Red carpet, chic dresses, cool drinks: A touch of glamor is back in Munich.
On Friday evening, the Bavarian Film Prize was awarded there in the Prinzregententheater – not only despite the war and crisis, but also a bit because of it. “We have to be careful that Putin doesn’t make us prisoners,” says director Doris Dörrie on the red carpet. “We don’t begrudge him this triumph.”
After a long drought, the award winners also have to get used to the old days again: Director Lars Montag, who is being honored for his children’s film “Dreams are like wild tigers”, says that the last award ceremonies took place “in my late afternoon”, because the awards were sent there.
The times are over, now prizes are awarded where they belong: on the big stage.
Honorary award for Wortmann
Director Sönke Wortmann gets the honorary award – and makes Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) swap his tuxedo for shorts. He appears in the 1954 national jersey to present the award. The Wortmann film that inspired him the most was “The Miracle of Bern” about the German national team’s World Cup victory that year, says Söder – and tries to explain his outfit with it.
“I accept the award,” says Wortmann, and above all thanks the Munich University of Television and Film (HFF), which accepted him many years ago. That was “a turning point” in his life. “For the first time I knew what I might want to do.”
Audience Award for Waalkes
The audience award goes to the film “Catweazle” with Otto Waalkes. This award speaks “very much for Bavarian liberality,” says Waalkes. After all, an East Frisian plays the leading role with him. “That’s why I will do everything to ensure that the next East Frisian film award goes to a Bavarian.” He doesn’t see any big differences between North German and Bavarian humor, as he says before the award – “except for the dialect maybe”.
Fritjof Hohagen receives the 100,000 euro producer’s prize for the film “Not Quite Kosher – A Divine Comedy”. Hohagen calls the film about an ultra-orthodox Jew, a Muslim Bedouin and their journey through the desert a parable of our time. He hopes “that maybe there is hope after all”.
A second producer’s prize goes to the film “Stasikomödie” by director Leander Haußmann. The award for best director received old master Dominik Graf for his Erich Kästner film adaptation “Fabian or the walk to the dogs”.
Best Actors
The actors Johanna Wokalek and Albrecht Schucht are honored as best actors. Wokalek receives the EUR 10,000 prize for her role as a trainer in the film “Beckenrand Sheriff” – and is surprised by Klaus Maria Brandauer, who presented her with a Bavarian film prize almost 20 years ago. “I’m a bit in love with her – as an actress,” says Brandauer. Wokalek – visibly moved by this surprise – thanks her director Marcus H. Rosenmüller for making her jump five meters into the deep end for the role. “That was worth it.”
Schucht is honored for his portrayal of the writer Thomas Brasch in “Dear Thomas”. Emil von Schönfels, Mekyas Mulugeta and Sara Fazilat received the prize for the best young actors, Maria Schrader and Jan Schomburg for the best screenplay for their film “I am your human”.
Twelve categories
The prize is awarded in twelve categories and is endowed with a total of 300,000 euros. But there is not only money, but also the porcelain figure Pierrot from Franz-Anton Bustelli’s Commedia dell’arte.
“Especially in these difficult times, it is important that we don’t let our joie de vivre be taken away and also send positive signals,” emphasizes Bavaria’s Digital Minister Judith Gerlach (CSU) – and York-Fabian Raabe, who receives the young director’s award, says the sentence of the evening : «When we celebrate our differences, we have something more in common.»
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