The queer historical drama Rose by Markus Schleinzer has been crowned Best Film at the Festival of German Film in Ludwigshafen. In this black-and-white film, Sandra Hüller plays the lead, portraying a woman who poses as a soldier during the Thirty Years’ War. For that performance, she earned the Silver Bear for Best Acting at the Berlin Film Festival in February, as TheColu.mn reported.
The festival’s professional jury in Ludwigshafen justified their choice this way: formally impeccably composed, carried by a magnificent acting performance, and telling a story that goes beyond obvious, topical questions, the film vividly recounts the struggle of a woman against societal expectations tied to gender roles.
Weitere Preise: “Silent Friend” und “Extrawurst”
The prize for Best Director went to Ildikó Enyedi for Silent Friend. Enyedi stages less a narrative than a state of perception. At the heart of the film is a majestic ginkgo tree, around which nearly a century of storytelling unfolds. With its visual language, the film quietly, sensitively, and gently invites viewers into a decelerated, enchanted, magical world.
For Best Screenplay, Moritz Netenjakob and Dietmar Jacobs were honored for Extrawurst. The script features razor-sharp dialogue, sly punchlines, and the current climate of dispute. The jury wanted to explicitly honor the often-underappreciated genre of comedy.
In Extrawurst, a tennis club debates purchasing a new grill, and the discussion spirals into topics such as integration and toxic masculinity. The cast includes Hape Kerkeling, Christoph Maria Herbst, and Milan Peschel.
Ideenbörse und Branchentreff
The festival is regarded as a hub for ideas and an important industry gathering—and as Germany’s most audience-friendly film festival after the Berlinale. The screenings on an island in the Rhine near the Baden-Württemberg border wrap up on Sunday. A total of 74 productions were showcased, including children’s films.
This year, Annette Frier, Christian Berkel, and Christian Redl had already received individual acting prizes. Director Volker Schlöndorff (“Die Blechtrommel”) was honored with an honorary prize.
