Because of Corona, the award ceremony at the 43rd Max Ophüls Prize Film Festival only took place online – but that did not detract from the joy of the winners of the 18 awards.
Saarbrücken – The film “Moneyboys” (A/FRA/BEL/TWN 2021) by CB Yi (director/script) and “Soul of a Beast” (CH 2021) by Lorenz Merz (director/script) are the big hits at this year’s film festival Max Ophüls Prize in Saarbrücken.
At the award ceremony, which was broadcast as an online event via YouTube on Wednesday evening, they each received three prizes. The winners were connected live via Zoom.
A total of 18 prizes worth 118,500 euros were awarded to young German-speaking filmmakers in the four competitions feature film, documentary film, medium-length film and short film.
“Moneyboys” is best feature film
“Moneyboys” won the Max Ophüls Prize for the best feature film, which is endowed with 36,000 euros. In addition, he received the prize for the best screenplay and the prize of the ecumenical jury. The film is about the Chinese Fei (Kai Ko), who works as a so-called money boy (hustler). His family accepts his money but not his homosexuality.
“An existential, queer and at the same time universal film about love that does not pursue political meaning, but creates it,” praised the jury. CB Yi tells his story “with a deep heart”. Despite the difficult circumstances, he does not define his characters through compassion. “Instead, CB Yi gives an extraordinary dignity to the characters and the film as a whole.”
Other awards
“Soul of a Beast” received awards for Best Director, the Film Critics’ Award for Best Feature Film and for Pablo Caprez for Best Young Actor. The film tells the story of three friends who break into the city zoo at night. The next morning the world isn’t the same – not only because some animals escaped. “A powerful and at times oppressive film – with powerful images, charismatic actors and a dynamically harmonious music and sound design,” the film critics judged. “A firework of images, music, sounds, sensuality and magic. Unpredictable, unpredictable,” said the jury for best director.
Two prizes each went to “Anima – My Father’s Clothes” (D 2022) by Uli Decker (best documentary and audience award documentary) and to “Unter der Welle” (D 2022) by Veronika Hafner (best medium-length film and audience award medium-length film) .
Due to the corona pandemic, the 43rd Max Ophüls Prize Film Festival took place over ten days in nine Saarland cinemas and in a hybrid form with streaming offers. It is considered the most important festival for young German-language film and stands for the discovery of young talent from Austria, Germany and Switzerland. The works of the young filmmakers dealt with many socially relevant and current topics: from Corona to the climate crisis to sexual abuse and abuse of power. The festival management noticed a large proportion of hybrid films this year, i.e. a mixed form between feature film and documentary film. dpa
