08/07/2024 - Other winners at the Bavarian gathering included Gábor Reisz's Explanation for Everything, Federico Luis's Simon of the Mountain and the German flick Sad Jokes by Fabian Stumm

The 41st Munich International Film Festival wrapped with a closing ceremony on 6 July, revealing its winners. This edition, the first under artistic co-directors Christoph Gröner and Julia Weigl (see the interview), celebrated film's capacity to unite people, with sold-out venues and myriad international stars in attendance. From 28 June-7 July, the festival hosted around 71,000 attendees across 500 film screenings and local events. Accreditation for industry professionals rose by 30% from the previous year, totalling 2,600 participants.

The €100,000 CineCoPro Award, the most lucrative prize for German co-producers, was reintroduced this year, financed by FFF Bayern. The trophy was given to To a Land Unknown [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mahdi Fleifel
film profile] by Mahdi Fleifel, with German co-producer François Morisset, of Salaud Morisset, being honoured. The decision was made by a three-member jury: director-screenwriter Baran bo Odar, actress Leonie Benesch and producer Sol Bondy. The jury also bestowed an Honourable Mention upon The Village Next to Paradise [+see also:
film review
film profile] by Mo Harawe and thus to the film’s German co-producer, Nicole Gerhards, of NiKo Film.

Explanation for Everything [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Gábor Reisz
film profile] by Gábor Reisz won the CineMasters Award for Best International Film, which was presented to producer Júlia Berkes, of Proton Cinema LLC. This year’s independent CineMasters competition jury included actress Marie-Lou Sellem, Moritz Peters (director of marketing and acquisitions at Plaion Pictures) and Rajendra Roy (chief curator of film at the Museum of Modern Art, New York). A total of 14 films competed for the €50,000 CineMasters Award, sponsored by ARRI.

The CineVision Award, for the best international film by an emerging director, was given to Simon of the Mountain by Federico Luis. The jury, consisting of writer-director Bob Byington, filmmaker Maksym Nakonechnyi and writer-director Sarah Blaßkiewitz, picked the winner from among 14 titles. The award is accompanied by €15,000, sponsored by MPLC Deutschland GmbH. The CineRebels Award, presented for the third time, went to Viêt and Nam [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Minh Quý Trương, with an Honourable Mention for Fragments of Ice [+see also:
film review
film profile] by Maria Stoianova. The jury included Mia Bays, Nicolas Wackerbarth and Dale Dickey. This award, now worth €15,000 and sponsored by AUDI, celebrates innovative and daring films.

As for the German Cinema New Talent Award, Fabian Stumm was honoured as Best Director for Sad Jokes [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], a prize that comes with €30,000. This year's jury, comprising writer-director Mariko Minoguchi, actor-director Denis Moschitto and producer Florian Koerner von Gustorf, praised Sad Jokes for its depiction of “modern family structures and mental-health issues without [making us] shocked by them. It is a focused look at the absurdities and vicissitudes of life, which can be harsh and abrasive, then simply unreal, and ultimately beautifully poetic." The film also picked up the FIPRESCI Prize at this year’s festival.

Semih Korhan Güner won Best Production for the drama Smell of Burnt Milk, directed by Justine Bauer. The jury noted, “Through a combination of observation and dramatisation, they have succeeded in creating a strong emotional connection to five women on their dairy farm in southern Germany.” Furthermore, Aaron Arens and Lukas Loose won Best Screenplay and a spot on the Bavaria Fiction mentoring programme for Places in the Sun, directed by Arens, while Atika Jumaih Bashiru received the Best Acting Performance Award for her role in O Chale by Jan Hendrik Lübbers.

Finally, at the Bernd Burgemeister TV Production Awards for exceptional achievements in TV production, the three-member jury chaired by producer Dagmar Rosenbauer – also including Jan Kruse (Bavaria Fiction) and Martin Richter (Rat Pack Filmproduktion) – recognised Maren Knieling and Lars Jessen (Florida Film GmbH) for their comedy Micha Thinks Big, starring Charly Hübner, as the best TV movie. Additionally, producers Katrin Haase, Oliver Arnold (U5 Filmproduktion GmbH & Co KG) and Lasse Scharpen (Studio Zentral) received the Award for Best Series or Miniseries for the vampire-themed show Love Sucks.

Here is a list of all winners at the 41st Munich International Film Festival:

CineCoPro Award
To a Land Unknown [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mahdi Fleifel
film profile] - Mahdi Fleifel (UK/France/Germany/Greece/Netherlands/Qatar/Saudi Arabia/Palestine)
Honourable Mention
The Village Next to Paradise [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Mo Harawe (Austria/France/Germany/Somalia)

CineMasters Award
Explanation for Everything [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Gábor Reisz
film profile] - Gábor Reisz (Hungary/Slovakia)

CineVision Award
Simon of the Mountain - Federico Luis (Argentina/Chile/Uruguay)

CineRebels Award
Viêt and Nam [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Minh Quý Trương (Vietnam/Philippines/Singapore/France/Netherlands/Italy/Germany/USA)
Honourable Mention
Fragments of Ice [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Maria Stoianova (Ukraine/Norway)

CineKindl Award
Lars Is LOL - Eirik Sæter Stordahl (Norway)

FIPRESCI Prize
Sad Jokes [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Fabian Stumm (Germany)

German Cinema New Talent Award

Best Director
Fabian Stumm - Sad Jokes

Best Production
Semih Korhan Güner - Smell of Burnt Milk (Germany)

Best Screenplay
Aaron Arens, Lukas Loose - Places in the Sun (Germany/Spain)

Best Acting Performance
Atika Jumaih Bashiru - O Chale (Germany)

Bernd Burgemeister TV Production Awards

Best Movie
Micha Thinks Big - Lars Jessen, Jan Georg Schütte (Germany)

Best Series
Love Sucks - Andreas Prochaska, Lea Becker (Germany)

Young Jury Award
Hoard [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Luna Carmoon
film profile] - Luna Carmoon (UK)
Honourable Mention
Sisterqueens - Clara Stella Hüneke (Germany)

Audience Award – National Category
Führer and Seducer - Joachim A Lang (Germany/Slovakia)

Audience Award – International Category
Samia [+see also:
interview: Yasemin Şamdereli, Deka Moh…
film profile] - Yasemin Şamdereli, Deka Mohamed Osman (Italy/Germany)

CineKindl Audience Award
Dìdi - Sean Wang (USA)

Fritz Gerlich Prize
Tatami [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Zar Amir, Guy Nattiv (Georgia/USA)

One Future Prize
Petra Kelly – Act Now! - Doris Metz (Germany)