17/11/2014 - The young talents hail from Uruguay, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Lebanon, Ireland and Estonia; meanwhile, the Mannheim Meeting Place celebrated its fifth edition

The 63^rd edition of the Mannheim-Heidelberg International Filmfestival (6-16 November), which opened with the German premiere of Belgian film All Cats Are Grey [+see also:
trailer
film profile], by Savina Dellicour, drew to a close with the awarding of the top prize, the Award for Newcomer of the Year, to Uruguayan director Dimitry Rudakov for his 23 segundos. The Mannheim-Heidelberg Award went to Nabat by Elchin Musaoglu (Azerbaijan), who also snagged the FIPRESCI Prize and the Ecumenical Jury Award. The Special Jury Prize was bestowed upon actor Nelson Xaver for his “brave performance” in the Brazilian title Farewell – A despedida by Marcelo Galvão.

The German gathering’s Audience Award, dedicated to young talents, was given to the Lebanese feature Ghadi by Amin Dora, which was presented in the International Discoveries section. Meanwhile, film exhibitors granted their Special Mentions to Irish director Terry McMahon for his Patrick's Day [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and to Estonia’s Martti Helde for In the Crosswind [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Martti Helde
interview: Martti Helde
film profile].

The New Master of Cinema Award was handed to Belgian director Geoffrey Enthoven during a special ceremony organised on the 12^th. Last year, this prize replaced the Master of Cinema Award with the aim of paying tribute to young filmmakers who have successfully managed to carry on with their careers after their debut films, which is no mean feat nowadays. It is these directors who are in fact particularly close to the festival’s heart.

Once again, the meticulous selection work undertaken by festival director Michael Kötz and his team (who focused on 24 films for the main programme – 13 in the International Competition and 11 in the International Discoveries section – in addition to the 15 titles that were shown at Special Screenings and seven children’s films) was clearly appreciated by the 500 accredited journalists in attendance, as well as by industry professionals and the general public. All in all, the gathering welcomed 60,000 viewers, selling over 50,000 tickets, which represents a 10% rise in attendance levels compared to last year. Furthermore, almost 5,000 people took part in the 90 meetings organised with the aim of discussing the films.

We should also highlight the success experienced by the fifth edition of the event’s industry sidebar, Mannheim Meeting Place, headed by Julek Kedzierski and totally unique thanks to the fact that the projects have already been discussed by professionals (producers, buyers, consultants) three or four months before the festival, so that the 250 meetings held during the gathering can primarily allow those concerned to finalise the collaborations that had already been struck up.

(Translated from French)