New Awards at Filmfest Hamburg

The production company Neue Sentimental Film Hamburg donates young talents award “Die Elfe“, endowed with 5,000 euros+++

+++This year the “Art Cinema Award“, donated by C.I.C.A.E. (Confédération Internationale des Cinémas d'Art et d'Essai), is presented in Hamburg+++

Festival Director Albert Wiederspiel is proud to have the young talents award “Die Elfe” (literally: “The Pixie”) being presented at Filmfest Hamburg, donated by one of Europe’s leading advertising film production companies, Neue Sentimental Film Hamburg (NSF). Helga Waterkotte, Managing Director of NSF Hamburg: “The young talents award in the form of an elf symbolizes the dreams of young directors and is simultaneously part of our company logo.” Endowed with 5,000 euros, the young talents award “Die Elfe” will be presented by a jury of three, consisting of agent Vicki Hinrichs-Rickmers, actor Robert Atzorn and Sabine Lippert, also Managing Director of NSF Hamburg.

And another prize is being presented at Filmfest Hamburg for the first time: The Art Cinema Award, established in 1969 by the Confédération Internationale des Cinémas d'Art et d'Essai (C.I.C.A.E.) (International Confederation of Art House Cinemas). Detlef Roßmann, chairman of both the German and the international art cinema unions (AG KINO and C.I.C.A.E.), views the presentation as “a wonderful partnership reinstated” and a cause for joy: “The fact that Filmfest Hamburg is giving us the honour of inviting a jury and presenting an award is an encouraging signal on behalf of the City of Hamburg towards committed and high-brow cinema.” All films that have a German distributor are nominated. The confederation’s extensive network will support the distribution of the winning film throughout Europe. Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein is contributing 5,000 euros to the award in support of PR measures by the German distributor. The international jury consists of the cinema directors Daniel Lavaud (France), Dietmar Zingl (Austria) and Erdmann Lange (Germany).

Once again the renowned Douglas-Sirk-Award will be awarded to an individual for rendering outstanding services to cinema culture and the film industry. The presentation will take place on Saturday, 27th September at 7.45 pm.

The TV Producer Award is presented in cooperation with Hamburg's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Media, who are sponsoring the prize money of 30,000 euros. The award goes to TV producers and is available exclusively for postproduction contracts with companies from Hamburg. The jury members are producer and scriptwriter Nina Bohlmann, actor Burghart Klaußner and scriptwriter Ruth Thoma.

The Montblanc Scriptwriting Award in the “Nordlichter” (“Northern Lights”) section is endowed with 50,000 euros and is presented by the long-established company Montblanc und Filmfest Hamburg. This year the jury-council is made up of literary manager Annette Pauw, writer Dirk C. Fleck and the General Manager of Hoffmann & Campe publishing house, Günter Berg.

The Hamburg Film Critic Award goes to a film that presents current affairs in a particularly original manner. The members of the 2008 jury are Lars-Olav Beier (Der Spiegel), Bernd Teichmann (Stern), Volker Behrens (Hamburger Abendblatt) and Jens Büchsenmann (NDR 90,3).

Which is the best European box-office hit? The audience itself can decide on the winning film of the “eurovisuell” section by casting ballots. The Audience Award is endowed with 5,000 euros and this year it is presented by the gentlemen’s club Gesellschaft Harmonie von 1789.

Altogether nine feature films and one animated film are competing for the 'Michel' Award, donated by DVD provider Universal Pictures Germany and endowed with 5,000 euros, double as much as last year. A jury made up of children and adolescents will determine the best children’s and youth film in the international competition. The prize will be awarded in the cinema CinemaxX Dammtor on 2nd October at 4.00 pm, before the final film.

The Michel Kinder- und JugendFilmfest (Children’s and Youth Film Festival) also features an audience award: the Jetix-Movie-Award. The prize will be awarded in the cinema CinemaxX Dammtor on 2nd October at 4.00 pm by the children’s channel Jetix.

For the third time now, the free-to-air TV channel DAS VIERTE presents the micromovie-Award at Filmfest Hamburg. Of all the film ideas submitted, the ten best were made into films. The TV- and Filmfest audiences decide on which of the 100-second films will receive the prize endowed with 4,444 euros.

Except where stated otherwise, all award winners will be announced during the awardgiving ceremony on the evening of 2nd October in the cinema CinemaxX Dammtor.

The 16th Filmfest Hamburg takes place from 25th September – 2nd October 2008 in the cinemas CinemaxX Dammtor, Abaton and 3001 cinema.

Further Information
Filmfest Hamburg
Kati Baumgarten, Claus Friede
Press and Communications
Telephone 040-399 19 00-29 / -17
presse@filmfesthamburg.de

More than 140 international feature and documentary films are celebrating their German, European or world premiere in altogether eight sections at the 16th Filmfest Hamburg. The many facets of the programme range from cinematically highbrow arthouse films to innovative mainstream cinema, from road movies to melodrama, from comedies and westerns to thrillers and children’s films.
Filmfest Hamburg presents the debut films of young German and international filmmakers alongside films by famous and infamous directing giants of international cinema.

Academy Award winners such as Clint Eastwood, Jodie Foster and Michael Moore, arthouse filmmakers such as Aki Kaurismäki, Jim Jarmusch, Peter Greenaway and Wim Wenders, Dogma-founder Lars von Trier and German directors such as Fatih Akin, Ayse Polat and Oliver Hirschbiegel represent the festival’s entire – and often controversial – artistic plenitude.

This release was published on openPR.