The second edition of the International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg (11-21 November) to have unfolded in a hybrid format has already been and gone. Besides a retrospective entitled “Breaks and Turning Points” dedicated to milestone movies which have screened at the festival over its 70-year existence, not to mention a programme for children and tributes to German producer Bettina Brokemper and French director Claude Lelouch, the gathering also showcased a selection of truly international productions across various categories and competitions.

The main “On the Rise” competition consisted of eighteen films, either debut, second or third titles from directors at the beginning of their career. A jury of three - including festival curator and film journalist Michelle Carey, German film director, author and actor Nicolas Wackerbarth (Casting [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Michelangelo Frammartino
scheda film]. The trophy came with a cash prize of €30,000, and the film, which premiered this year in Venice, tells the story of a group of cave researchers who, in 1961, found one of the deepest caves in southern Italy’s Pollino mountains. In the words of the jury: “This film impressed us with its unique voice, the sensations and contours of exploration conveyed, and its seductive, cinematic thoughtfulness - a visual voyage of discovery and a thriller of physical but also emotional proportions."

Following its creation in 2020, the second Rainer Werner Fassbinder Award for Best Screenplay, endowed with a cash prize of €10,000, was also handed out at this year’s event: it went to French-Belgian production Zero Fucks Given [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Emmanuel Marre e Julie Lec…
scheda film] by Julie Lecoustre and Emmanuel Marre. The Mannheim-Heidelberg film festival jury were thoroughly convinced by this “vivid and authentic portrait of a young woman trying to lead a seductive, Instagram life while camouflaging the existential angst beneath”, which premiered at Cannes’ Critic's Week. The prize was awarded in collaboration with the Rainer Werner Fassbinder Foundation, as was the Special Mention for Haruhara-san's Recorder by Japanese director Kyoshi Sugita. The aim of this accolade is to honor Fassbinder as an author as well as a director - just one of the talented filmmakers discovered over the festival's long history.

The members of the Ecumenical Jury - Reverend Michael Kranzusch, jurist Uta Losem and theologian Lothar Strüber - handed their award and its €2,500 cash prize to French-Belgian production My Night [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Antoinette Boulat
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Finally, the Student Jury Award and the Audience Award – and their accompanying €5,000 cash prizes - were both won by The First Fallen by Brazilian director Rodrigo de Oliveira. The film examines the destiny of various victims of the AIDS epidemic.

The full list of award winners at the International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg is as follows:

Best New International Director
Il Buco [+leggi anche:
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Rainer Werner Fassbinder Award for Best Screenplay
Zero Fucks Given [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Emmanuel Marre e Julie Lec…
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Special Mention
Haruhara-san's Recorder - Kyoshi Sugita (Japan)

FIPRESCI Prize
The Sleeping Negro - Skinner Myers (USA)

Ecumenical Award
My Night [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Antoinette Boulat
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Student Jury Award
The First Fallen - Rodrigo de Oliveira (Brazil)

Audience Award
The First Fallen - Rodrigo de Oliveira