Lola Goes to North Rhine-Westphalia: 10 Nominations for Film Foundation-Funded Productions at the 2026 German Film Awards

Ten nominations for the 2026 German Film Awards go to productions funded by the Film and Media Foundation NRW. The nominations were just announced by the German Film Academy. The 76th German Film Award, the most prestigious award for German cinema, will be presented on May 29 in Berlin. The Film and Media Foundation NRW is this year’s official co-partner of the German Film Award.

The Film and Media Foundation NRW extends its warmest congratulations to all nominees and is delighted by this wonderful success as well as the renewed visibility of the diversity and quality of filmmaking in North Rhine-Westphalia.

A total of ten nominations for the coveted Lolas went to productions funded by the Film and Media Foundation NRW, which were recognized in many categories.

“Oh, That Gap, That Terrible Gap” received a total of seven nominations, including Best Feature Film (Producers: Maren Ade, Jonas Dornbach, Janine Jackowski), Best Actress in a Leading Role (Senta Berger), and Best Actor in a Leading Role (Bruno Alexander). Additional nominations went to the categories of Best Director and Best Screenplay (Simon Verhoeven), Best Supporting Actor (Michael Wittenborn), and Best Sound Design (Eckhard Kuchenbecker, Dominik Schleier, Nico Krebs, Christoph Merkele, Hanse Warns).

Additional nominations for Best Visual Effects go to “The School of Magical Animals 4” (Tomer Eshed, Dennis Rettkowski, Frank Kaminski) and “Woodwalkers 2” (Max Riess, Mona Mohr). “Do You Believe in Angels, Mr. Drowak?” is nominated for Best Sound Design (Jaques Kiefer, Tobias Koch, Bertin Molz).

The Nominees’ Gala

Every year, between the announcement of the nominations and the German Film Awards in late April, the Presidium and the Board of the German Film Academy host a festive evening in an exclusive setting to honor the nominees and raise a toast to them.

This year, the Nominees’ Evening will take place for the first time at the Representation of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia to the Federal Government in Berlin—a venue already familiar to many filmmakers from the NRW reception held during the Berlinale. At the same time, the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW is partnering with the Nominees’ Evening for the first time, as well as with the German Film Awards ceremony on May 29.

NRW Minister of Media Nathanael Liminski: “The list of nominees for the German Film Award showcases the full breadth and special appeal of German filmmaking. We are all the more delighted to welcome the German Film Academy to our state representation office for this year’s Nominees’ Evening and to bring together filmmakers, supporters, and friends of German cinema in our ‘Embassy of the West.’ This evening stands for exchange, recognition, and a shared passion for powerful stories and stunning imagery.”

Award Ceremony on May 29, 2026 / Wim Wenders to Receive the Honorary Award

The German Film Awards ceremony, hosted by Christian Friedel, will be broadcast on ARD that same evening: at 7:00 p.m. as a livestream on the ARD Mediathek and at 10:20 p.m. on Das Erste.

Even before the nominations were announced, the first award recipient was revealed: Düsseldorf-born Wim Wenders will be honored with the Honorary Award at the ceremony on May 29, 2026, for his outstanding contributions to German cinema.

The Film and Media Foundation NRW extends its warmest congratulations to Wim Wenders on this special honor and pays tribute to his extraordinary artistic body of work as well as his lasting influence on national and international cinema. For over five decades, Wim Wenders has shaped filmmaking worldwide and has inspired generations of filmmakers with his work.

The Film and Media Foundation NRW has enjoyed a long-standing and close collaboration with Wim Wenders. This includes, among other things, the joint Wim Wenders grant as well as numerous encounters and projects spanning many years.

An overview of the projects funded by the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW

• “Oh, This Gap, This Terrible Gap” (Director: Simon Verhoeven, Screenplay: Simon Verhoeven, Production: Komplizenfilm)
• “The School of Magical Animals 4” (Director: Bernhard Jasper, Screenplay: Mirjam Müntefering, Production: Kordes & Kordes)
• “Do You Believe in Angels, Mr. Drowak?” (Director: Nicolas Steiner, Screenplay: Bettina Gundermann, Pascal Nothdurft, Production: Zieglerfilm)
• “Woodwalkers 2” (Director: Sven Unterwaldt, Screenplay: David Sandreuter, Production: blue eyes Fiction)

You can find all the nominees at www.deutscher-filmpreis.de/preisverleihung/2026.

The film awards gala, hosted by Christian Friedel on May 29, will be broadcast that same evening on Das Erste: starting at 7:00 p.m. as a livestream in the ARD Mediathek and at 10:20 p.m. on Das Erste.