

The 10th Berlinale Series Market was dedicated to high-quality audiovisual series content in a programme of panel discussions, showcases and screenings. Topics included budget shifts, social responsibility and the challenges facing the series market in general. This was the tenth time the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW served as the main partner of the Berlinale Series Market held within the framework of the European Film Market (EFM). The "Up Next: Germany" showcase also included presentations of the Filmstiftung-backed vampire series "Love Sucks" and "A Better Place".

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Information about the festival at www.berlinale.de

Here is the link to all of the awards and juries:

https://www.berlinale.de/de/festival/preise-und-jurys/alle-preise-und-jurys.html