The German Film Awards, also known as the Lolas, are the most prestigious and most highly endowed awards for German film. They are organised by the German Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM), which provides prizes amounting to a total sum of €3 million. The members of the German Film Academy vote for the winners in the 19 designated categories. After there was no official gala last year owing to the pandemic, this year, around 1,200 guests came together in Berlin to celebrate the newest releases of German films and to witness the handing over of the slender figurines. The host of this 17^th ceremony was German actor Daniel Donskoy, best known for his roles in German TV productions and lately a member of the cast of the international Netflix series The Crown.

Four of the most important prizes went to the social tragicomedy I'm Your Man [+lire aussi :
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interview : Maria Schrader
fiche film] by Maria Schrader, which premiered earlier this year at the Berlinale and has, since then, been travelling around international festivals, where it has snagged a series of other awards. The film, which will represent Germany at the upcoming Oscars, was handed the Golden Lola for Best Feature Film, while Maria Schrader also received the Lola for Best Director of the Year. In addition to this, the movie was also successful in two more categories, as it scooped the Lola for Best Screenplay and earned Maren Eggert the Award for Best Lead Actress in a German Film.

The Silver Lola for Best Feature Film went to Fabian – Going to the Dogs [+lire aussi :
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interview : Albrecht Schuch
fiche film] by Dominik Graf, which also won two additional Lolas – namely, Best Cinematography and Best Editing. Curveball [+lire aussi :
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interview : Johannes Naber
fiche film] by Johannes Naber, a tragicomedy set against a historical background, won a total of two gongs: The film was awarded the Bronze Lola for Best Feature Film as well as the Lola for Best Supporting Actor, for Thorsten Merten (Gundermann [+lire aussi :
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fiche film], The Mover [+lire aussi :
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fiche film]). Parallel to this, the Best Supporting Actress Award went to Lorna Ishema for her performance in the coming-of-age, social tragicomedy Precious Ivie [+lire aussi :
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interview : Sarah Blaßkiewitz
fiche film] by Sarah Blaßkiewitz.

The nominees for Best Documentary included Space Dogs [+lire aussi :
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interview : Elsa Kremser, Levin Peter
fiche film] by Elsa Kremser and Levin Peter, and Walchensee Forever [+lire aussi :
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bande-annonce
fiche film] by Janna Ji Wonders, but Maria Speth's impressive and sensitive Mr Bachmann and his Class [+lire aussi :
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fiche film], about a devoted teacher and his pupils, ultimately emerged as the winner. Furthermore, Veins of the World [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] by Byambasuren Davaa received the Lola for Best Children's Film of the Year.

German actor Oliver Masucci was crowned Best Lead Actor for his role in Enfant terrible [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] by Oskar Roehler, a biopic of cult director Rainer Werner Fassbinder.

Each year, a Lola is given out for Best Sound and another for Best Original Music Score. While the former went to the sound designers of the documentary A Symphony of Noise [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] by Enrique Sánchez Lansch, about British sound researcher Matthew Herbert, the second was awarded to the dystopian thriller Tides [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] by Swiss director Tim Fehlbaum and his composer Lorenz Dangel. But this is not the only prize that went to Tides, as it won a total of four trophies and thus ranks alongside I'm Your Man. It was also crowned with the Lolas for Best Visual Effects and Animation, Best Production Design and Best Make-up.

The Award for Best Costumes was bestowed upon The Royal Game [+lire aussi :
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This year's Honorary Award for Outstanding Contributions to German Cinema went to Senta Berger. The actress, who is Austrian but who has forged an impressive film career in both German and international movies, started acting as a child in the 1950s and is known for her performances in mostly independent productions.

Finally, one last prize, the Award for the Highest-grossing Film of the Year, was given to the comedy Nightlife [+lire aussi :
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Here is the full list of winners at the 2021 Lolas-German Film Awards:

Golden Lola for Best Feature Film
I'm Your Man [+lire aussi :
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interview : Maria Schrader
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Silver Lola
Fabian – Going to the Dogs [+lire aussi :
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interview : Albrecht Schuch
fiche film] – Dominik Graf

Bronze Lola
Curveball [+lire aussi :
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interview : Johannes Naber
fiche film] – Johannes Naber

Best Documentary
Mr Bachmann and his Class [+lire aussi :
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bande-annonce
fiche film] – Maria Speth

Best Children's Film
Veins of the World [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] - Byambasuren Davaa

Best Director
Maria Schrader – I'm Your Man

Best Screenplay
Jan Schomburg, Maria Schrader - I'm Your Man

Best Leading Actress
Maren Eggert - I'm Your Man

Best Leading Actor
Oliver Masucci – Enfant terrible [+lire aussi :
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fiche film]

Best Supporting Actress
Lorna Ishema – Precious Ivie [+lire aussi :
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interview : Sarah Blaßkiewitz
fiche film]

Best Supporting Actor
Thorsten Merten – Curveball

Best Cinematography
Hanno Lentz - Fabian – Going to the Dogs

Best Editing
Claudia Wolscht - Fabian – Going to the Dogs

Best Sound
Pascal Capitolin, Richard Borowski – A Symphony of Noise [+lire aussi :
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fiche film]

Best Original Music Score
Lorenz Dangel - Tides [+lire aussi :
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fiche film]

Best Production Design
Julian R Wagner – Tides

Best Costumes
Tanja Hausner - The Royal Game [+lire aussi :
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Best Make-up
Sabine Schumann - Tides

Best Visual Effects and Animation
Denis Behnke - Tides

Award for the Highest-grossing Film of the Year
Nightlife [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] - Simon Verhoeven

Honorary Award for Outstanding Contributions to German Cinema
Senta Berger