At the Filmfestival Max Ophüls Preis a total of six juries award prizes in the four competition categories

Awards

©Oliver Dietze

©Oliver Dietze

©Oliver Dietze

  • 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 Tobias Hans 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.

An overview of the winners of recent years can be found here on IMDb (Event History).

Jurys

Ali Ghandtschi / ffmop

Ali Ghandtschi / ffmop

Ali Ghandtschi / 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€)

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€).

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).

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€).

 

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.

Programme

The Filmfetival Max Ophüls Preis organizes four competitions and awards a total of 16 prizes worth 118,400 euros.

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Events & supporting programme

  During the festival there are numerous events where our festival guests can meet the filmmakers.

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Programme series & special programmes

An overview of the non-competition programmes and a compilation of invited programmes and collaborations.

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