A total of five awards were presented at CinemaxX Dammtor. The film "Timbuktu"  by Abderrahmane Sissako from Mauritania closed the event. Three further awards, the Douglas Sirk Award, the Michel Award and the  Hamburg Producers Award, had already been presented during the festival. Presenter Julia Westlake hosted the evening.

Following the award ceremony, festival director Albert Wiederspiel seemed very happy with how Filmfest Hamburg 2014 had gone: “Despite summer temperatures, the Hamburg audience was fully behind us - the many screenings that were sold out are proof of this. We certainly have global warming to thank for Allende-Platz becoming a popular meeting-place - both day and night! We hope that our unsteady financial situation will be stabilised by the next festival with the help of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg - thus meaning there will be nothing standing in the way of the further development of the Filmfest.”

1) Eurovisuell Audience Award
The winner: "HallåHallå", direction and screenplay: Maria Blom, Sweden.

The prize, which is worth 5,000 Euro, was donated by K-Motion Kinobetriebe and the Freundeskreis Filmfest Hamburg. The audience chose the winner using ballot papers. There were six films to choose from. The question was: Which European box office hit in the ‘Eurovisuell’ section is the best?

2) Art Cinema Award
The winner: "Gett, The Trial of Viviane Amsaleme", direction and screenplay: Ronit and Shlomi Elkabetz, distributor: Salzgeber & Co Medien GmbH, expected cinema release 13.11.2014.

From the jury’s statement: “The impressive facial expressions of all of the actors allow the audience to feel every humiliation that the main character experiences. A simple story in a minimalist setting, told with subtle humour, becomes an exciting thriller about the battle for personal freedom.”

The award is being presented at Filmfest Hamburg by the International Confederation of Art Cinemas (C.I.C.A.E.) for the seventh time. The jury consisted of three cinema operators: Hanna Runge (Eifel Film Bühne Hillesheim), Greta Akcijonaite (Kino Pasaka, Litauen), Martin Kaufmann (Multisala Capitol, Bozen). Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein provided a sum of 5,000 Euro for the award, thus promoting PR activities for the German distribution. Twelve films were nominated.

3) Hamburg Film Critic Award
The winner: "Hope", direction and screenplay: Boris Lojkine.

From the jury’s statement: “Boris Lojkine’s cinematic debut vividly reflects poverty and violence in post-colonial Africa in the personal drama of two refugees. The suffering of both of them is brought home to us in an oppressive way through the performance by the outstanding leading actors Endurance Newton and Justin Wang. (...)  Hope and Léonard surprise themselves, each other and even us in their battle for a better life.”

The jury included Catarina Felixmüller (NDR 90,3), Bernd Teichmann (Stern), Daniel Haas (Die Zeit)  and Hannah Pilarcyk (Spiegel Online). The news magazines ‘Der Spiegel’ and ‘Stern’, the weekly newspaper ‘Die Zeit’ and the radio station ‘NDR 90,3’ present this award to a film that stands out through an original look at the present. Twelve films were nominated.
 
4) The Political Film of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung
The winner; "Children 404", direction and screenplay: Askold Kurov and Pavel Loparev.

From the jury’s statement: “Children 404 (…) confronts us with questions regarding social norms and the construction of so-called ‘fringe groups’. However, the film does not purely document the situation, but instead shows the possibilities of freeing oneself and remaining resistant.” The jury included Katja Karger (chairwoman, DGB Hamburg), Stefan Gieren (film producer) and Christoph Twickel (journalist, author).

The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung has been rewarding socially ambitious cinema with this award since 2013. The prize totals 5,000 Euro, and twelve films were nominated.
 
5) NDR Young Talent Award
The winner: "Mary Is Happy, Mary is Happy"  direction and screenplay: Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit, based on the tweets of Mary Molony.

From the jury’s statement: “It is an experimental film that is nevertheless highly entertaining - and that is rare. It is political, poetic, moving, funny – and extraordinarily original. Mary Is Happy, Mary Is Happy – and those who watch this film are, too.”

This Young Talent Award has been presented since 2008, the prize of 5,000 Euro has been provided by broadcaster NDR since 2012. Filmmakers exhibiting their feature debut or second movie as a director at Filmfest Hamburg are supported. The jury consisted of Hüseyn Tabak (director, author) and Gernot Griksch (author, journalist). Twelve films were also nominated.
 
The Michel Award was presented to the director at the Kinder und Jugend Filmfest on the Saturday evening.

6) Michel Award
The winner: "The Contest", direction: Martin Miehe-Renard. Screenplay: Gitte Løkkegaard, Martin Miehe-Renard.

From the jury’s statement: “The film is intended to show that you should not discriminate against other people based on their background or religion. It also makes clear that you should follow your dreams. ‘Die geheime Mission’ (The Secret Mission) is suitable for all age groups and the topic is very realistic because it affects each of us.”

The fairy-tale film "The Cold Heart" was given a special mention. Direction and screenplay: Marc-Andreas Bochert.

The Hamburgische Kulturstiftung and the Rolner Stiftung have been presenting the Michel Award together for three years (2013 to 2015). A jury of seven, consisting of girls and boys between the ages of eleven and fourteen, watched the competing films during the festival under age-specific viewpoints and presented the prize of 5000 Euro to the best film at the final ceremony.
 
The Michel Kinder und Jugend Filmfest, which is organised in cooperation with the LUCAS Kinderfilmfestival in Frankfurt, has been held at the Abaton cinema since 2012.
 
7) The Douglas-Sirk Award was presented to the Hamburg-based director Fatih Akin on 27 September 2014. He was represented at Filmfest Hamburg with his latest film "The Cut" as a German premiere.

8) The ‘Hamburg Producers Awards’ for the best ‘European Cinema Co-production’ and best ‘German TV Production’ were presented to Daniel Zuta and Vladimer Katcharava (Lost In Karastan) and Iris Kiefer (Polizeiruf 110: Familiensache) on 1 October 2014.

The 22nd Filmfest Hamburg will take place from September 25th – October 4th 2014 at the following venues: Abaton, CinemaxX Dammtor, Metropolis, Passage, Studio-Kino and 3001.
The Michel Children’s and Youth Film Festival invites its guests
from September 26th – October 4th to the Abaton movie theater.