The 36th Film Festival 2022

The well-deserved award of Die EUROPA was presented to the 81-year-old actress by none other than her niece Stella Maria Adorf. As her name suggests, she is also the daughter of star actor Mario Adorf, who himself received Die EUROPA in 2019. In her emotional laudation, Stella Maria recounted shared experiences from her childhood days: "How many weekends and wonderful endless summer days I spent with you and Michael. [...] Those were my 'wonderful years'. Sometimes you weren't even there, 'Senta is shooting in America,' 'Senta is still in Vienna, in Sorrento, in Rome, she's shooting with Mario, your dad!" she recalls.

Senta Berger shone in more than 100 film productions, theater appearances and television roles and shaped the German and international film landscape of the past 60 years like hardly any other representative of German-language film.

A piece of film history in the Lion City: This year, the EUROPA was awarded to the renowned Austrian actress Senta Berger for her services to European film culture. In a workshop talk, the actress reviewed her career as well as her work as an actress and then accepted her honor in person at the grand awards ceremony at the Staatstheater. The 25,000 euro prize was once again donated by the festival's main sponsor Volkswagen Financial Services.

The Lion City hosted around 150 guests from the industry from November 7 to 13, 2022 . 246 films were shown. The total of all prize money was a record 67,000 euros.

The first honor at this year's awards ceremony was also a premiere: The new short film award "Die EDDA" was presented for the first time. The award, endowed with 2,000 euros, went to director Thi Dang An Tran for her animated film XANH (Germany 2022). In it, the daughter travels back in time with her father to his memory when he was one of the Vietnamese boat people, having a conversation about violence, affirmation of life and identity.

The Queer Film Award was also presented for the first time under the new name "ECHT". The award, endowed with 2,500 euros, is sponsored by the Verein für sexuelle Emanzipation e.V. (Association for Sexual Emancipation) and financed by funds from the Queer Network of Lower Saxony. The best feature film with a queer theme will be honored. The first film is SO DAMN EASY GOING (Sweden, Norway 2022) by Christoffer Sandler. Unfortunately, the director could not attend the award ceremony in person, but he thanked the jury for the award via video message. The press spokesman of the German film distributor Salzgeber, Dr. Christian Weber, accepted the award statue on his behalf.

The film THE ORDINARIES by Sophie Linnenbaum won two trophies - the "Heimspiel Preis" and the "Kinema". The tragicomedy convinced as best film with regional reference and main actors:inside from the region: "Denise M'Baye plays, sings, dances and inspires the audience with all her talents in one film. THE ORDINARIES is an extraordinary film, which was partly shot in Hanover. But it is Denise M'Baye, above all, who represents the bond with the region."

Unified enthusiasm also prevailed among the KINEMA jury, which consisted of six young people from Normandy (France) and Lower Saxony. They too chose the tragicomedy THE ORDINARIES: "The plot immerses us in a new world full of creativity and humor that captivates us from beginning to end. The fact that Paula is the same age as us makes it easy for us to bond with her. The music, which influences the characters' emotions and our own throughout the film, harmonizes with the fluid camera work."

An annual affair of the heart for the BIFF is also the awarding of the "Braunschweig Film Prize", endowed with 5,000 euros, which is presented to the best German-speaking up-and-coming actor. This year it went to Pablo Caprez: "SOUL OF A BEAST completely captivates us with its setting, the wild, apocalyptic outskirts of Zurich, and with its wonderful actors, above all Pablo Caprez," the jury announced. "Pablo Caprez lets us look deep into his soul in every moment, gives himself completely to the role. We see here: Sturm und Drang, love and tenderness, addiction, despair and joy! We are allowed to experience everything at first hand! This rebellious Gabriel is a stunner and must be awarded!"

Addressing issues around the environment and sustainability is currently more urgent than ever. BIFF's Green Horizons Award creates visibility and space for this all-important discourse. This year's award went to DUTY OF CARE - THE CLIMATE TRIALS (Belgium 2022) by Nic Balthazar. The jury reasoned, "We chose a documentary in which the actions of individuals show tangible and far-reaching results. Because we can no longer wait for promises, we need action that leads to impactful change."

Not only prizes like the "Green Horizons Award" are intended to shine a spotlight on relevant discourses - "Die TILDA" is also intended to send an important signal in the film industry and, of course, beyond. The Women's Film Award, endowed with 5,000 euros, is sponsored by 75 women from Braunschweig's urban society and this year went to Floor van der Meulen for her film PINK MOON. Juror Sophie Brakemeier outlines, "This year's TILDA goes to a film that manages an unprecedented balancing act between a highly personal narrative and addressing a controversial but highly relevant social issue. At the same time, it allows the film a real-life dash of humor and authentic levity. A superb ensemble cast, led by the director's impressive acting, carries this balance, as does impeccable and artful camera work and sound design."

Numerous special events this year invited visitors to new and familiar venues: The opening concert SAFETY LAST! took place for the first time in the ASTOR Filmtheater; the Red Hall in the castle, the BZV Medienhaus as well as the theological center Braunschweig invited to joint panel discussions. In addition, the films of the short film competition Die EDDA were shown at the LOT Theater, and the Michaeliskirche hosted DIE! GOLDSTEIN presents DROWNED PARADISE - A LIVE CINEMA PERFORMANCE as well as the special screening of the film MAMA BEARS.

There was a special visit from British director Peter Strickland - one of the most exciting representatives of contemporary arthouse. The whimsical film series "At Midnight" showed five short and five feature-length films each by the filmmaker. At the workshop discussion in the Red Room, Strickland gave personal insights into his work.

HBK lecturer Michael Brynntrup was also a personal guest and presented his book "Super 8" together with his cinematic works.