Now we are ready to start: the filmfest team is almost complete. Four new colleagues started on August 1st:


- Sylvia Franzmann is the artictic directors assistance,
- Alexander Spiertz coordinates the print traffic,
- Nadine Unverzagt assits the filmfest marketing, and
- Sarah Becker supports the press and pr department.

Welcome on board everybody!

Film director and DEFA co-founder Kurt Maetzig was honored at the Potsdam Film Museum on the occasion of his 100th birthday on January 28th. In an official celebration he was acknowledged for his cinematographic merits, i.e. to have shot the first post-war film "Ehe im Schatten" (Marriage in Shadows) for which he received the first Bambi Award ever to be awarded. Later he shot the first German science fiction film, "Der schweigende Stern" which was again presented on the 2005 filmfest.

On the occasion of the 50th DEFA anniversary Kurt Maetzig had visited the filmfest in 1996 for a retrospective. For Margot Michaelis who accompanied him during the festival and co-curated the programme, it was the beginning og their friendship. At the celebration at the Filmmuseum she (invited a as surprise guest) congratulated Maetzig after the laudation by Wolfgang Kohlhaase.

„J’ai tué ma mère“ ("I killed my mother") takes part in the school cinema weeks in Lower Saxony

The winning film of Braunschweig's French-German Youth Award KINEMA will tour cinemas in Lower Saxony. Only a few weeks ago a jury of six youths from France and Germany had selected the Canadian production „J’ai tué ma mère“ („I killed my mother“) by director Xavier Dolan to receive the KINEMA-award. The prize consists of a new 35mm print with German subtitles (value: ca. 3.000 EUR) for furhter festival and cinema use. Now, distributor "Kool Filmverleih" sends this copy on tour to take part in Lower Saxony's school cinema weeks which will take place in 13 cities.

With an audience of 25,300 the 24th Braunschweig International Film Festival celebrated a new record attendance. Artistic director Volker Kufahl made out three reasons: Specs, Berlin – and Bregenwurst.

In the programme “The Future of Cinema – Film and Space in 3D” everything revolved around specs. Lecturers from the field of theory and practice like Stefan Drößler from Munich’s film museum, stereograph Alaric Hamacher, directors Holger Tappe and Nikolai Vialkowitsch and author Georg Seeßlen discussed the future potential of 3D cinema.

“Berlin” stood for the film concerts which were part of the filmfest’s “Music and Film” programme. The Braunschweig State Orchestra played Ruttmann’s “Berlin. Symphony of a Big City” and performed Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis” in front of an audience of 4,000.

Thanks to Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgård who received the European Actors Award “The Europa” for his outstanding performances, “Bregenwurst” played a prominent role. The laudation was held by his director and friend Hans Petter Moland whose “A somewhat gentle man” had opened the festival. Skarsgård who had developed a special linking for a Braunschweig specialty, thanked him with the words: “I hope, we continue to make films like Bregenwurst – with brains in it”.

The audience award “The Heinrich” for European debut and second films went to Belgium. “Illegal” by director Olivier Masset-Depasse reaped most of the votes. In his place, actress Essé Lawson received the award. Half of the prize money of 10,000 Euro goes to a German distributor who decides to take the film to the screens (rights: Telepool).

The French-German Youth Award KINEMA was awarded by a young, bilingual jury to the Canadian production “J’ai tué ma mère” (“I killed my mother”, German distributor: Kool) by director Xavier Dolan. Very well received was the symposium “Film in French Language Teaching”, which attracted 180 participants who saw the lecture by famous French film critic Alain Bergala.

Film composer Chris Heyne, music consultant Pia Hoffmann, arte-editor Thomas Neuhauser and director Marco Mittelstaedt formed the jury of the short film music award “The Leo”. They agreed on the animation “Loom” by a group of students from the Baden-Württemberg Film Academy, who won 2,000 Euro.

Award winners of the 24th Braunschweig Internationalen Film Festival

The Belgian-Luxembourgian-French production „Illegal“ has won the  „Heinrich“, the audience award of Braunschweig's 24th International Film Festival. The prize money of 10.000 Euro is equally divided between director  Olivier Masset-Depasse and a German distributor who decides to take the film to the screens. The prize money is founded by the filmfest's main sponsor Volkswagen Financial Services AG.

The short film music prize „The Leo“ goes to the German film „Loom“ by Ilija Brunck, Jan Bitzer, Csaba Letay (directors) and Joel Corelitz/Waveplant (sound design). The computer animation was selected by a jury with film composer Christian Heyne, director Marco Mittelstaedt, Music Supervisor Pia Hoffmann and arte-TV film- and music editor Thomas Neuhauser. The purse of 2.000 Euro is provided by the foundation Braunschweiger Land.

For the fourth time the French-German Youth Award KINEMA was selected by of jury of six youths from both countries. Under the supervision of director Sebastian Winkels („7 Brothers“) the young jurors chose the Canadian production „J’ai tué ma mère“ (I killed my mother) by Regisseur Xavier Dolan. Dolan wins a 35mm-single print copy with German subtitles for further festival use.

The festival's main prize, the European Actor's Award worth 10.000 Euro, is awarded to Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgård for his outstanding performences and contribution to European film culture. The award is supporteb by the festival's main sponsor Volkswagen Financial Services AG.

The award ceremony takes place on Sunday, 14.11. at 19:00 Uhr in Braunschweig's State Theaters Great Hall.

The 24th Braunschweig International Film Festival presents eleven German premieres. Of the ten films competing for the audience award „The Heinrich“, five are German premieres.

More German premieres can be found in this year's special programme on 3D cinema and in the sections "New German Films" and "New International Cinema", such the islandic production „King’s Road“ with Daniel Bruehl.

All the German premieres at the 24th Braunschweig International Filmfest:

The 24th Braunschweig International Film Festival honors Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgård with the "European Actors Award". Skarsgård receives the award for his outstanding artistic performances and contribution to European film culture. The prizemoney of 10.000 Euros is donated by the festival's main sponsor Volkswagen Financial Services AG.

On November 14th, Skarsgård will receive the prize at the award ceremony in Braunschweig's State Theatre. The laudatory speech will be held by Norwegian director Hans Petter Moland, whose new film, the tragic comedy A SOMEWHAT GENTLE MAN, will be the opening film on November 9th.

Already at the age of 16, Stellan Skarsgård (*1951 in Gotenborg) was a TV star in the series BOMBI BITT. In 1996 he saw his international breakthrough, when he played the lead in Lars von Trier's drama BREAKING THE WAVES. For his brilliant performances in AMISTAD and GOOD WILL HUNTING he received the European Film Award in 1998. Be it as "Bootstrap Bill" in PIRATEAS OF THE CARIBBEAN or as Francisco de Goya in GOYA'S GHOSTS – Skarsgård's excellent reputation earned him numerous lead and supporting roles in European as well as American productions and made him one of the few European actors with a big name in Hollywood.

Since 2007, Braunschweig International film festival gives away the European Actors Award. So far, Hanna Schygulla, Bruno Ganz and John Hurt have received this award.

The film festival honors Skarsgård with a retrospective of the following films: BREAKING THE WAVES, d: Lars von Trier, DK/S/F/NL/N 1996, 159 min.
SIGNS & WONDERS, d: Jonathan Nossiter, F 2000, 108 min.
GOD AFTON, HERR WALLENBERG, d: Kjell Grede, S/Ungarn 1990, 118 min.
MAMMA MIA!, d: Phyllida Lloyd, USA/D 2008, 108 min.
GOAY'S GHOSTS, d: Milos Forman, E/USA 2006, 113 min.
TAKING SIDES, d: István Szabó, UK/D/F/A 2001, 108 min.
ABERDEEN, d: Hans Petter Moland, N/UK 2000, 110 min. 

Short films:
The Eiffel tower, R: Niklas Rådström, S 2004
Torte Bluma, R: Benjamin Ross, USA 2005

The nominees for the filmfest's audience competition "The Heinrich" are fixed. Ten films from nine countries will compete for the prize for European debut and second films with a purse of 10.000. 120 productions had been send it - more than ever!
The prize money, endowed by the filmfest's main sponsor Volkswagen Financial Services, is equally sharded between the director and German distributor. The winner will be announced at the award ceremony on Sunday, Novermer 14th at the State Theatres Big Hall. The "Heinrich" is being award in the 12th year.

The nominiees are:

For his film concert on Thursday, November 11th, 20:00 at the WichmannHalle, Japanese composer SHIGERU UMEBAYASHI and the Chamber Ensemble of Braunschweig's State Orchestra receive prominent support. Soloist of the evning is Swiss flutist Sandro Friedrich.

Sandro Friedrich started his education with Baroque music. For over 30 years he has  been working with instruments and music of many cultures. His skills have grown to include an astonishing spectrum of over 100 different wind instruments. His musical styles vary from world music, rock, folk and pop, to techno/trance, from  chill-out to film music. For over 10 years he performed with his own band Acanto.

Here come the nominees for the short film music award "The LEO"! 23 short films from five different countries have been selected for the award's eighth edition. The wining film receives 2.000 Euro, donated by the foundation "Braunschweiger Land".

...and the nominees are: