The 37th international Munich International Film Festival (Filmfest München) drew to a close with the presentation of awards, and “Bacurau” by Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles was honored with the ARRI/Osram Award in the CineMasters competition, while Melina León’s “Song without a Name” received the CineVision Award for best international film by a new director. On Friday, the Brazilian-German co-production “The Invisible Life of Eurídice Gusmão” received the newly created CineCoPro Award.
Concluding the festival after the award ceremony was Nisha Ganatra’s comedy “Late Night“, with Emma Thompson and Mindy Kaling in the lead roles. This film was given its German premiere in the sold-out Carl-Orff-Saal at the Gasteig.
ARRI/Osram Award
The film “Bacurau” by Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles received the ARRI/Osram Award for best international film.
“This film blew us away. The story is set in a near future that seems uncomfortably close. What looks like a simple plot about a village defending itself from a gang of white supremacists trying to exterminate them turns out to be a multilayered poetical allegory of our world today. The filmmakers skillfully mix elements of magical realism, western, fantasy, horror, and trash. This film shows us that only with solidarity and empathy is there hope.” the jury wrote in its statement.
Mads Brügger’s investigative documentary “Cold Case Hammarskjöld” was given honorable mention by the jury.
CineVision Award
The CineVision Award for best international film by a new director went to “Song without a Name”by Melina León.
The jury explained its decision as follows: “Georgina Condori’s desperate voice tears through a newspaper office, a voice that needs to be heard, a voice that is not used to being raised. Director Melina León and her unsettlingly intense lead actor Pamela Mendoza Arpi lend Georgina that voice in a film characterized by an elaborate visual style, deep empathy and respect for the indigenous communities of their homeland. This film is a period piece, but unfortunately none of the issues it so deftly outlines have lost their relevance. We applaud her work. We want to hear more, Melina, because we are listening.”
FIPRESCI Prize
“Lara” by Jan-Ole Gerster received the 2019 FIPRESCI Prize.
The jury of the International Federation of Film Critics explained their decision as follows: “Lara, masterfully brought to life by the great actress Corinna Harfouch, is a challenging and complex character at the center of a beautifully constructed and incisive screenplay, directed by Jan-Ole Gerster with nuanced sophistication and wit. It is a brilliant cinematic portrait of the consequences of judgmental parenting and of art as a resolution.”
Audience Awards
The Bayern 2 and SZ Audience Award went to the film “For Sama” by Waad Al Kateab and Edward Watts; and the Kinderfilmfest Audience Award went to “Lotte And the Lost Dragons” by Janno Põldma und Heiki Ernits.
ONE-FUTURE-PRIZE
The One Future Prize went to the Chilean film “Perro Bomba” by Juan Cáceres.
The jury explained its decision as follows: “‘Perro Bomba’ brings up a controversial aspect of Chile’s recent past and points out society’s ills, thus addressing universal issues at the same time. This film demonstrates the idealism of a director who is fighting for a better, more just world. We believe that further far-reaching, relevant films can be expected of Juan Cáceres, and we wish to take this opportunity to encourage him. For this, we are awarding him the 2019 One Future Prize.”