Festival director Michael Kötz (right) presented the award for acting to Bjarne Mädel.
(Photo: Sebastian Weindel)
LUDWIGSHAFEN – Bjarne Mädel, who had studied theater and literature at the University of Erlangen, originally wanted to become a writer by profession. But then the Hamburg native, born in 1968 in the year of the student revolt, went into acting after an additional degree at the film academy in Potsdam. “Playing as if he wasn’t playing becomes his trademark,” Michael Kötz praised the versatile actor, whom many know as “The Crime Scene Cleaner” on TV, in his eulogy on Sunday.
Kötz is director of the Festival of German Films in Ludwigshafen, whose 15th edition is expected to reach more than 100,000 viewers by September 8. This makes the festival the most popular in Germany after the Berlinale. There, on the oasis-like park island, Bjarne Mädel received the award for acting, in the run-up to a screening of the road movie comedy “25 km / h”, in which Mädel played the main role alongside Lars Eidinger.
Bright flashes of flashing light from the press photographers were surrounded by star guest Bjarne Mädel in the darkened cinema tent of the Palatinate film festival when the 51-year-old raised the red price sculpture and bouquet of flowers in front of the still white canvas. “I already had to share the Ernst Lubitsch Prize with Lars Eidinger, it’s for me alone,” said actor Bjarne Mädel. Director Dr. Michael Kötz summarized important stages of the girl’s biography during his eulogy, such as appearances in the television series “Stromberg” and in “Murder with a View”. But Nordlicht Bjarne Mädel came to Ludwigshafen on the blooming Parkinsel to present his new film comedy “25 km / h”, together with director Markus Goller and screenwriter Oliver Ziegenbalg, but without his film partner Lars Eidinger. “Bjarne Mädel has been a kind of superstar in the public service series since 2011,” said speaker Michael Kötz.
HSV game leaves little time for acceptance speech
“I didn’t have much time today to write my acceptance speech because HSV played,” award winner Bjarne Mädel quipped afterwards. People often ask Bjarne Mädel how much of his personality there is in a role. However, the Berliner from Wahl, who also appears in the Sven Regener film “Magical Mystery” released two years ago, cannot do too much with this spiritual question. “You don’t ask Bruno Ganz how much Adolf Hitler is in him,” commented guest star Bjarne Mädel. After all, acting was his earning a living. As a professional actor, you sometimes have to take on less attractive roles in order to pay the rent.
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