With the queer film award ECHT , the BIFF, in cooperation with the Association for Sexual Emancipation e.V., honors lesbian, bisexual, gay, trans*, inter, and queer filmmaking.

The prize money of 2,500 euros is sponsored by the Hotel Deutsches Haus, and the winning film is selected by a jury.

Director: Alice Douard, France 2025, 97 min, color, original version with subtitles, trailer

Jury Statement:
This year’s ECHT Film Award for Best Queer Film goes to a work that finds the political in the personal. To a film that offers insight into the lives and love of two people, in all their everydayness and ordinariness, yet never loses sight of the very real difficulties and obstacles that queer relationships in particular face time and again. In her debut film—inspired by her own experiences—the director explores inequality within equality without overdramatizing, but rather with tremendous authenticity, plenty of charm and wit, and above all, remarkable tenderness, without ever slipping into kitsch or superficiality. Excellent lead actresses and perfectly cast supporting roles do the rest, and in the end, this film is also about our social reality today—and not just about France in 2014.

The 2025 ECHT Film Award goes to “15 Proofs of Love” by Alice Douard.

Jury Statement:
We are awarding the ECHT Queer Film Prize to the film TOLL by Carolina Markowicz.
A topic that is, unfortunately, still relevant (worldwide)—conversion therapy—is told here with courage, visually striking imagery, and surprising lightness. The director skillfully imbues all the characters and relationships with an ambivalence and complexity that make flippant judgments and condemnations impossible, forcing viewers to grapple on a deep level with the hardships, constraints, and the reality of life faced by a single mother and her queer son in a precarious environment. Particularly noteworthy is the director’s bold decision to give the mother’s perspective ample space and emotional resonance. A film that, far removed from simplification and easy answers, touches the viewer deeply and lingers in the mind long after it ends.

Directed by Tünde Skovrán, Romania/Canada 2023, 102 min.

JURY STATEMENT

The documentary WHO I AM NOT, by Tünde Skovrán, left a lasting impression on us. With great sensitivity, the director introduces us to the lives of the two protagonists, Sharon-Rose and Dimakatso, two intersex South Africans. In everyday moments—such as looking for a job or going on dates—the film portrays their experiences in a very impressively and unflinchingly how oppressive the binary gender system is for people . Sharon-Rose and Dimakatso refuse to be oppressed; they are living proof that society is sick, not them. Sharon-Rose competes as a beauty queen, while Dimakatso raises awareness as an activist and meets with medical students, among others. Time and again, they are forced to muster the strengthto find themselves, even though it is their environment that denies them a place—through its ignorance and the fear of letting go of a supposed norm. The question Dimakatso asks her partner— “Where do I belong?” —resonates long after the credits roll and compels the audience to reflect on the rigid concepts of belonging and identity . Ultimately, we were particularly moved by the loving portrayal of the protagonists , which gives them the space they are often denied. "Who I Am Not" is not only emotionally moving but also thought-provoking. The film is a clear indictment of the binary system and reminds us that life exists in all its diversity.

Honorable Mention: ALONG CAME LOVE

The feature film ALONG CAME LOVE, original title Le Temps d’aimer [lə tã d(e)me], receives an award in the category REAL in the category Honorable Mention.
This narrative drama by French director Katell Quillévéré [katɛl kiléveʁe] is worth seeing in many respects. Yes, very much worth seeing, in fact. We on the jury are deeply impressedby the high standards and visual aesthetics of this film. We were also impressed by its historical accuracy.
We’re talking about a story that unfolds over three consecutive decades. The opening credits are also a prelude—a montage of monochrome images that stir our emotions. A striking prologue in which black-and-white ways of thinking suddenly encounter the colorful nuances between joy and anger.
It’s about love—and war. What is love, if not war? If not a war-like struggle with the peace we feel in solitude, and with the frustration we encounter in a relationship.
Madeleine, a waitress and single mother, and François, an intellectual from a wealthy family, meet in the early 1950s. On a picturesque shore in Brittany, not far from the once fiercely contested beaches of Normandy, they fall in love. They tie the knot, but each keeps their serious personal secrets hidden.
But what about the queer connection? Where is it? Where isn’t it? It simmers explosively beneath the surface—and beneath the covers. In a surprising way, bisexual and homosexual desires, in a sense, take on color and form. At the same time, moral conventions bear down on the characters with crushing force—a development the director symbolically foreshadows as she follows the couple through a narrow, dark tunnel between dream and trauma.

Sweden, Norway 2022, 87 min, color, Director: Christoffer Sandler

Everything is going wrong in 18-year-old Joanna’s life right now: She’s run out of ADHD medication and is desperately trying to get money for more. She’s being bullied at school, and her depressed father can’t bring himself to get off the couch—not even to visit her mother’s grave. To cope with the growing storm in her head, she goes swimming—even without paying the admission fee. There she meets Audrey—and everything changes. The film follows Joanna through her complicated life, offering situational comedy as well as depth, without ever becoming maudlin. This is largely thanks to Niki Hanseblad, the charismatic actress playing Joanna, who radiates a fighting spirit and optimism.

Biography Director: Christoffer Sandler is a Swedish writer, producer, and director. He has previously worked on various “coming-of-age” TV series. His first feature film, *SO DAMN EASY GOING*, was, among other things, the opening film of the Göteborg Film Festival and was nominated for several awards.

JURY STATEMENT

“Lesbian love as a safe haven for a troubled protagonist. How often have we seen this portrayed in this way? In ‘So Damn Easy Going,’ teenager Joanna isn’t just struggling with growing up—she also has to cope with her ADHD. When her depressed father is temporarily unable to pay for her medication and the daily necessities of life, she finds herself in trouble. This is also because she doesn’t want anyone to know about her precarious situation—least of all her love interest, Audrey.
Screenwriters Lina Åström, Jessika Jankert, and Linda-Maria Birbeck, along with co-writer and director Christoffer Sandler, didn’t turn this into an arthouse drama with their wonderful young cast—instead, they created a fresh, mainstream arthouse dramedy. “By honoring this film, we want to send a message in support of casual storytelling about
multifaceted, queer characters who do not define themselves EXCLUSIVELY by their sexual orientation or gender identity.”

Honorable Mention for MY EMPTINESS AND I

“While a multitude of films now tell stories about trans* people, trans* lead actress Raphaëlle Pérez was directly involved in the screenplay for ‘My Emptiness and I,’ thereby helping to shape the narrative of her own story from the very beginning. The result is a film that doesn’t follow a conventional narrative about trans* people, yet simultaneously addresses themes familiar to many who live outside gender norms. Raphi is particularly concerned with the question of how far she wants to—or must—conform her body to the norm in order to, for example, have a fulfilling relationship. Underlying this is always the question of what makes a woman
a woman. We are giving “My Emptiness and I” a special mention because the film follows the main character, Raphi, through a process that does not primarily depict a gender transition, but rather critically reflects on the journey from a seemingly apolitical life to public visibility in society.”

Directed by Lara Aerts, Netherlands 2020, 7 min

Why is it so important to be a boy or a girl? Wen Long explains, quite naturally and openly, that he was born an intersex child. The nine-year-old wears both “boys’” and “girls’” clothes and plays with toys associated with both genders. The only problem is that others don’t know what to make of it. People say, “If you’re both a boy and a girl at the same time, you’re basically nothing.” Wen Long isn’t interested in making a decision; they simply want to be Wen Long. This insightful, playful documentary shows just how absurd the imposed binary gender division really is. Clothing, toys, restrooms—everything is strictly separated. Society’s tabooing of intersexuality leads to problems. A typical example is the fact that Wen Long’s teacher considers the topic unsuitable for children, even though it is a completely natural phenomenon that also occurs in the animal kingdom. So why is it considered strange in humans?

Directed by Levin Akin, Georgia, Sweden (2019), 105 min.

Since his early youth, Merab has devoted his life to Georgian dance and trains with his partner Mary in the Tbilisi National Ensemble. Between daily ballet classes and occasional dates with Mary, he has hardly any time for himself—especially when he has to look after his chaotic brother. However, his world is turned upside down when the charismatic Irakli joins the ensemble. Not only does Irakli become Merab’s greatest rival for a spot in the starting lineup, but he also awakens Merab’s sexual desire. Levan Akin unfolds the story against a backdrop of a society marked by homophobia, navigating a tension between harshness and devotion, passion and ruthlessness.

Jury Statement:

“There is no sexuality in Georgian dance!” This is the guiding principle of training in the national ensemble depicted in the film *When We Danced*, in which the preservation of tradition is tied to notions of purity and the renunciation of individual expression.

Merab, a young aspiring dancer, is a student at the Georgian National Ballet Academy in Tbilisi. His greatest dream is to become a professional dancer. When the handsome and charismatic Irakli joins the class, Merab initially sees him as a rival for the coveted permanent spot in an ensemble. But Merab’s world is slowly turned upside down as the rivalry very soon turns into admiration and an ever-growing desire. His dancing transforms into a choreography of unbridled zest for life and a struggle for success and recognition. He begins to rebel against the traditional Georgian values of ballet, as he—as a man—is expected to dance in a certain way, a style with which he finds it increasingly difficult to come to terms.

With a precise and sensitive eye, filmmaker Levan Akin shows us beauties worth admiring and structures that need to be changed. In Levan Gelbakhiani, he has found a lead actor who, through his dancing, wonderfully conveys the visual metaphor for the pain and ecstasy of someone who finally wants to fully live his own truth.

The film asks whether a tradition that provides people with stability and identity can afford to turn its back on opportunities for individuals, queer people, and young people. And whether a film with a gay lead character can be submitted as an international entry in the race for the Oscars is a question currently being asked by people in Tbilisi who, exactly two weeks ago, tried to prevent sold-out movie screenings with violent protests. In times of division and simplistic answers, we would like to honor a film that neither condemns cultural traditions nor rejects individual happiness.

“Als wir tanzten” celebrates love, dance, and life—and thus also the culture and traditions of Georgia—but ultimately also the protagonist’s rebellion and resistance against those very traditions. The jury congratulates Levan Akin’s team on this cinematic achievement; “And Then We Danced” is a worthy winner of the 3rd Queer Film Award of the State of Lower Saxony. Thank you very much!

Directed by Olga Chajdas, Poland 2018, 130 min.

Nina and Wojtek are an unlikely couple searching for the right surrogate mother for the child they hope will save their relationship. One day, they meet Magda and seem to have found the ideal candidate. Things get more complicated when Nina suddenly finds herself drawn to Magda. NINA is a story about an unexpected, difficult love and complicated decisions, in which losers and winners stand on the same side and in which the world is not divided into good and evil or straight and gay. This accomplished debut paints a sensitive portrait of a strong but confused woman, trapped in her roles as wife and daughter.

The 2018 Winning Film: NINA

Directed by Olga Chajdas, Poland 2018, 130

The Jury’s Statement:

We were presented with six extraordinary queer films that could not have been more different from one another. Each film had the potential to win an award. Nevertheless, the jury had to make a decision. The award goes to the film “Nina” by Olga Chajdas. In it, she paints a portrait of a strong woman who, at the beginning of the film, is searching for a surrogate mother together with her husband. By chance, the young lesbian Magda enters Nina’s life and turns it upside down. The relationship between Nina and Magda quickly shifts from that of a potential surrogate mother to that of lovers.

The casting choices bring visibility to a relationship between feminine women with a significant age difference, as well as to the turmoil and uncertainty that arise from a late—or even sudden—coming out. Interestingly, later on, Nina doesn’t come out as a lesbian at all, but rather as “Magda-sexual.”

Director Olga Chajdas incorporates several unconventional elements into the film. Notable stylistic devices here include “visual composition,” “camerawork,” and “narrative peculiarities.” Overall, the film has a rather somber and cold atmosphere, breaking the cliché of the “lesbian film,” which is often perceived as romantic and warm.”

The jury congratulates Olga Chajdas’s team on this cinematic achievement; “NINA” is a worthy winner of the 2nd Queer Film Award of the State of Lower Saxony.