Filmstiftung NRW congratulates Paula Beer on the Silver Bear

FIPRESCI Critics' Prize for the International Competition to Filmstiftung-backed "Undine" by Christian Petzold

The actress Paula Beer was awarded the Best Actress Silver Bear for her lead role in the Filmstiftung-backed production Christian Petzold's "Undine" at the awards ceremony of the 70th Berlinale.

This was then the second award to go to "Undine": Friday evening had already seen the film receiving the FIPRESCI Prize for a film screening in the "International Competition". „At the same time a myth inspired film and a complex portrait of a modern woman, with an outstanding performance by Paula Beer. The poetry of the fairy tale is transformed into striking images by cinematographer Hans Fromm,“ was the statement by the jury of the "Fédération Internationale de la Cinématographique" (FIPRESCI).

"A glorious Berlinale finale! A Silver Bear for the wonderful Paula Beer and her 'Undine'. Congratulations to Paula Beer and the team of 'Undine', and particularly to her director Christian Petzold, her producer Florian Koerner von Gustorff and her 'minstrel' Franz Rogowski", says Petra Müller, CEO of the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW. "And congratulations to all the teams of the films supported by the Filmstiftung, and, last but not least, to the two festival directors Mariette Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian on their first Berlinale."

Paula Beer is one of the most well-known German actresses. She appeared in Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s Oscar-nominated drama "Never Look Away" or in Petzold’s earlier film "Transit", also together with Franz Rogowski. She can currently be seen in the high finance thriller series "Bad Banks" by Christian Schwochow. She received the German Acting Prize, the Grimme Prize, the German Television Prize and the Bambi, among others, for her performance in this series.

About "Undine": Christian Petzold directed „Undine“ based on his own script, in NRW and Berlin. Paula Beer, Jacob Matschenz and Franz Rogowski star. The co-production between Schramm Film Koerner & Weber and Les Films du Losange, with the participation of broadcasters ZDF and Arte, will be released theatrically by distributor Piffl Medien on 26 March. The Filmstiftung supported the project with 180,000 Euros, with additional funding coming from MBB, FFA, BKM and DFFF. The drama centres on Undine, who works as a city guide in Berlin. When her boyfriend leaves her, the curse of the old myth catches up with her. Undine must kill the man who betrays her and return to the water. She resists her fate and meets the industrial diver Christoph, with whom she falls in love. But Christoph senses that Undine is running away from something. Undine must face the curse. „Undine“ is a modern fairy tale in a disenchanted world, the story of a love between life and death.

The 70th Berlin International Film Festival came to a close on Saturday evening (29 February) with the awards ceremony in the Berlinale Palast at Potsdamer Platz. The international jury for the Competition chaired by Jeremy Irons also included the Cologne producer Bettina Brokemper. This year, 28 productions backed by the Filmstiftung were screened at the Berlinale, two of which were in the Competition, seven in other festival sections, and 19 in the Lola@Berlinale programme.

„Berlinale Series Market & Conference“

The Film- und Medienstiftung NRW served for the sixth time as the official Main Partner of the European Film Market's (EFM) "Berlinale Series Market & Conference" during the framework of the Berlinale. The market platform for international high-end series in Berlin’s Zoopalast impressed again this year with its diversity and top-notch panels. The main topic was the "Streaming Revolution", the trendsetting output of series by the streaming services in the global competition between programme providers. Special attention was paid in this context to the opportunities and challenges for regional streaming providers.

German Film Critics' Prize for two Filmstiftung-backed productions

"Germany. A Winter’s Tale" was awarded three German Film Critics' Prizes during the Berlinale. Director Jan Bonny received the award for Best Feature Film, Benjamin Loeb for Best Cinematography. The three actors Jean-Luc Bubert, Ricarda Seifried and Thomas Schubert were awarded a special prize for their performances. The prize for Best Children’s Film went to "Fritzi – A Revolutionary Tale" by Ralf Kukula and Matthias Bruhn.

Baumi Script Development Award for Amy Jephta

The fifth Baumi Script Development Award went to Amy Jephta. The award-winning South African screenwriter and playwright received the award last Tuesday for her feature film project "Have You Seen Rita?“ Endowed with 20,000 Euros, the Baumi Script Development Award  is presented annually in memory of the producer Karl "Baumi" Baumgartner. The jury, which consists of the prize donors Pandora Film, the Baumgartner family and the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, made its decision from among 51 international submissions. The guest juror was the Polish director Malgorzata Szumowska.

NRW Reception and Focus Germany Stand at the EFM

Prime-Minister Armin Laschet and Petra Müller welcomed the more than 1,400 guests attending the joint NRW reception at the Berlin state representation. This year also saw the ten European Shooting Stars, including Jonas Dassler as the German Shooting Star, making an appearance. Staff from the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW provided information about funding opportunities in NRW at the European Film Market in the Martin Gropius-Bau during the festival. The Filmstiftung had a presence at the stand of Focus Germany, the amalgamation of the eight main German film funders.

Berlinale 2021: February 11 to 21, 2021

The Berlinale ends on Sunday with the audience day. Numerous festival films from the various sections will then be shown again. The 71st Berlin International Film Festival will be held from 11 to 21 February 2021.

Information about the festival at www.berlinale.de