For Five Days the international world of independent cinema attended the Oldenburg International Film Festival :11-15. September 2024
This evening, prior to the closing film »Marcello Mio« by Christophe Horoné, the award winners were presented at the ceremony in the Oldenburg State Theater. »James« by Max Train won the German Independence Award for Best Film, Santiago Mohar Volkow's »A History of Love and War« was honored with the Spirit of Cinema Award, »Flieg Steil« by Martina Schöne-Radunski and Lana Cooper won the Audacity Award. »Baby Brother« by Michael J. Long was awarded the Hans Ohlms Award for Best Debut Film. »Nostalgia of a (Still) Alive Heart« by Diego Gaxiola won the German Independence Award for the best short film. In addition, the Seymour Cassel Award went to Tim Blake Nelson for »Bang Bang« and Aki Kigoshi for »A Wasted Night« for their outstanding acting performances.
German Independence Award – Best Film
Seymour Cassel Award – Best Actress + Best Actor
Aki Kigoshi - "A Wasted Night"
Jury Statement: Deeply assured yet deceptively subtle in her approach, with this debut on-screen performance, this actress simply radiates off the screen, like a modern-day vision of the female icons of film noir past.
Tim Blake Nelson - “Bang Bang”
Jury Statement: Writers create the characters, but it’s the actors who bring them to life. In an astounding performance, this actor’s physical transformation & complex emotional athleticism is truly remarkable – capturing not only the essence but capturing the very soul.
German Independence Award – Spirit of Cinema
»A History of Love and War« by Santiago Mohar Volkow
Jury Statement: While cleverly addressing core political issues of today, this wild and baroque vision freely and humorously references some of the wondrously absurd and grotesque visions of its own country’s greatest directing legends as well as those on the international front.
German Independence Award – Originality, Daring, and Audacity
»Flieg Steil« by Martina Schöne-Radunski and Lana Cooper
Jury Statement: As the saying goes: if you try to please everyone, you will please no one. The film doesn’t try to please anyone. The filmmakers are fearless as they enter dangerous political territory to tell current topics in a raw & uniquely wild way, and to surprise, challenge and provoke us. Underground and uncompromising cinema.
The acting awards as well as the Audacity and Spirit of Cinema Awards were presented by the Advisory Board Jury consisting of RP Kahl, Deborah Kara Unger and Douglas Buck.
Hans Ohlms Preis – Best First Film
» Baby Brother« by Michael J. Long.
Jury Statement: In his feature debut, the voice and vision of this filmmaker stands at the core of Hans Ohlms creative essence. Drawing from real life, this searing portrait of generational trauma is in the finest tradition of the British New Wave movement - uncompromisingly authentic, morally complex, & brutally raw and poetic.
German Independence Award – Best Short Film
Nostalgia of a (Still) Alive Heart« by Diego Gaxiola
Short Film Jury, consisting of Amanda Plummer, Johannes Klein and Dennis Ruh, Statement: The director takes us on a journey into a magical universe breaking the boundaries between imagination and reality, life and death, through an endless desert for an endless time. It’s an extraordinary heroic tale with more notes than exist on a grand piano. We saw poignant acting performances of the children, poetic cinematography and use of animated scenes that cut to the quick.
The Festival in Numbers
The number of viewers increased by about 20% to a total of 12.000 in the festival cinemas and the Oldenburg State Theater. This trend is further evidence that audiences crave real-life culture and original films outside the mainstream and that the festival can withstand easily accessible streaming services.
Highlights of the Festival
This year's retrospective was dedicated to German Director Dominik Graf, who can look back on a career spanning 40 years, revolutionizing the heterogeneity of German Film. A filmmaker who uses the material he works with to shift stagnant genre boundaries in remarkable ways.
The tribute honorees, Na Gyi and Paing Phyoe Thu are not only two artists who created wonderful and unique films together in Myanmar, but also stood up against political and social injustice in their country after the Military coup 2021 in Myanmar.
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