The 36th Munich International Film festival drew to a close today Saturday, July 7, 2018 with the award ceremony and “Shoplifters” by Hirokazu Kore-eda won the ARRI/Osram Award for best international film.The Audience Award went to the film “Wackersdorf – Be Alert, Courageous and Solidaric” by Oliver Haffner.

ARRI/Osram Award

“Shoplifters” by Hirokazu Kore-eda received the ARRI/Osram Award for best international film. “In his film ‘Shoplifters’, Hirokazu Kore-eda breaks up the smallest cell of society, the family, into shards that gain the right to rearrange and reinvent themselves. The protagonists change their names and functions, developing their own ethics and morality, not bound by the biological laws of family or ultimately of society. In doing so, ‘Shoplifters’ opens up new possibilities and ultimately offers… hope,” said the jury. The jury of the ARRI/Osram Award was comprised this year of multitalented actress, composer, singer, and performing artist Meret Becker; cult American actress Amanda Plummer; and Blixa Bargeld, co-founder of the German industrial band Einstürzende Neubauten. The latest films by ten renowned directors were in competition for the ARRI/Osram Award for best international film in the CineMasters section of the festival.

CineVision Award

“Border” by Ali Abbasi was honored with the CineVision Award for best new international film. The jury explained its decision thusly: “‘Border’ is not only a very unsettling film; it’s disturbing as well. In the deepest sense of the word, this film disturbs us in the comfort of our certainties and norms and convictions. What is beauty? What is normal? What does monstrosity look like? This film shows us how many wonderful but also horrible things there are all around us that we no longer notice because our senses are dulled. The main character in the wonderful film ‘Border’ has a delicate sense of smell. She is a hounded, anxious outsider whose perspective allows us to take a terrifying look underneath our mask of normality and behold the grotesque face of humanity.”

Honorable mention was given to the Taiwanese film “The Great Buddha+” by director Hsin-Yao Huang, who uses “whimsical imagery and fantastical, comic dialogue to illustrate the lives of two naive underdogs who attempt to cope in a completely absurd world while their normality is also full of wonderfully noticed absurdity. It’s an ambiguous view of society that’s given a playful and surprising form,” said the jury.

FIPRESCI Prize

“All Good” by Eva Trobisch received the 2018 FIPRESCI Prize. The jury of the International Federation of Film Critics was comprised of Jan Storø from Norway, Peter Krausz from Australia, and Andrzej Fogler from Poland. They explained their decision as follows: “The FIPRESCI Prize goes to “All Good” by Eva Trobisch for its intelligently directed and prescient story of the way a troubling incident experienced by a woman spirals into an increasingly challenging situation.”

Audience Awards

The festival’s audience awards were also presented on the final day of the festival. The Bayern 2 and SZ Audience Award went to the film “Wackersdorf – Be Alert, Courageous and Solidaric” by Oliver Haffner. The film depicts the story surrounding the protests against the construction of a nuclear reprocessing plant in Wackersdorf in rural Bavaria in the early 1980s. This year’s Kinderfilmfest Audience Award went to “100% Coco” by Tessa Schram. For the first time, the prize includes the sum of 1,000 euros, sponsored by SZ Familie. The film is about 13-year-old Coco, whose eccentric fashion style appears distasteful until she becomes famous as “Style Tiger”.

ONE FUTURE PRIZE

This year’s ONE FUTURE PRIZE, awarded by the Interfilm Academy, went to “A Letter to the President” by Roya Sadat. The jury, comprised of Navina Neverla, Verena Marisa, and Tomasz Rudzik, explained its decision in these words: “‘A Letter to the President’ is a moving, utterly sophisticated film that tells of the contradictions in the Afghan legal system and the inequality of men and women ten years after the official withdrawal of the Taliban. This film tells the story of an unflinchingly strong woman who, in spite of all adversity and deeply rooted patriarchal structures, is prepared to stand up for her own freedom as well as for that of other women. An immediate, convincing story given lots of atmosphere, written dramatically, acted and directed superbly, and told in the sensitive images of classical narrative cinema, ‘A Letter to the President’ tells of one woman’s struggle against deeply rooted prejudice and overpowering patriarchal structures. Her integrity and her courage to resist are an example to us all. All this is told by the equally brave young Afghan director Roya Sadat, the first female practitioner of her craft in the post-Taliban era.”

Honorable mention went to the documentary “Welcome to Sodom” by Florian Weigensamer and Christian Krönes. In the jury’s words: “This film tells of a dystopia that has long been part of our globalized reality. ‘Sodom’ is a place that concerns all of us, a global topic that raises the most pertinent questions about environmental politics as well as about social and cultural issues.”