German Film Awards 2019: 13 Lolas for three Filmstiftung-backed productions
- „Gundermann“ by Andreas Dresen and Pandora Film was the big winner with 6 Lolas: Lola in Gold for Best Feature Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Costume Design, Best Production Design
- 4 Lolas for „Styx“ by Wolfgang Fischer: Lola in Silver for Best Feature Film, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Cinematography, Best Sound Design
- 3 Lolas for „All About Me“ by Caroline Link: Lola in Bronze for Best Feature Film, Best Actress in a Supporting Actress and the Award for the Year’s Most Popular Film
- 69th German Film Awards in the Palais am Funkturm in Berlin on May 3
Three Filmstiftung-backed productions took home 13 Lolas in all the important categories at the ceremony of the 69th German Film Awards in Berlin on May 3.
The evening’s big winner with 6 Lolas was „Gundermann“ by Andreas Dresen, the largest number of awards won by one film this year: Lola in Gold for Best Feature Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Costume Design, Best Production Design. 4 Lolas were presented to „Styx“ by Wolfgang Fischer: Lola in Silber for Best Feature Film, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Cinematography, and Best Sound Design. 3 Lolas went to „All About Me“ by Caroline Link, which was honoured as the year’s most popular film in addition to receiving the Lola in Bronze for Best Feature Film and a Lola for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. The prize-winners were determined beforehand in a secret ballot by the 2,000-odd members of the German Film Academy under their new president Ulrich Matthes.
„What a magnificent evening for ‚Gundermann‘! Congratulations to Andreas Dresen, Laila Stieler and producer Claudia Steffen of Cologne’s Pandora Film and, of course, to Alexander Scheer. Also very best wishes to Wolfgang Fischer for 4 Lolas for ,Styx‘ – as well as Caroline Link and her cast and crew of ,All About Me‘ for 3 Lolas and 3.6 million admissions. We are pleased and happy that we could support these special films“, says Petra Müller, CEO of the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW. „Congratulations to Christian Becker on the Bernd Eichinger Prize, and especially to the recipient of the Honorary Award, the magnificent director Margarethe von Trotta, who has given German cinema some wonderful films and female characters. Last but not least, thanks also go to the Academy and its new president Ulrich Matthes for a warm and committed awards ceremony.“
The Filmstiftung-backed prize-winners at a glance:
Lola in Gold for the Best Feature Film
„Gundermann“, Director: Andreas Dresen, Screenplay: Laila Stieler, Production companies: Pandora Film, Kineo Filmproduktion
Lola in Silver for the Best Feature Film
„Styx“, Director: Wolfgang Fischer, Screenplay: Wolfgang Fischer, Ika Künzel, Production companies: Schiwago Film, Amour Fou Filmproduktion
Lola in Bronze for the Best Feature Film
„All About Me“, Director: Caroline Link, Screenplay: Ruth Toma, Production companies: UFA Fiction, Gesellschaft für Feine Filme, Warner Bros. Entertainment
Best Director
„Gundermann“, Director: Andreas Dresen, Screenplay: Laila Stieler, Production companies: Pandora Film, Kineo Filmproduktion
Best Screenplay
„Gundermann“, Director: Andreas Dresen, Screenplay: Laila Stieler, Production companies: Pandora Film, Kineo Filmproduktion
Best Actress in a Leading Role
Susanne Wolff in „Styx“, Director: Wolfgang Fischer, Screenplay: Wolfgang Fischer, Ika Künzel, Production companies: Schiwago Film, Amour Fou Filmproduktion
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Alexander Scheer in „Gundermann“, Director: Andreas Dresen, Screenplay: Laila Stieler, Production companies: Pandora Film, Kineo Filmproduktion
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Luise Heyer in „All About Me“, Director: Caroline Link, Screenplay: Ruth Toma, Production companies: UFA Fiction, Gesellschaft für Feine Filme, Warner Bros. Entertainment
Best Cinematography/Visual Design
Benedict Neuenfels for „Styx“, Director: Wolfgang Fischer, Screenplay: Wolfgang Fischer, Ika Künzel, Production companies: Schiwago Film, Amour Fou Filmproduktion
Best Production Design
Susanne Hopf for „Gundermann“, Director: Andreas Dresen, Screenplay: Laila Stieler, Production companies: Pandora Film, Kineo Filmproduktion
Best Costume Design
Sabine Greunig for „Gundermann“, Director: Andreas Dresen, Screenplay: Laila Stieler, Production companies: Pandora Film, Kineo Filmproduktion
Best Sound Design
Andreas Turnwald, Uwe Dresch, Andre Zimmermann and Tobias Fleig for „Styx“, Director: Wolfgang Fischer, Screenplay: Wolfgang Fischer, Ika Künzel, Production companies: Schiwago Film, Amour Fou Filmproduktion
Most popular German film of the year: „All About Me“
Caroline Link’s „All About Me“, which opened in German cinemas at the end of 2018 and has been seen to date by 3.6 million cinema-goers, received the award for the year’s most popular German film. The film also received the Lola in Bronze for Best Feature Film and a Lola for Luise Heyer as Best Actress in a Supporting Role.
Honorary Award for Margarethe von Trotta
The screenwriter, director and actress Margarethe von Trotta was presented with the Honorary Award for outstanding services to German cinema at the ceremony for the German Film Awards. The Filmstiftung and Margarethe von Trotta can look back on a long-standing collaboration which has resulted in such films as the biopics „Hannah Arendt“ and „Vision – From The Life Of Hildegard von Bingen“ which received many awards. In 2013, she was presented with the Herbert Strate Prize donated by the Film-und Medienstiftung and HDF Kino. Katja Riemann gave the speech in honour of Margarethe von Trotta at the awards ceremony.
Bernd Eichinger Preis 2019 for Christian Becker
The producer Christian Becker was presented with the Bernd Eichinger Prize during the ceremony on May 3. The seven-person jury of the prize, which was launched in 2012 and includes founders Katja and Nina Eichinger, acknowledged Becker’s „outstanding work as a producer“ with this distinction: „his passion, his loyalty to his colleagues along the way as well as his willingness to step off the safe path and strike out in a new direction makes him a worthy recipient of the Bernd Eichinger Prize,“ the laudation said. Christian Becker produced, among others, the Filmstiftung-backed productions „At Eye Level“, „Not My Day“, „Der letzte Bulle“ und „Benjamin The Elephant“ through his „Westside Filmproduktion“. The prize was handed to him by the director Peter Thorwarth whose hit film „Bang Boom Bang“ had been produced by Becker.
The German Film Award
The German Film Award, the most important and prestigious accolade for German cinema, is endowed with prize-money totalling almost three million Euros from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media (BKM) and presented by the State Minister for Culture and Media Prof. Monika Grütters after votes are cast by members of the German Film Academy. The awards ceremony is an event of the German Film Academy in cooperation with the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media (BKM) and produced by DFA Produktion. This year’s hosts were the actress and presenter Désirée Nosbusch and the comedian and actor Tedros Teclebrhan. ZDF broadcast the gala on Friday evening (May 3).
More information at www.deutscher-filmpreis.de