The Awards of the 39th International FILMFEST MÜNCHEN

The 39th International FILMFEST MÜNCHEN came to a close with a festive award ceremony on Saturday, July 2, 2022. “Broker” by Hirokazu Kore-eda received the ARRI Award for best international film in the CineMasters competition. Charlotte Wells received the CineVision Award for best international newcomer film for “Aftersun”. The inaugural CineRebels Award went to “Cook F**k Kill” by Mira Fornay. Closing the festival, “The Good Boss” starring Javier Bardem was shown as a German premiere in the sold-out ASTOR Film Lounge at ARRI after the awards ceremony.

OVERVIEW OF THE PRIZE WINNERS 2022:

ARRI Award for the best international film: „Broker“ by Hirokazu Kore-eda
honorable mention:„Leila’s Brothers“ by Saeed Roustaee

CineVision Award for best international newcomer film: „Aftersun“ by Charlotte Wells
honorable mention: „War Pony“ by Riley Keough and Gina Gammell

CineRebels Award for „Cook F**k Kill“ by Mira Fornay

FIPRESCI-Prize for “Elfriede Jelinek – Language Unleashed” by Claudia Müller

CineKindl Award for „Comedy Queen“ by Sanna Lenken 

Bayern 2 and SZ Audience Award for “Kiss My Wounds” by Hanna Doose

KINDERFILMFEST Audience Award for “The Robber Hotzenplotz” by Michael Krummenacher

One-Future-Prize for “No Name Restaurant” by Stefan Sarazin and Peter Keller




ARRI AWARD
The film “Broker” by Hirokazu Kore-eda was honored with the ARRI Award for best international film.

“‘Thank you for being born.’ — A single sentence that touches the audience in such a way that entire films rarely can. When every character, no matter how small or large, is intricately layered, simultaneously fractured and in the end so lovingly developed, that’s cinema. Great cinema. This film is a journey. One filled with longings, with decisions, with detours. Sometimes it is precisely these detours that we must take in life to find ourselves and each other. And we found a bit of ourselves in this film,” the jury stated.

“Leila’s Brothers”, a tragicomic family portrait by Iranian director Saeed Roustaee, received an honorable mention from the jury.

“A film about the weight of tradition and the inescapable bond that is family. It beautifully explores the moments in life that bring us together even when everything is seemingly trying to tear us apart. This film shows in a remarkable way how family can be a curse and a blessing at the same time. A constant pull between self-interest and selflessness.

It is equal parts social commentary, nuanced drama and a comedy or errors, and like these contradictions, we often found ourselves laughing through tears.”

This year, the ARRI Award jury was comprised of actress Sibel Kekilli, producer Philipp Kreuzer and US director Riley Stearns. The latest films from ten renowned international directors competed the CineMasters section for the ARRI Award for best international film. The prize, worth 50,000 euros, is sponsored by the Munich-based company ARRI.


CINEVISION AWARD
The CineVision Award for best international newcomer film went to “Aftersun” by Scottish director Charlotte Wells. The jury explained its decision as follows:

“This film is a true CineVision. The view through the camcorder immediately connects us emotionally to father and daughter and their loving relationship. This film manages to take us on a holiday that we can all identify with. We smell the air, taste the sea, feel the heat on our skin, feel the chlorine in our eyes. The music is the link between future and past. With humor, love and lightness we are drawn to our memories even when they leave us paralyzed.

A vacation that was so beautiful for Sophie — one that should never end, but will forever remain a painful memory to her. Paul Mescal & Frankie Corio’s brilliant acting and the very warm human eye on a very difficult subject shows us a great visionary performance by Charlotte Wells. This is cinema! And we can’t wait to see more of this talented director and give the award to AFTERSUN with the greatest joy and pride!”

An honorable mention from the jury went to “War Pony” by Riley Keough and Gina Gammell.

“This powerful, allegorical film provides a much needed, and too rarely told, perspective on the realities of contemporary life on Native American reservations — focusing on the daily struggles of two Lakota boys living on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. The film notably reclaims longstanding symbols of North American tradition with humor and wit, bringing the Lakota community to vivid and compelling life. With the active involvement and brilliant performances of lead actors LaDainian Crazy Thunder and Jojo Pabteise Whiting, directors Riley Keough and Gina Gammell have created a very special and important coming-of-age film about an underrepresented community. The CineVision jury is proud to award a special mention to WAR PONY.”

The 15,000-euro CineVision Award is sponsored by MPLC Deutschland GmbH (Motion Picture Licensing Company). Competing in the CineVision section were ten first and second films by talented international directors whose cinematic style breaks new ground.

The jurors for the 2022 award were director Alexandre O. Philippe; Gráinne Humphreys, festival director of the Dublin International Film Festival; and filmmaker and producer Roshanak Khodabakhsh.


CINEREBELS AWARD
The CineRebels Award, presented for the first time this year, goes to “Cook F**k Kill” by director Mira Fornay. This award honors particularly rebellious filmmaking — those works of international cinema that dare to break the mold. In the competition in the CineRebels series, ten films competed for the 10,000-euro prize sponsored by the festival’s main partner, AUDI.

Regarding the competition and the winning film, the jury said:

“CineRebels are radical, experimental, surprising, and go against the grain. One would be mistaken to think only of dazzling visuals. In this very international section, we have discovered a great variety of subjects and have sifted through them in search of rebel dramaturgy, rebel themes, and rebel directing. Directors who leave us thunderstruck.

Award-winner Mira Fornay’s film ‘Cook F**k Kill’ addresses a painfully contemporary subject: domestic violence. This film was carefully researched, and the jury found it to be a highly authentic description of toxic relationships. This film is a rebel. It switches genres. It starts out as a grotesque, but has us develop an affection for the characters without denying the brutality of the subject. The jury is aware that this film has the potential to enrage audiences, as it defies expectations at every turn. An experimental stance. A gamble.

This film mercilessly exposes the complexity of interpersonal relationships. This film does not make it easy for us, and yet it remains highly entertaining. Above all, this film accomplishes one thing: it makes us think.”

The jury of the CineRebels Award was comprised of film director, screenwriter and fine-art photographer Franziska Stünkel, director and producer RP Kahl, and author, filmmaker and visual artist Jovana Reisinger.


FIPRESCI PRIZE
“Elfriede Jelinek – Language Unleashed” by Claudia Müller received the 2022 FIPRESCI Prize. This year, the jury of the international critics’ association was made up of Barbara Gasser from Austria, Turkish journalist Engin Ertan, and Enoe Lopes Pontes from Brazil. They explained their decision as follows:

“The FIPRESCI jury at the 39th Filmfest München decided to award a film for its outstanding craftsmanship in editing to create a narrative for the audience to access the sensibilities of a controversial artist. The director has a unique artistic vision that aligns with that of the protagonist. This is a showcase example of bringing together two different art disciplines: cinema and literature. The FIPRESCI Prize goes to a timely documentary: ‘Elfriede Jelinek – Language Unleashed’ by Claudia Müller.”


CINEKINDL AWARD
“Comedy Queen” by Sanna Lenken received the CineKindl Award for best film at KINDERFILMFEST MÜNCHEN 2022. This award, presented for the first time, comes with €2,500 in prize money and is sponsored by megaherz, a production company for children’s films and programs for nearly 40 years, whose mission is to captivate, inform, and educate adolescent viewers.

“The loss of a parent is probably the most painful thing that any child can experience. Addressing this topic in a film made for (we should note: not only) a young audience is audacious, important, and in this case exceptionally well executed. Sanna Lenken succeeds in striking exactly the right balance between somberness and lightheartedness. In a magnificent acting performance, Sigrid Johnson takes us into the mind of 13-year-old Sasha, whose primary goal following the death of her mother is to finally make her bereaved father laugh again. There is no room for her own tears. This simple premise develops into a powerfully emotional cinematic experience that leaves not a dry eye in the house when the plot is resolved,” the jury explained.

Joya Thome’s documentary “One in a Million” received an honorable mention:

“Looking beneath the surface in a respectful manner, this film familiarizes us with two lives that — geographically, at least — could not be further apart. Both protagonists succeed in breaking free of the expectations placed on them in a teenage world defined by followers and clicks. They get to know their bodies, fears, needs, and limits and mold these experiences into a new lifestyle. In their bold search for who they really are, the two girls Yara and Whitney develop a tremendous inner strength that guides us through this so tender and important coming-of-age documentary.”

The CineKindl jury was comprised of actress and presenter Pia Amofa-Antwi, writer and director Reza Memari, and producer Jana Kreissl.


AUDIENCE AWARDS
The final day of the festival saw the presentation of the audience awards. The Bayern 2 and SZ Audience Award went to the film “Kiss My Wounds” by Hanna Doose. The Kinderfilmfest Audience Award went to “The Robber Hotzenplotz” by Michael Krummenacher.

ONE FUTURE PRIZE
The ONE FUTURE PRIZE, awarded by the Interfilm Academy, went this year to the German film “No Name Restaurant” by Stefan Sarazin and Peter Keller. Honorable mention was given to the Brazilian film “Paloma” by Marcelo Gomes, which had its world premiere at FILMFEST MÜNCHEN. The 2022 International Interfilm Jury, chaired by Film Pastor Eckart Bruchner (Germany), included: Galina Antoschewskaja (Russia), Bhagu T. Chellaney (India), Ileana Cosmovici (Italy), Natalia Putintseva (Russia), Christine Weissbarth (Austria).

GERMAN CINEMA NEW TALENT AWARD
On Friday, talented young filmmakers were honored with the coveted German Cinema New Talent Award. The jury — comprised of actress Almila Bagriacik, producer-director Sönke Wörtmann, and producer Ingo Fliess — honored Sophie Linnenbaum with the award for best director for her film “The Ordinaries”. Britta Strampe and Laura Klippel received the award for best producer, also for “The Ordinaries”. Florian Plumeyer and Katharina Woll were honored for best screenplay for “Everybody Wants to Be Loved”, while the award for best acting performance went to Lena Schmidtke in “Rage at Kuba”.