Grand Gala Awards Ceremony at the 20th International Filmfest Emden-Norderney

In this, its 20th anniversary year, the International Filmfest Emden-Norderney’s grand awards ceremony was sold out with more than 600 guests attending. The visitors waited intently for the winner of the film awards with prize monies totalling 31,500 euro. All the film awards were audience prizes. Iris Berben, who received the festival’s honorary award and who unfortunately was unable to attend, sent her apologies in a video message to “a very special film festival”. She emphasized the very detailed, professional and loving work of the festival and expressed her heartfelt thanks: “I really am particularly proud to receive such a special honour today”. The award was received on her behalf by her son, Oliver Berben. The Prime Minister of the State of Lower Saxony, Christian Wulff, who gave the presentation speech, also gave his thanks and his anniversary congratulations to the festival. The Gala was opened by the Mayor of Emden Alwin Brinkmann.


Bernhard Wicki Award
15 films from Great Britain, Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain and Austria were nominated for this audience award with a total purse of 15,000 euro.

Honorary Award Sponsor: Elisabeth Wicki-Endriss
Award sponsors: Norderney, Stadtwerke Emden, Score, VGH

1st prize (10,000 euro)
"Troubled Water", directed by Erik Poppe
2nd prize (3,000 euro)
“Salami Aleikum”, directed by Ali Samadi Ahadi
3rd prize (2,000 euro)
"Hunger", directed by Steve McQueen

DGB Film Award
Five films competed for this year’s award with a purse of 5,000 euro for films displaying a particular level of social commitment. The films dealt with subjects ranging from modern-day working conditions, to the fragmented nature of a life in different cultures, through to social inequality and racism. The DGB Film Award was presented along with the award statuette “The Senses”, designed and created by Joern Schlund from Münster.

Award presenter: Nina Kronjäger

The winner was:
"Deutschland nervt" (Germany gets on your nerves) directed by Hans-Erich Viet

NDR Film Award for best young director
The NDR Film Award for best young director, with a purse of 5,000 euro, was presented for the third time this year. The award can be made for a director’s first or second German-language feature film. Four films were in competition for this audience prize.

Presenter:
Holger Ahäuser, NDR Oldenburg

The winner was:
“Salami Aleikum”, directed by Ali Samadi Ahadi

East Friesian Short Film Award
Twelve productions from all over North-Western Europe entered this year’s competition for the coveted “Ottifant Camera”. In addition to the award statuette designed by the comedian Otto Walkes, the winner also received 2,500 euro in prize money. The second and third prizes have purses of 1000 and 500 euro respectively.

Honorary Award Sponsor: Thomas Heinze

1st prize (2,500 euro + Ottifant Camera )
"The Wednesdays ", directed by Conor Ferguson
2nd prize (1,000 euro)
"Section 44", directed by Daniel Wilson
3rd prize (500 euro)
"Das grüne Schaf ", directed by Carsten Strauch

EZetera Film Awards
For the first time a youth jury awarded the “Ezetera” prize, donated by the Emder Zeitung newspaper with a purse of 2,500 euro for the best film from a youth and young adult perspective.

Honorary Award Sponsor: Martin Busker
Award sponsor: Emder Zeitung

The winner was:
"Thousand Oceans", directed by Luki Frieden

According to the Jury, “Luki Frieden’s team has produced a film that is guaranteed to fascinate any cinema-goer”.

Special Award: A Writing Desk by the Sea
Once again, this year’s festival also saw the presentation of probably the most unusual award made by a German film festival, namely a two-week artist’s project development grant in the loft of the small, exclusive and very comfortable Hotel Seesteg, located directly by Norderney beach.

Honorary Award Sponsor: Herbert Visser, Director of the Norderney Festival Team
Award sponsor: Hotel Seesteg, Norderney

The winner was:
Almut Getto, Director of “Ganz nah bei Dir”



Honorary Award of the Emden Harbour Industry
The actor Iris Berben received this honorary award for her multi-faceted film work and also for her commitment and activity in important areas of society.
The award, presented by the Prime Minister of the State of Lower Saxony Christian Wulff, was received on her behalf her son Oliver Berben.

Screenplay Award
On Friday, 12th June the winner of the fifth Screenplay Award was chosen from among 99 anonymously submitted screenplays. The awarding of the prize money is tied to the development of new projects.

Award sponsor: Stiftung Niedersachsen

1st prize (15,000 euro)
“Dustbuster” by Sönke Andresen - Den Haag, the Netherlands
2nd prize (1,000 euro)
The 2nd prize was jointly awarded to
"Die schwarzen Brüder" (The Black Brothers) by Fritjof Hohagen - Munich
"Mein Leben in Orange" (My Life in Orange) by Ursula Gruber - Munich


Further information as well as printable photographs is available at
www.filmfest-emden.de.