Our guests of honour have been confirmed

We are delighted! After the introduction of the Grand IFFMH Award and the return of tributes to the festival programme, we can now announce the guests of honour for this year's 71st edition. They are two of the most important filmmakers of our time: French director and screenwriter Alice Winocour and Belgian cinematographer Benoît Debie.

Grand IFFMH Award for Alice Winocour

Alice Winocour (c) Aureélie Lamache Ere

Despite her still fairly young career, Winocour has already worked with numerous international acting stars: In her space drama 'Proxima' (2019), she directs Eva Green as an ambitious astronaut struggling with the imminent separation from her young daughter; the thriller 'The Bodyguard' (2015) shows Matthias Schoenaerts struggling to find his way back into society after a war deployment. Alice Winocour's latest film 'Paris Memories' (2022) is also a portrait of a traumatised woman and her attempt to escape this trauma. The film's main character is played brilliantly by perhaps the biggest female star in French cinema at the moment, Virginie Efira, who meets Benoît Magimel here. This film will be shown at the IFFMH as a German premiere during the award ceremony.

Homage for Benoît Debie

Benoît Debie (c) Kris Dewitte

Debie's work has contributed significantly to the career of director Fabrice du Welz, with whom, in addition to 'Calvaire' (2004) and 'Colt 45' (2014), he also realised the psychological thriller 'Vinyan' (2008), in which Debie's images create a beguiling trip between European fantasy and Southeast Asian ghostly reality. In 'Spring Breakers' (2012), one of his works for American director Harmony Korine, Debie celebrates the party and violence aesthetics of US youth, constructing a fundamental media critique. Since his second feature film 'Irreversible' (2002), Debie has also been responsible for Gaspar Noé's extreme visual worlds. He has contributed to Noé's cinematic language like no other. In 'Love 3D' (2015), Debie succeeds in bringing the sensuality and surprising comedy behind Noé's autobiographically tinged film to the screen. Last but not least, he has directed the music videos of various stars such as Rihanna, Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Thirty Seconds to Mars and Travis Scott. In the process, iconic images of our time have emerged in every sense.

'Vinyan', 'Spring Breakers' and 'Love 3D' can be experienced again as part of our homage this year.

Both Alice Winocour and Benoît Debie will travel to the festival and give you information about their work in talks (master classes) open to all interested parties.
The 71st IFFMH will take place from 17 to 27 November. The publication of the complete programme with all films and events will take place on 28 October.

The festival would like to thank its sponsors and partners.