International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg

Mannheim-Heidelberg International Filmfestival (German: Internationales Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg) is an annual film festival held jointly by the cities of Mannheim and Heidelberg in Baden-Württemberg. The festival was established in 1952. In Mannheim there are six cinema centres and 19 single cinemas.

The festival presents arthouse films of international newcomer directors. Established in 1952 originally in the city of Mannheim, it is the second oldest filmfestival in Germany (with the eldest being Berlin). Since 1994, it is held jointly by the cities Mannheim and Heidelberg, Germany. The festival takes place annually around November (2011: 10–20 November).^[1]

Festival profile

Mannheim-Heidelberg International Filmfestival aims at industry professionals as well as the audience, with over 1000 professional participants and circa 60 000 people attending the screenings in both cities. Subsequent to each screenings there are public panel discussions with the film's representatives.

The festival presents films of independent newcomer directors and who are internationally widely unknown, focussing on arthouse and auteur films. The films selected must be premieres and thus films screened at Cannes, Locarno, Venice and any German festival are excluded.

In 2010, MANNHEIM MEETING PLACE was launched for the first time. The project succeeds the Festival's former co-production market MANNHEIM MEETINGS, focusing on the improvement of marketing opportunities of completed film projects. However, coporoduction meetings will still take place.

During the history of the festival, (debut) features of now famous directors such as Jim Jarmusch, Thomas Vinterberg, Bryan Singer, Atom Egoyan, François Truffaut, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Krzysztof Kieslowski, Lars von Trier, or Rahmin Bahrani were first introduced to an international public at the festival.

Competition and awards

• Main Award of Mannheim-Heidelberg for the best fiction feature film with a minimum length of 70 minutes.
• Rainer Werner Fassbinder Prize for the best unconventionally narrated feature film with a minimum length of 60 minutes.
• Special Award of the Jury for the best film with a minimum length of 40 minutes. Or for an extraordinary performance as actor, writer, director etc.
• Special Mentions for a remarkable film with outstanding acting, photography, music, montage etc.
• Audience Award for the film most liked by the Festival audiense, regardless of genre and length.
• The International Film Critics Prize issued by FIPRESCI Jury
• The Ecumenic Film Prize issued by an Ecumenic Jury
• Recommendations Of Cinema Owners

Master of Cinema award

In addition, since 1998 in sporadic intervals, the honorary Master of Cinema Award is issued to outstanding cineastic artist:

2009 – Atom Egoyan 2006 – Aleksandr Sokurov 2004 – Wim Wenders, Edgar Reitz 2003 – Raoul Ruiz 2002 – Zhang Yimou 1999 – Otar Iosseliani 1998 – Theodor Angelopoulos

List of award winners

2010

• Main Award of Mannheim-Heidelberg 10½, by Daniel Grou, Canada
• Rainer Werner Fassbinder Prize Xun huan zuo le (The High Life), by Zhao Dayong, China
• Special Award of the International Jury Siyah Beyaz (Black and White), by Ahmet Boyacioglu, Turkey
• Special Mention of the International Jury Act of Dishonour, by Nelofer Pazira, Canada and Alicia Vikander for her performance in Till det som är vackert (Pure), by Lisa Langseth, Sweden
• Audience Award Eva y Lola by Sabrina Farji, Argentina and Hold om mig (Hold me tight), by Kaspar Munk, Denmark
• International Film Critics' Prize awarded by the FIPRESCI Xun huan zuo le (The High Life), by Zhao Dayong, China
• Ecumenic Film Prize Hold om mig (Hold me tight), by Kaspar Munk, Denmark
• Recommendations of Cinema Owners Till det som är vackert (Pure), Lisa Langseth, Sweden; Win/Win, Jaap van Heusden, The Netherlands and Planes para manana, Juana Macías, Spain

2009

• Main Award of Mannheim-Heidelberg Postia Pappi Jaakobille (Letters to Father Jacob), Klaus Härö, Finland
• Rainer Werner Fassbinder Prize Miss Kicki, Hakon Liu, Sweden
• Special Award of the International Jury Demsala Dawî: Sewaxan (The Last Season: Shawaks), Kazim Öz, Turkey
• Special Mention of the International Jury Jonathan Parker for (Untitled), USA and Séverine Cornamusaz for Coeur Animal (Animal Heart), Switzerland
• Audience Award Nurse.Fighter.Boy, Charles Officer, Canada
• International Film Critics' Prize Coeur Animal (Animal Heart), Séverine Cornamusaz, Switzerland
• Ecumenic Film Prize Coeur Animal (Animal Heart), Séverine Cornamusaz, Switzerland
• Recommendations of Cinema Owners Retorno a Hansala (Return to Hansala), Chus Gutiérrez, Spain; (Untitled), Jonathan Parker, USA and Nurse.Fighter.Boy, Charles Officer, Canada

2008

• Main Award of Mannheim-Heidelberg' Lluvia (Rain), Paula Hernández, Argentina
• Rainer Werner Fassbinder Prize' Un roman policier (A Police Romance), Stéphanie Duvivier, France
• Special Award of the International Jury Másik Bolygó (Another Planet), Ferenc Moldoványi, Hungary
• Special Mention of the International Jury Isabelle Blais for outstanding performance in Borderline, Canada; Lee Chi Yuan for Luan Qing Chun (Beautiful Crazy), Taiwan and K. M. Madhusudhanan for Bioscope, India
• Audience Award Amanecer de un sueño (Awaking From a Dream), Freddy Mas Franqueza, Spain
• International Film Critics' Prize Borderline, Lyne Charlebois, Canada
• Ecumenic Film Prize Borderline, Lyne Charlebois, Canada
• Recommendations of Cinema Owners 14 kilometros (14 Kilometers), Gerardo Olivares, Spain; Borderline, Lyne Charlebois, Canada, Les murs porteurs (Cycles), Cyril Gelblat, France

References

1. ^ http://www.iffmh.de/en/

External links

• Official website, in English and German
• Mannheim-Heidelberg International Filmfestival at the Internet Movie Database