• Grant holders Henning Beckhoff (‚Mauern‘) and Lumi Lausas (‚0816‘). Jury: Mirko Derpmann (Scholz & Friends), chairman Wim Wenders and Petra Müller (FMS) © Hojabr Riahi / Film- und Medienstiftung NRW
  • Grant ceremony 2019 at Filmwerkstatt Düsseldorf © Hojabr Riahi / Film- und Medienstiftung NRW
  • Wim Wenders and Petra Müller (FMS) with Thomas Geisel (major of Düsseldorf) © Hojabr Riahi / Film- und Medienstiftung NRW
  • Current and previous grant holders with the jury and team of the Wim Wenders Stiftung © Hojabr Riahi / Film- und Medienstiftung NRW

On September 30, 2019 the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW and the Wim Wenders Stiftung presented the winners of the Wim Wenders Grant for the sixth time in a row at Filmwerkstatt Düsseldorf. The grant, which is annually endowed with a total of 100,000 Euros, supports young filmmakers in their efforts to explore new creative means for innovative visual storytelling, allowing them to develop their film projects independently.

The jury chaired by Wim Wenders selected four projects from a total of 36 entries. Apart from the quality of the projects’ content, the originality of their visual conception was the most important for the jury. Alongside to chairman Wim Wenders, the jury also includedPetra Müller, CEO of Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, and Mirko Derpmann, creative director of Scholz & Friends.

A colloquium has been held annually since 2016 for the current grant holders and those from previous years following the grant presentation ceremony. They are invited the next day to report to the jury about the current state of their funded projects, show early samples of their work and support one another in the further development of their projects and through discussions with the jury.

The Wim Wenders Grant of the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW was awarded for the first time in 2014. Since then, 25 grants have been awarded with total funding of around 600,000 Euros. The jury consisting of Wim Wenders (chair), Filmstiftung CEO Petra Müller and Mirko Derpmann (Scholz & Friends) decide on the allocation of the grants in a two-stage application process. After an initial pre-selection, the candidates are invited to present their projects to the jury. The emphasis lies on the convincing formal and visual realization of the projects and on thematic criteria.

All relevant information and documentation relating to the Wim Wenders Grant is available at www.filmstiftung.de.

GRANT HOLDERS

Bitter wie das Leben, stark wie die Liebe und sanft wie der Tod by Eli Roland Sachs
Hybrid of feature film and documentary, 36,000 euros

An African man with a gunshot wound to his chest drifts through Germany. He hardly speaks, but he meets people during his journey, who entrust him with stories unlike anything the world has heard before. These stories are based on real interviews with witnesses of atrocities from the conflict zone in northern Nigeria. The poetic docudrama describes the indescribable.

Mauern by Henning Beckhoff
Stalking thriller in the GoPro perspective, 24,000 euros

Local politician Anna Maibach (32) has been exposed to hate mail and attacks ever since she decided to run for the office of mayor in Wuppertal. Her life changes abruptly when an apparent stranger suddenly starts following her.

Was Mach(t) Mut? by Jan Raiber
Documentary film in 360degree/3D, 24,000 euros

An experiment, an unpredictable adventure: a feature documentary about the Muslim family the director has married into. A research project about film language in 360°3D. Questioning the world at every turn. A confrontation therapy for Islamophobes.

0816 by Lumi Lausas
Web series for Instagram and IGTV, 16,000 euros

The web series for Instagram and IGTV is about young people who spend their summer holidays in their home village in Sweden. The short episodes are each told from the perspective of one of the characters, with the aesthetics and characters creating both an authentic and sensitive view of what it means to be young as well as touching on sexuality, depression and relationships.