Hamburg Film Festival Awards
The Hamburg Film Festival, held recently, saw several notable films and producers being awarded for their outstanding work. Reynard Films, based in Leipzig, won the international cinema coro of € 25,000 Hamburg Producers Award for Cyril Aris’ film It’s a sad and beautiful world. This romantic drama spans three decades and has been making waves in the film festival circuit.
International Recognition
It’s a sad and beautiful world had its premiere at Venice in Giornate Degli Authori last month, where it won the audience award. It also had its German premiere in the Kaleidoscope side of the Hamburg Film Festival and is Lebanon’s entry into the best international film category of the Oscars. New Visions has acquired the German rights for the film.
Hamburg Producers Award Deutsche Kino
The € 25,000 Hamburg Producers Award Deutsche Kino went to Kirill Krasovski of Blue Monticola Film, producer of Julian Radlmaier’s Phantoms from July. The film had its world premiere in Locarno’s international competition in August and will be released in German cinemas in November by Grandfilm. The romantic adventure is being treated internationally by Spain’s Bendita film sales.
Special Mentions
The jury also mentioned the author-director Ulrich Köhler drama Gavagai, produced by Ingmar Trost from Cologne’s Sutor Kolonko. This recognition highlights the film’s exceptional storytelling and production quality.
German TV Productions
Two prizes were awarded for German TV productions in the Hamburg Film Festival’s Sive-Sidebar, with cash prices sponsored by the film and television producer Rights’ Rights Association (VFF). The price of 25,000 euros for the best television film went to Peter Hartwig’s Kineo film for the psychological study Police by Buket Alakuş. The third season of the comedy series Almania, directed by David Gruschka and produced by DCM Pictures in cooperation with Diggitales, won the € 10,000 price for the German series.
Cicae Arthouse Cinema Award
The award ceremony was also the backdrop for the Cicae Arthouse Cinema Award, which supports the German theater publication of a selected film. The cash price of € 25,000, provided by the Hamburg-Moin Film Fund, went to Berlin’s Port-au-Prince Pictures for Kleber Mendonça Filho’s The Secret Agent. The film will have its German premiere as part of the filmmaker’s focus showcase on October 3.
International Film Sales Summit
The best International Innovation Distribution Award of this year’s international film sales summit (IFDS) was awarded for the first time at the award ceremony on Wednesday to Paris-based sales company Charades. Andrea Romeo from the Italian sales company I Wonder described the co-founders of Charades, Carole Baraton, Pierre Mazars, and Yohann Comte, as "brilliant, confident, visionary, but above all, it is fun to work with them." This price includes expert services worth € 10,000 from Comscore, Gruvi, and Usheru.
