COTTBUS: The 36th edition of FilmFestival Cottbus (FFC) announced its awards with Florin Șerban’s You Don’t Belong Here receiving the Main Prize for Best Film. The Romanian drama follows a single father struggling to reconnect with his teenage son as he faces increasingly difficult moral decisions. The award is worth 15,000 EUR and sponsored by Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg.
Vladlena Sandu received the Special Prize for Best Director for Memory, a personal reflection on her childhood in war-torn Chechnya, combining memories, archival footage and staged scenes. The film also received Special Mentions from the DIALOG and Ecumenical Juries.
Talha Akdogan won the Award for Outstanding Acting Performance for his role in Butterfly Jamby Kantemir Balagov.
In the Short Film Competition, Alexandra Matheou’s Free Eliza (Notes on an Anatomical Imperfection)won the Main Prize, while Mara Cohn received the Special Prize for Best Director for 1H.
The newly introduced GenNext Competition awarded its first prize to Milena Aboyan’s Drei Kameradinnen, about three friends whose relationship is tested following an arson attack. The international youth jury recognised the film for its performances and unconventional narrative style.
Radu Jude’s The Diary of a Chambermaid received the DIALOG Award for Intercultural Communication, while Natalia Uvarova’s Malika won the Prize for Best Debut Feature.
Polish production What Belongs to Others by Grzegorz Dębowski received two awards: the FIPRESCI Prize and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury. The Audience Award, worth 3,000 EUR, went to Igor Šeregi’s comedy hit The Wedding, about a Serbian-Croatian couple whose wedding becomes a diplomatic and family balancing act.
The MIOB in Shorts Award went to Beyond Silenceby Marnie Blok, while Nevena Semova received the PICKASTORY – Audience Logline Award.
The Promotional Award of the Foundation for the Sorbian People was awarded to filmmaker Reiner Nagel for his work exploring Sorbian/Wendish culture, history and language.
This year, the festival screened 147 films from 43 (co)production countries, including 12 world premieres, six international premieres and 58 German premieres.
Main Prize for Best Film (15,000 EUR):
You Don’t Belong Here / Nu e locul tău aici (Romania)
Directed by Florin Șerban
Prouced by Fantascope Films in association with Scharf Film Production, Avanpost, Adrian Văncică, Earlybird, Școala de Film
Supported by the Romanian Film Centre (CNC)
Special Prize for Best Director:
Vladlena Sandu for Memory (the Netherlands, France)
Award for Outstanding Acting Performance:
Talha Akdogan in Butterfly Jam (France, USA)
Directed by Kantemir Balagov
Main Prize:
Free Eliza, Notes on an Anatomical Imperfection (Cyprus, Greece, France)
Directed by Alexandra Matheou
Produced by This Is the Girl Productions
Special Prize for Best Director:
Mara Cohn for 1H (Romania)
Produced by UNATC
GenNext Award:
Drei Kameradinnen (Germany)
Directed by Milena Aboyan
Produced by die film gmbh WEST
DIALOG Award for Intercultural Communication:
The Diary of a Chambermaid / Le Journal d’une femme de chamber(France,Romania)
Directed by Radu Jude
Produced by SBS Productions (France)
Coproduced by Avanpost
Special Mention:
Memory (the Netherlands, France)
Directed by Vladlena Sandu
Prize for Best Debut Feature:
Malika (Ireland, Kazakhstan, Moldova)
Directed by Natalia Uvarova
FIPRESCI Prize:
What Belongs to Others / Cudze rzeczy (Poland)
Directed by Grzegorz Dębowski
Produced by Blue Onion
Coproduced by Mazoo, Color Pro, Ucho Studio
Prize of the Ecumenical Jury:
What Belongs to Others / Cudze rzeczy(Poland)
Directed by Grzegorz Dębowski
Special Mention:
Memory (the Netherlands, France)
Directed by Vladlena Sandu
Audience Award (3,000 EUR):
The Wedding / Svadba (Croatia, Serbia)
Directed by Igor Šeregi
Produced by Eclectica
Coproduced by Viktorija film
Supported by the Croatian Audiovisual Centre (HAVC), Creative Europe – MEDIA, HRT
MIOB in Shorts Award:
Beyond Silence (the Netherlands)
Directed by Marnie Blok
Produced by PRPL, Exosphere
PICKASTORY – Audience Logline Award:
Nevena Semova
Promotional Award of the Foundation for the Sorbian People:
Reiner Nagel
Click HERE for a press release.
