The Hessischer Filmpreis for Best Film was presented on Friday evening at a gala ceremony in Frankfurt-am-Main to Maria Speth’s second feature Madonnas, the story of an irresponsible mother of five delinquent and instable children.

The co-production between Germany (Pandora, Cineworx, ZDF), Belgium (Les Films du Fleuve) and Switzerland (SF) – whose world sales are being handled by The Match Factory – has screened at a number of festivals, including Berlin and Karlovy Vary. It also won actress Sandra Hüller an award at the Mar del Plata Film Festival this year.
The Hessischer Filmpreis for Best Film, which comes with a €30,000 cash prize, awarded a film that "never ceases to surprise the viewer" and is "a fascinating – and very contemporary – reflection on what it means to be a mother," according to the jury.

Madonnas opens on German screens through Peripher on December 6.

The prize for Best Documentary (worth €30,000) went to Georg Nonnenmacher and Henning Drechsler’s Spielverderber (“Spoilsport”), a portrait of the 23rd player on a football pitch, the referee.

Lydia Dykier received €15,000 for her short Leggingsjeans, while Rochus Hahn won Best Screenplay for Das letzte Streichholz (“The Last Matchstick”) and producer Wolfgang Herold was chosen by the jury for his work on In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale. Ten cinemas received an award for their contribution to culture.

The International Film Literature Award, reserved for adaptations, went to Michael Winterbottom for A Mighty Heart [trailer], and the Cinema for Peace Special Award went to producer Roland Emmerich and director Marco Kreuzpaintner for German/US co-production on human trafficking, Trade.