46TH MAX OPHUELS FILM FESTIVAL: JANUARY 20. TO 26, 2025

Contact

Artistic direction:

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©SARIPICTURE _ Sarah Domandl

©SARIPICTURE _ Sarah Domandl

©SARIPICTURE _ Sarah Domandl

Svenja Böttger

Managing & Artistic Director

Curation Feature Film, Documentary, Middle Length Film and Short Film

T.: +49 681 90689-13
E-Mail

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©SARIPICTURE _ Sarah Domandl

©SARIPICTURE _ Sarah Domandl

©SARIPICTURE _ Sarah Domandl

Theresa Winkler

Head of Program

Curation Feature Film, Documentary, Middle Length Film and Short Film

T.: +49 681 90689-24
E-Mail

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Louise Lindlar

Louise Lindlar

Louise Lindlar

Louise Lindlar

Head of MOP-Industry

Curation Documentary & Middle Length Film
E-Mail

Selection Committee Members:

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ffmop / ffmop

ffmop / ffmop

ffmop / ffmop

Christian Bauer

SR-Editor television film

Feature Film

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Steffi Henn / Tessa Hart

Steffi Henn / Tessa Hart

Steffi Henn / Tessa Hart

Tessa Hart

Culture Maker & Changer

Feature Film

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Oliver Dietze / ffmop

Oliver Dietze / ffmop

Oliver Dietze / ffmop

Mark Stöhr

Author

Documentary

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©Janine Guldener

©Janine Guldener

©Janine Guldener

Andrea Schwemmer

Culture Maker & Changer

Medium Length Film

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David Harms / ffmop

David Harms / ffmop

David Harms / ffmop

Cornelis Hähnel

Film Curator & Editor

Short Film

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privat / ffmop

privat / ffmop

privat / ffmop

Tavo Ruiz

Author and Director

Short Film

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Hannes Wesselkämper / ffmop

Hannes Wesselkämper / ffmop

Hannes Wesselkämper / ffmop

Hannes Wesselkämper

Film scholar

Diskurze (Discussions)


 

Competitions

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ffmop

ffmop

ffmop

FEATURE FILM

For the Feature Film Competition of the Filmfestival Max Ophüls Preis, feature films with a minimum length of 65 minutes are eligible, provided they were produced for theatrical release. Films whose theatrical release or broadcasting date is before the festival and/or which were already available online are excluded from the competition. Only premieres and German first screenings are included in the competition selection.

DOCUMENTARY FILM

The documentary film competition is open to first, second and third works by young German-speaking directors with a length of 65 minutes or more. Only world premieres and German premieres will be considered.

MEDIUM LENGTH FILM

Medium-length films with a length of between approx. 25 and approx. 65 minutes are admitted to this competition. The competition is open to young German-speaking directors whose feature films have premieres and German first screenings.

SHORT FILM

The short film competition of the Filmfestival Max Ophüls Preis is intended to promote innovative tendencies among young German-speaking directors. The competition is open to world premieres and German premieres of short films up to approx. 25 minutes in length.

Further information

 


 

Awards

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Max Kullmann / ffmop

Max Kullmann / ffmop

Max Kullmann / ffmop

  • FILM AWARDS IN THE FEATURE FILM COMPETITION

    MAX OPHÜLS PRICE: BEST FEATURE FILM

    In appreciation of the merits of the Saarbrücken-born director Max Ophüls, the film festival together with the state capital Saarbrücken annually awards the Max Ophüls Prize for the best feature film. The aim is to honour and promote young female directors in the German-speaking world. The Max Ophüls Prize 2021, for which feature films with a length of 65 minutes or more can be nominated, is endowed with 36,000 euros, is determined by a five-member jury and awarded to a German premiere. The prize money will be paid in three equal parts to the director, the producer and the distributor, who will realize a theatrical release of the film within twelve months after the festival.

     
    MAX OPHÜLS AWARD: BEST DIRECTOR (FILM AWARD OF THE PRIME MINISTER OF THE SAARLAND)

    The Film Prize of Saarland's Prime Minister Anke Rehlinger goes to an outstanding directing achievement in the Feature Film Competition and is endowed with 5,500 euros. The prize is supplemented by a distribution grant of 5,500 euros. This prize can be awarded on the recommendation of the award-winning director by the film's distributor, who will take over the distribution of the film in Germany.

    MAX OPHÜLS PRIZE: FRITZ-RAFF SCREENPLAY PRIZE

    In order to promote the work of female screenwriters in the area of young talent, the Saarland Broadcasting Corporation and ZDF will award a 13,000 euro screenplay prize during the festival. The prize will be awarded to an author of an already filmed book from the feature film competition.
     
    MAX OPHÜLS PRIZE: BEST YOUNG ACTOR

    For outstanding achievements in the field of acting, the festival management together with the Head of Programme will award up to eight nominations. The Feature Film Competition jury will choose two winners from these nominations and is free to choose the main and supporting roles. The prize money is 3,000 euros each and is donated by SHS Strukturholding Saar GmbH and the festival sponsors.

    MAX OPHÜLS PRIZE: AUDIENCE AWARD FEATURE FILM

    The Audience Award of the Feature Film Competition goes to the director whose film receives the highest audience rating in the Max Ophüls Prize competition. The audience award is endowed with 5,000 euros. The equipment of the Audience Award is part of the funding by Saarland Sporttoto GmbH.
     
    MAX OPHÜLS AWARD FOR THE SOCIALLY RELEVANT FILM

    The Federal Agency for Civic Education and Deutschlandfunk Kultur have been sponsoring this prize, which is endowed with 5,000 euros since 2014, and is awarded by the Max Ophüls Prize jury to a feature film from the competition that attracts attention through its unconventional approach to a socially relevant topic. The jury is free to award the prize to any author, producer or director of the winning film.
     
    MAX OPHÜLS PRIZE: PRIZE OF THE YOUTH JURY

    A specially convened Franco-German youth jury determines the prize of the youth jury from the competition films. The prize money is 2,500 euros and is funded by the Federal Agency for Civic Education and the Saarland State Agency for Civic Education.
     
    PRIZE OF THE ECUMENICAL JURY

    The award will be given to a film from the Feature Film Competition which, with genuine artistic talent, succeeds in sensitising the audience to spiritual, human or social issues and values. The prize of INTERFILM and SIGNIS is endowed with 2,500 Euros and is jointly donated by the Catholic Adult Education Association of Saarland and the State Association for Protestant Adult Education in Saarland, represented by the Protestant Academy in Saarland.

  • FILM AWARDS IN THE DOCUMENTARY FILM COMPETITION

    MAX OPHÜLS AWARD: BEST DOCUMENTARY

    The documentary film prize is awarded by the jury to a film from the documentary film competition. The prize is provided by Saarland Medien GmbH and is endowed with 7,500 euros.
     
    MAX OPHÜLS PRIZE: BEST MUSIC IN A DOCUMENTARY

    For the best compositional achievement, the originality of songwriting and interpretation, and the integration of sound design and film music, the Film Music Prize honours an achievement from the Documentary Film Competition to reward innovative music and sound design in documentary films. Awarded by Saarland Medien GmbH, the prize money of 5,000 euros is donated by the Strecker Foundation. It will go in equal parts to the participating composer as well as to the filmmaker for use in the music and sound section of his or her next project.
     
    MAX OPHÜLS PRIZE: AUDIENCE AWARD DOCUMENTARY

    Since the 40th edition of the Filmfestival Max Ophüls Preis,there is a new prize. Dillinger and Saarstahl will endow the new Max Ophüls Prize: Audience Award Documentary with 5,000 euros. The prize will be awarded by voting of the festival audience to a contribution from the documentary film competition.

  • FILM AWARDS IN THE MEDIUM-LENGTH FILM COMPETITION

    MAX OPHÜLS PRICE: BEST MEDIUM LENGTH FILM

    The Max Ophüls Preis for the best film in the Medium Length Film Competition (between approx. 25 and approx. 65 minutes) is awarded by the Jury Competition Short Film/ Medium Length Film and is endowed with 5,000 euros. The prize is donated by Christine Streichert-Clivot, Saarland's Minister of Education and Culture.
     
    MAX OPHÜLS PRIZE: AUDIENCE AWARD MEDIUM-LENGTH FILM

    In addition, an audience award will be presented for medium-length films from the competition. The prize is endowed by the Sparkasse Saarbrücken and is endowed with 5,000 euros.

  • FILM AWARDS IN THE SHORT FILM COMPETITION

    MAX OPHÜLS AWARD: BEST SHORT FILM

    The jury awards a short film prize to a director for a film from the short film competition (short films up to approx. 25 minutes). The prize is donated by Stadtwerke Saarbrücken GmbH and is endowed with 5,000 euros.
     
    MAX OPHÜLS PRIZE: AUDIENCE AWARD SHORT FILM

    In addition, an audience award will be presented for short films from the competition, which will be endowed with 5,000 euros by Energie SaarLorLux AG.


 

Jurys

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Oliver Dietze / ffmop

Oliver Dietze / ffmop

Oliver Dietze / ffmop

JURY COMPETITION FEATURE FILM

The feature film jury decides on a total of five prizes: Max Ophüls Prize: Best Feature Film (endowed by the Filmfestival Max Ophüls Preis and the state capital Saarbrücken with 36,000€), Max Ophüls Prize: Best Director (Film Prize of the Saarland Prime Minister, endowed with 5,500€, the prize is supplemented by a distribution grant of 5,500€ and thus reaches a prize money of 11.000€), the two prizes for the best young actors: Max Ophüls Prize: Best Young Actor (endowed by SHS Strukturholding Saar GmbH and the festival sponsors with 3,000€ each) and the Max Ophüls Prize for the socially relevant film (endowed by the Federal Agency for Civic Education and Deutschlandfunk Kultur with 5,000€)

SCREENPLAY JURY (FEATURE FILM COMPETITION)

The screenplay jury awards the Max Ophüls Prize: Fritz-Raff-Screenplay Prize (endowed by ZDF and SR with 13.000€).

ACTING JURY (FEATURE FILM AND MEDIUM-LENGTH FILM COMPETITIONS)

The three-member acting jury nominates up to six up-and-coming talents from the feature film and medium-length film competitions and then honours two performances with the Max Ophüls Prize: Best Young Actor. The awards are endowed with EUR 3,000 each and are donated by the Saarland Minister for Education and Culture, Christine Streichert-Clivot, and the festival patrons.

JURY OF FILM CRITICS (FEATURE FILM AND DOCUMENTARY FILM COMPETITIONS)

The Max Ophüls Preis Film Festival, together with the German Film Critics' Association and the Professional Association of German Media Journalists as well as the film critics' associations from Austria and Switzerland, is awarding two new prizes for one film each from the feature film and documentary film competitions. A three-member jury convened by the film critics' associations from Germany, Austria and Switzerland will decide on the awards. The prizes are not endowed.

ECUMENICAL JURY (FEATURE FILM COMPETITION)

The award will be given to a film from the feature film competition which, with real artistic talent, succeeds in sensitising the audience to spiritual, human or social issues and values. The prize of INTERFILM and SIGNIS is endowed with 2,500 Euros and is jointly donated by the Catholic Adult Education Saarland-Landesarbeitsgemeinschaft e.V. and the Landesarbeitsgemeinschaft für Evangelische Erwachsenenbildung im Saarland e.V., represented by the Protestant Academy in Saarland.

YOUTH JURY (FEATURE FILM COMPETITION)

A German-French youth jury is appointed in cooperation with the Volkshochschule Regionalverband Saarbrücken. It awards the Max Ophüls Prize: Prize of the Youth Jury, donated by the Federal Agency for Civic Education and the Saarland State Agency for Civic Education.

Jury COMPETITION DOCUMENTARY FILM

The documentary film jury awards the prizes for the Max Ophüls Prize: Best Documentary Film (endowed by Saarland Medien GmbH with €7,500) and the Max Ophüls Prize: Best Music in a Documentary Film (endowed by the Strecker Foundation with €5,000).

JURY COMPETITION SHORT FILM/MIDDLE LENGTH FILM

The Short Film and Medium Length Film Jury awards the following prizes in each of the two competition categories: Max Ophüls Prize: Best Medium Length Film (endowed by Saarland's Minister for Education and Culture Christine Streichert-Clivot with 5,000€) and the Max Ophüls Prize: Best Short Film (endowed by Stadtwerke Saarbrücken GmbH with 5,000€).

Overview of the former jury members here.

 


 

Festival Office

Filmfestival Max Ophüls Preis gGmbH

Europaallee 22
D-66113 Saarbrücken

Opening hours

Our festival office is open!
Monday-Thursday 10:00-13:00

Programme

You can find an overview of films in English or with English subtitles here.

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