The awards for the 44th Max Ophüls Prize (MOP) film festival were presented in Saarbrücken. On Saturday evening, 18 prizes with a total value of 118,500 euros were awarded to young German speakers from Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
The Max Ophüls Prize for the best feature film, endowed with 36,000 euros, went to “Alaska” (D 2023) by Max Gleschinski (script and director). The Austrian film “Breaking the Ice” (A 2022) by Clara Stern (script and director) received three prizes: for the best screenplay, for the socially relevant film and the prize of the youth jury.
The film tells of Mira (Alina Schaller), the captain of an ice hockey team, who falls in love with player Theresa (Judith Altenberger). It’s just a pity that director Clara Stern, of all people, couldn’t experience it on site: Because of snowfall in Vienna, she had to go home for a change in the shooting schedule. But at least she was able to send a video message to the first award ceremony: “The German premiere alone at this special festival was an amazing gift. And now receiving an award means a lot to me.”
Very positive mood in Saarbrücken
And once again it became clear on Saturday evening: There is hardly any other film festival where such an atmosphere prevails. So refreshing, so fresh, so full of joy. Actress Sandra Hüller was also visibly impressed at the award ceremony. “What I saw today is so unbelievable – I really mean that,” she admitted, looking at the happy young filmmakers, who enthusiastically honored every award. “When I see you here and how happy you are for each other, it touches me so much and I think it’s so great.” The tribute was dedicated to Hüller at the 44th MOP. Three films and a small selection of her music videos were shown in her honor.
Competition, envy, resentment – all of these seem foreign words at the Ophüls Festival. Instead, you felt mutual recognition, a sense of togetherness and a lot of joy. The participants, who were sitting on cushioned cubes in front of the stage, cheered exuberantly when one of their number had made it and received a prize, visibly overwhelmed.
Just like author and director Max Gleschinski, who received the main prize of the evening for “Alaska”. The film tells the story of the loner Kerstin (Christina Große), who spends days gliding across the Mecklenburg Lake District in her red East German kayak – trying to stay alone. Then Alima (Pegah Ferydoni) shows up and breaks the regularity of this journey.
A film for 4000 euros – shot with heart and soul
The award belongs to the team and “the wonderful actors who put these characters on the pedestal that I’ve always wanted,” said Gleschinski. And he not only praised the MOP as “a wonderful festival”, but also the great audience: “Just crazy, so full halls. That feels good.” Not only after two years of Corona, but also for German-language cinema and the state it is in at the moment.
The fact that it’s worth not giving up and that it doesn’t take a lot of money to realize a dream finally became clear when the award for best director was presented to “Last Evening” (D 2022). Lukas Nathrath admitted that he had applied for the Max Ophüls Festival several times without success. The prize money of 11,000 euros exceeds the production costs for “Last Evening” almost threefold: Because the film was shot in seven days for 4000 euros. “This would not have been possible without the heart, energy and passion of so many people.”
The MOP organizers and jury members agreed that all of this should be preserved for the youngsters in the future. “Make mistakes, take risks, don’t let yourself be told ‘it doesn’t work’, keep your vision,” appealed the successful director Hüseyin Tabak. And the message of what festival director Svenja Böttger hopes for the future of German film was clear: “You show a lot of courage and a lot of teamwork – so that we can change even more in this industry together.”
