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 70 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.

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 the Max Ophuels Film Festival 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.

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. 70 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.

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.

A new prize has been awarded since 2025 to promote strong ideas in the debut film sector. Together with the ZDF/Das kleine Fernsehspiel editorial team and a third independent pre-jury member, five projects are nominated that were represented in a previous festival edition with a short film or medium-length film and would now like to make their debut. During the festival week, two editors will hold feedback discussions with the nominees about their ideas for material. The winner of the award receives a development contract with the editorial team worth 10,000 euros to develop the treatment.