The FilmFestival Cottbus (FFC) and the Filmfestival Max Ophüls Prize (MOP) in Saarbrücken have enjoyed a close partnership for over three decades. The renowned festival of up-and-coming German-language films recently took place for the 46th time and screened a wide range of feature films, short films, documentaries and medium-length films from Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the German-French-Luxembourg border region.
Traditionally, the two partner festivals present selected films to each other. This year, FFC program director Bernd Buder and producer Matěj Paclík presented the Czech-Slovak competition entry OUR LOVELY PIG SLAUGHTER from last year's FFC competition in Saarbrücken. At the same time, the FFC took the opportunity to look for a suitable entry for the youth film competition in Cottbus, which may be brought back from Saarbrücken to Cottbus in 2025.
UNGEDULD DES HERZENS: Winning film from Brandenburg impresses
A special success: The film UNGEDULD DES HERZENS (UNGEDULD DES HEZENS) by director Lauro Cress, which is set in Brandenburg, won the prize for best director at the MOP. The film convinces with an intense story, strong acting and an extraordinary narrative depth.
Synopsis: The young soldier Isaac (Giulio Brizzi) is enjoying an evening at the bowling alley with his comrades when he meets the sisters Ilona (Livia Matthes) and Edith (Ladina von Frisching). A misunderstanding ends in an embarrassing scandal. But Isaac is determined to make up for the faux pas. An unexpected friendship develops between him and Edith, but it descends into a destructive maelstrom of obsession and misunderstanding.
Jury statement: “A love grows out of a cautious rapprochement - a love that promises support like a delicately woven net, but in the end crushes and takes away all freedom. With a class-conscious gaze, great sensitivity and an electrifying acting ensemble, this film tells of a state of restless longing, the loss of one's own identity and the fear of never really having had one. At the same time, it unfolds a quiet hope that releases strength - also in us. It is as rough and edgy as its protagonist, an unpolished diamond, full of fragile and painful beauty.”
The jury for the feature film competition consisted of Max Gleschinski, Sibel Kekilli, Ana de Mier y Ortuño, Burhan Qurbani and Nurhan Ȟekerci-Porst.
The FFC congratulates them on this success and looks forward to further inspiring encounters with the Filmfestival Max Ophüls Prize!