Since 2006, when it introduced the GWFF Best First Feature Award, the Berlinale has been even more committed to supporting the next generation of film makers. The award is endowed with € 50,000, donated by the GWFF (Gesellschaft zur Wahrnehmung von Film- und Fernsehrechten), 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 will be awarded with a high-quality viewfinder as both a useful instrument and memorable trophy.

Festival Director Dieter Kosslick and the heads of the Competition, Panorama, Forum, Generation and Perspektive Deutsches Kino sections have nominated a total of 16 directorial feature film debuts. The winners will be announced at the official Award Ceremony in the Berlinale Palast on February 16.

A three-person jury will decide on the GWFF Best First Feature Award:

Katja Eichinger (Germany)
After graduating from the British Film Institute, author and journalist Katja Eichinger worked for a number of papers and magazines, including Variety, Financial Times, Esquire, Dazed & Confused, The Independent on Sunday, and VOGUE Germany. After the death of her husband Bernd Eichinger, she wrote his biography, titled “BE” (2012). Her debut novel, “Amerikanisches Solo”, was published in 2014. Alongside being the initiator of the Giorgio Moroder retrospective "The Sound of Munich" and "Warholmania”— an homage to Andy Warhol — she supports young filmmakers through the "NO FEAR Award”, a scholarship for promising producers at the University of Television and Film Munich (HFF), as well as through her work at the German Film and Television Academy Berlin (dffb). In 2014 she was on the jury of the "Made in Germany – Perspektive Fellowship" at the Berlinale. In 2018 she produced the concept album “Junkspace” with Rem Koohlhaas and the New York band Tempers.

Alain Gomis (France / Senegal)
Born in France in 1972, the French-Senegalese director studied art history and film at the Sorbonne University in Paris. After beginning with videos and short films, he made his feature film debut in 2002 with L’afrance which focused on the spiritual hardships of migrants in France and was awarded a Silver Leopard in Locarno. His feature film Andalucia was shown at the Venice Days, Aujourd’hui (Tey) screened in Competition at the 2012 Berlinale and was chosen as Senegal’s entry for an Oscar® nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. In 2017, Alain Gomis presented his film Félicité in the Berlinale Competition and won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize.

Vivian Qu (China)
Director, screenwriter, and producer Vivian Qu is one of Chinese independent cinema’s most important representatives. Her directorial debut Shuiyin jie (Trap Street, 2013) premiered to critical acclaim in Venice, and was shown at over 50 film festivals worldwide. In 2017 she presented her film Jia nian hua (Angels Wear White) in Venice Competition, and it garnered her numerous awards worldwide, including Best Director at the 54th Golden Horse Awards and the Chinese Director’s Guild Award in her home country. Prior to this, she has produced several award-winning independent films including Diao Yinan’s Bai Ri Yan Huo (Black Coal, Thin Ice), which received the Golden Bear for Best Film and the Silver Bear for Best Actor at the 2014 Berlinale. Vivian Qu was president of the jury at the 2018 International Antalya Film Festival.

The following 16 films are nominated for the GWFF Best First Feature Award:

Competition (1)

Systemsprenger (System Crasher)
Germany
by Nora Fingscheidt
with Helena Zengel, Albrecht Schuch, Gabriela Maria Schmeide, Lisa Hagmeister, Melanie Straub, Victoria Trauttmansdorff, Maryam Zaree, Tedros Teclebrhan
 

Panorama (6)

The Day After I'm Gone
Israel 
by Nimrod Eldar
with Menashe Noy, Zohar Meidan

37 Seconds 
Japan
by HIKARI
with Mei Kayama, Misuzu Kanno, Makiko Watanabe, Shunsuke Daitō, Yuka Itaya

Buoyancy 
Australia
by Rodd Rathjen
with Sarm Heng, Thanawut Kasro, Mony Ros

Flesh Out 
Italy
by Michela Occhipinti
with Beitta Ahmed Deiche, Amal Saab Bouh Oumar, Aichetou Abdallahi Najim, Sidi Mohamed Chighaly

A Dog Barking at the Moon 
People’s Republic of China / Spain
by Xiang Zi
with Nan Ji, Naren Hua, Zhang Xinyue

Greta 
Brazil
by Armando Praça
with Marco Nanini, Denise Weinberg, Demick Lopes, Gretta Sttar

Forum (5)

Gli ultimi a vederli vivere (The Last to See Them)
Germany
by Sara Summa
with Canio Lancellotti, Pasquale Lioi, Barbara Verrastro

So Pretty 
USA / France
by Jessie Jeffrey Dunn Rovinelli
with Edem Dela-Seshi, Thomas Love, Rachika Samarth

Serpentário (Serpentarius)
Angola / Portugal
by Carlos Conceição
with João Arrais

Monștri. (Monsters.)
Romania
by Marius Olteanu,
with Judith State, Cristian Popa, Alexandru Potocean

El despertar de las hormigas (Hormigas)
Costa Rica / Spain
by Antonella Sudasassi Furniss
with Daniella Valenciano, Leynar Gómez, Isabella Moscoso

Generation (2)

Mijn bijzonder rare week met Tess (My Extraordinary Summer with Tess)
Netherlands / Germany
by Steven Wouterlood
with Sonny van Utteren, Josephine Arendsen, Julain Ras, Tjebbo Gerritsma, Suzan Boogaerdt

Cleo
Germany
by Erik Schmitt
with  Marleen Lohse, Jeremy Mockridge, Heiko Pinkowski, Max Mauff
 

Perspektive Deutsches Kino (2)

Die Einzelteile der Liebe (The Components of Love)

Germany
by Miriam Bliese
with Birte Schnöink, Ole Lagerpusch, Andreas Döhler, Justus Fischer

Oray

Germany
by Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay
with Zejhun Demirov, Deniz Orta, Cem Göktaş, Ferhat Keskin, Mikael Bajrami