North Rhine-Westphalia Honors the Movie Theater Industry with 1 Million Euros

For the 35th time, the Film and Media Foundation NRW honored cinema operators in North Rhine-Westphalia yesterday for their impressive work with the Cinema Program Award. The award recipients stand out for their outstanding programming, featuring a remarkable selection of German and European productions, or for screening valuable films for children and young people. By presenting the Cinema Programming Award, the Film and Media Foundation once again sent a clear message in support of cinema this year. Our cinemas in North Rhine-Westphalia are and will remain vibrant gathering places for the community in our colorful, diverse society.
Film Foundation Executive Director Walid Nakschbandi welcomed the guests, followed by opening remarks from Nathanael Liminski, Minister of Media for the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. Prominent sponsors included Malick Bauer, Rainer Bock, Moritz Führmann, Julius Weckauf, as well as Greta-Marie Becker and Sven Unterwaldt.

[caption id="attachment_133633" align="alignnone" width="2560"] © Hojabr Riahi / Film and Media Foundation NRW
Back row, from left to right: sponsors Moritz Führmann and Sven Unterwaldt, laudatory speaker Ralf Husmann, Film Foundation Managing Director Walid Nakschbandi, NRW Minister of Media Nathanael Liminski, sponsors Julius Weckauf and Malick Bauer
Front row, from left to right: Patron Rainer Bock, Grand Prize winner Maria Minewitsch (representing Schloßtheater and Cinema & Kurbelkiste Münster), Patron Greta-Maria Becker, Grand Prize winner Dirk Steinkühler (representing Filmpalette and Filmhaus Köln)[/caption]

Walid Nakschbandi: “Cinemas are far more than cultural venues—they are vibrant spaces for connection, sustained by the dedication of individuals who, with passion, courage, and creativity, make the cinema what it is: an irreplaceable part of our community. With the Cinema Program Award, our goal is not only to honor the cultural value of the cinema as an institution, but also to tell the award recipients just how valuable their work is—and how much a vibrant, engaged society needs this commitment.”
“Cinema is alive—not for nostalgic reasons, but because there are people who believe in the magic of the screen and know their audience. For years, the Cinema Programming Award has been the premier honor recognizing the dedication and creativity of these individuals—the cinema operators in North Rhine-Westphalia. The award honors the outstanding diversity of programming that makes cinemas vibrant cultural hubs and brings local people together. Especially in these challenging times for movie theaters, the award serves as recognition for the work they have done. I congratulate all the award winners and wish them continued success!” Nathanael Liminski.

The top awards went to

• Bambi & Löwenherz Gütersloh (20,000 euros programming award, 6,000 euros children’s and youth award)
• Lichtspiele Köln-Kalk (20,000 euros program grant, 6,000 euros children’s and youth grant)
• Cinema & Kurbelkiste Münster (20,000 euros program grant, 6,000 euros children’s and youth grant)
• Schloßtheater Münster (20,000 euros program grant, 6,000 euros children’s and youth grant)
• Kino in der Brotfabrik, Bonn (20,000 euros in programming grants, 6,000 euros in children’s and youth grants)
• ZOOM Kino Brühl (20,000 euros in programming grants, 3,000 euros in children’s and youth grants)
• Bambi Filmstudio Düsseldorf (20,000 euros program grant, 3,000 euros children’s and youth grant)
• Kamera Bielefeld (20,000 euros in program funding)
• Casablanca Bochum (20,000 euro program grant)
• Filmstudio Glückauf Essen (20,000 euros program grant)
• Filmpalette Cologne (20,000 euros program grant)
• Filmhaus Cologne (20,000 euro program grant)

List of all award-winning theaters.

Michael Meyer Honorary Award

Cinema operator Michael Meyer, who runs the Casablanca, Metropolis, and Capitol theaters in Bochum, the Schauburg Filmpalast in Gelsenkirchen, and the Central Kinocenter in Dorsten, received an honorary award of 25,000 euros. The Film Foundation honored him for his life’s work in the service of cinema and film culture and his extraordinary commitment to the cinema scene in the Ruhr region. Michael Meyer accepted the award from presenter Ralf Husmann (“Stromberg”).
Prominent guests presented the awards at the Wolkenburg in Cologne and personally congratulated the theater operators on their brilliant work. Awards were presented by actors Malick Bauer (“Medicus 2”), Rainer Bock (“Silent Friend”), Moritz Führmann (“Führer und Verführer”), and Julius Weckauf (“Die drei ??? – Erbe des Drachen”), as well as directors Greta-Marie Becker (“Germaine Agony”) and Sven Unterwaldt (“Woodwalkers 2”). The evening was hosted by 1Live’s “Kinomann” Marcel Emmel.

Jury

This year, the selection jury consisted of Christian Bräuer (Yorck Kino), Stephan Holl (Rapid Eye Movies), Elisa May (Kern des Ganzen – Agency for Film Communication), Susanne von Kessel-Doelle (film journalist), and Britta Lengowski (Film and Media Foundation NRW).

The Cinema Programming Award

Since 1991, the Film and Media Foundation NRW has honored cinema operators with the NRW Cinema Programming Award for their compelling programming and selection of German and European films, as well as films for children and young people. To date, a total of approximately 17.4 million euros in funding provided by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia has been awarded to dedicated cinema operators from North Rhine-Westphalia through the Cinema Programming Awards.

Photos of the award-winning theaters and their operators are now available for free download at kinoprogrammpreisnrw.de.