The winning films have been chosen!

Our winning films were honoured at the Award Ceremony at the Karlstorbahnhof in Heidelberg on 14 November. The Brazilian film ›Manas‹ by director Marianna Brennand received two prizes: the International Newcomer Award, worth 30,000 euros, and the Young Jury Prize, worth 5,000 euros. The film tells of the difficult fate of many young women in the Brazilian Amazon region and is the result of ten years of research by Brennand in the rainforest there. Brennand accepted both awards with great emotion.

The Rainer Werner Fassbinder Award for best screenplay, worth 15,000 euros, went to Sarah Friedland for ›Familiar Touch‹, which Friedland also directed. The Ecumenical Jury Prize, worth 2,500 euros, went to ›Bound in Heaven‹ by Huo Xin from China. ›Bring Them Down‹ by Christopher Andrews received the FIPRESCI Critics' Award. The audience was also given the opportunity to vote. The Audience Award, endowed with 5,000 euros, was presented to the Moroccan-French film ›Across the Sea‹ by Saïd Hamich Benlarbi.

Speeches were given by the jury, Festival Director Dr Sascha Keilholz and Heidelberg's Head of Cultural Affairs Dr Andrea Edel as well as the prize donors Catharina Seegelken, Managing Director of the Manfred Lautenschläger Foundation, Juliane Lorenz-Wehling, Managing Director of the Rainer Werner Fassbinder Foundation and Holger Scheel, Managing Director of the Heidelberg-based consultancy firm cbs.

You can read all jury statements in our press release.