German cinema is said to have an unusual affection for film adaptations. This can also be seen in the nominations for the German Film Prize – who has a chance of receiving the award at the award ceremony in October? Berlin (dpa) – The literary film adaptation of “Fabian or The Walk to the Dogs” by director Dominik Graf is entering the race for the German Film Award as a favorite with ten nominations. The title has been nominated, among other things, for best feature film as well as for direction and screenplay, as the German Film Academy announced on Thursday in Berlin. The template is Erich Kästner’s 1931 novel about Berlin during the Weimar Republic. The film award will be presented on October 1st at the Berlin Exhibition Center. A second film adaptation has also been nominated. “Schachnovelle” by director Philipp Stölzl is proposed in seven categories. The film, which is still in the cinemas, has been nominated as best feature film for the golden Lola, among other things.
A total of six films are proposed in this category – in addition to the two book adaptations, there are the comedy “I am your human” about the love of a robot, the film “Curveball – We make the truth” and the political dramas “And tomorrow the whole world “and” Je suis Karl “. Academy head Ulrich Matthes and Minister of State for Culture Monika Grütters (CDU) presented the list. The film award is considered the most important national award in the industry. It is endowed with almost three million euros for new projects. Because of the pandemic, there was no big award ceremony with many guests last year. The drama “Systemsprenger” was awarded as the best film at a television show.
Actress Senta Berger was awarded the honorary award for outstanding services to German film.
The approximately 2000 members of the film academy now vote on many of the award winners. Saskia Rosendahl (“Fabian”), Maren Eggert (“I am your person”) and Luna Wedler (“Je suis Karl”) will compete in the “Best Female Leading Role” category. Rosendahl has just won an award at the Festival in Locarno, Eggert was honored at this year’s Berlinale. Eggert’s film partner – actor Dan Stevens (“Downton Abbey”) – has also been nominated for a prize. He plays a humanoid robot. Also in the running for the best male lead are Oliver Masucci (as filmmaker Rainer Werner Fassbinder in “Enfant Terrible”) and Jannis Niewöhner, who takes on the role of a right-wing extremist in “Je suis Karl”. In the case of two awards, it is already clear who will receive them. Actress Senta Berger was awarded the honorary award for outstanding services to German film. The award for the most popular film goes to the comedy “Nightlife”. There have also been several nominations for the science fiction film “Tides”. Daniel Brühl’s directorial debut “Nebenan”, on the other hand, only received one nomination, for the best sound design. Because the cinemas were closed for months due to the pandemic and so many films start with a delay, this time the film prize will not be awarded in spring, as usual, but in autumn.