Success in Venice: “I Matter” and “OASE” Win Awards

Two productions funded by the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW have received awards at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival: “I Matter” by Alina Șerban received the Armani Beauty Audience Award in the Venice Spotlight section. Jannis Lenz’s feature film debut “OASE” was honored with the Grand Jury Prize – Bisato d’Oro 2026 from the independent critics.

The German-Romanian-Belgian co-production “I Matter” tells the story of Rebeca, a nearly 18-year-old Roma girl who is about to be released from an orphanage and hopes to start a new life with her father. The film was produced by 2Pilots Filmproduktion, Microfilm, and Frakas Productions. The Film- und Medienstiftung NRW provided 80,000 euros in funding for the production.

“OASE” follows three teenage outsiders who, far removed from society, create their own space with their own rules and values. The feature film, which received 170,000 euros in funding, is a production of Zeitgeist Filmproduktion in co-production with Third Picture and Wega Film. Mindjazz Pictures handles German distribution.

In total, the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW was represented at the festival with four funded productions. In addition to “I Matter” and “OASE,” Wim Wenders’ documentary “From Inside Out – The Architecture of Peter Zumthor” and the XR project “The White Saboteur” also celebrated their premieres in Venice.