57th Internationales Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg

06.11.2008 to 16.11.2008
Mannheim and Heidelberg


In 2008 the festival awarded the Mannheim-Heidelberg Film Culture Prize for the first time. The award honours institutions and individuals who rendered great merit to the preservation and expansion of film culture in Germany. There were six winners: the ZDF editorial team "Das kleine Fernsehspiel", the editorial team of "Debüt im Dritten" of the SWR, the producer Peter Rommel, the distributors Thorsten Frehse and Wulf Sörgel from Neue Visionen, the WDR editorial office for film and series and Vision Kino, the network for film and media competence.

The Ecumenical Jury awarded its prize to the Canadian film "Borderline" by Lyne Charlebois, which also received the FIPRESCI Prize and an Honorable Mention from the International Jury headed by Edgar Reitz. The main prize, the Grand Prix of Mannheim-Heidelberg, went to "Lluvia" (The Rain) by Paula Hernández from Argentina, who also received a Commendation from the Ecumenical Jury.

Awards

Borderline - Kikis Story
Directed by:
2008

The Ecumenical Jury awards its Prize to BORDERLINE for the multilayered and up-to-date portrayal of sexuality. On the background of disturbing experiences in Kiki’s, her protagonist’s, childhood the director focusses on issues where other films get vague: on the questionable practice concerning one’s own body deprived from sensitivity. Brillant acting and convincing storytelling add to the film’s credibility and enables viewers to feel close to the characters

Lluvia - The Rain
Lluvia - Regen
Directed by:
2008

The jury awards a Commendation to "Lluvia" for the loving and detailed portrayal of an encounter. At a turning point in their lives, when they stop for a moment, a woman’s and a man’s paths cross. In a restricted framework of time and space the director succeeds in developing an interplay of approaches and removals leaving both characters stronger than before.