BEST FIRST FEATURE AWARD, ENDOWED WITH € 50,000, FUNDED BY GWFF

The Berlinale has been even more committed to supporting the next generation of film makers since 2006, when it introduced the Best First Feature Award. The award is endowed with 50,000 Euros, funded by GWFF (Gesellschaft zur Wahrnehmung von Film- und Fernsehrecht), a society dedicated to safeguarding film and television rights. The prize money is to be split between the producer and the director of the winning film. Additionally, the director is awarded with a high-quality viewfinder as both a useful instrument and memorable trophy that should accompany them on their future road to success. Debut feature films from the Sections Competition, Panorama, Forum, Generation or Perspektive Deutsches Kino compete for the award.

600 Millas 
by Gabriel Ripstein

Fernando Eimbcke (Mexico)

Fernando Eimbcke studied at the UNAM Film Institute in Mexico. He was invited to the Berlinale Talent Campus in 2003 and celebrated his feature film debut with Temporada de Patos in 2004. Following its world premiere at the festival in Guadalajara, he was invited to "Semaine de la critique" in Cannes as well as numerous other international festivals. He took part in Competition of the Berlinale in 2008 with Lake Tahoe, winning the Silver Bear Alfred Bauer Prize and the FIPRESCI Award. He contributed to the episode filmRevolucion, which screened in Berlinale Special in 2010. In 2013, he received awards in San Sebastián and Turin for Club Sandwich.

Joshua Oppenheimer (USA)

American documentary director Joshua Oppenheimer has been making militias, death squads and their victims the focus of his work. His harrowing debut feature-length film The Act of Killing won several international awards all over the world including the Panorama Audience Award, the BAFTA award and a European Film Award. It was also nominated for an Academy Award for best documentary and has been released in more than 31 countries. The Look of Silence celebrated its premiere at the 2014 Venice Film Festival, receiving the Grand Jury Prize and the FIPRESCI Award, followed by the prestigious Danish Arts Council Award.

Olga Kurylenko (Ukraine)

International actress Olga Kurylenko had her breakthrough alongside Daniel Craig's James Bond in A Quantum of Solace. Appearances in films by directors such as multi award-winning Terrence Malick (To the Wonder), Martin McDonagh (Seven Psychopaths) and the hit American series Magic City followed, as well as a lead role alongside Tom Cruise in Oblivion. Most recently she worked with Academy Award winner Russell Crowe in his directorial debut The Water Diviner, and completed filming for the drama A Perfect Day with Benicio Del Toro and Tim Robbins.