Awards at the Film Festival

Award ceremnoy

At the 59th Hof International Film Festival, five film prizes with a total value of 17,500 euros were awarded on Friday evening. In a festive ceremony at the festival centre, the traditional film festival honoured outstanding works and creative visions from the German-speaking world and beyond.

With this year's award ceremony, the Hof Film Festival once again celebrated the diversity and quality of independent filmmaking – and confirmed its reputation as a discovery festival for new talents and strong cinematic voices.

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Published on: October 25, 2025

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German Cinema New Talent Award for: “LUISA” by Julia Roesler

Bild-Kunst Award

2025 polina shpazhnikova
Damaged Lemons - Still 2

This year's Bild-Kunst Award went to Polina Shpazhnikova for the costume design in the film Damaged Lemons by Ada Naëmi.

A film that takes us into the inner experience of our main character. The costume design becomes a play partner on this journey.

For the production design, the prize went to Thomas Rump in the film Luisa by Julia Roesler. Both awards are endowed with 2,500 euros each and are awarded by the Verband der Berufsgruppen Szenenbild und Kostümbild e.V. (VSK).

With "Luisa", Thomas Rump and his team have succeeded in creating a subtle set design that virtually merges with the sensitive narrative style of the film.

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Granit – Hof Documentary Film Award

2025 lothar herzog
Das Ungesagte - Still 2

The GRANIT Prize, endowed with 7,500 euros, was awarded to Patricia Hector and Lothar Herzog for their film Das Ungesagte. The jury praised the sensitive and penetrating examination of the memories of the last contemporary witnesses of the Nazi regime. A commendatory Mention went to Where the Waves Took Her by Jana Stallein. The prize is awarded by the Hermann and Bertl Müller Foundation based in Hof.

The filmmakers take us on a quest the likes of which we have never seen before. Quietly and insistently, the perspectives of the last contemporary witnesses of the Nazi regime interweave.

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PHAROS Shiver Screen Award

Archibald Martin 1
Naissance d'un feu - Still 4

The Pharos Shiver Screen Award went to Archibald Martin for his short film Naissance d'un feu. The international prize honors genre productions from the fields of thriller, horror, action and science fiction and is worth 2,500 euros as well as a mentoring program.

This film builds up tension and keeps it until the end – and at the end you are totally relieved to be able to breathe out the tension with the two protagonists ... Because before that, you are consistently pressed into the armchair, even for the short time you spend with the characters.

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Hof Critics Award

2025 ina balon
Plan F - Still 2

At the Hof Critics Award, Ina Balon convinced with her feature film Plan F in the Best Director category.

Loving in its dealings with the characters, emotionally captivating, but just as playfully witful, the work accompanies the characters on this journey

The award for Best Production went to David Fonjallaz and Louis Mataré for Don't Let the Sun by Jacqueline Zünd. The award recognises innovative directorial and production achievements in feature film debuts from German-speaking countries.

Atmospherically dense images that underline the dreary mood of the film, a coherent production design and an outstanding ensemble carry this dystopia that resonates in us.

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Jury Short Film Award of the City of Hof

2025 masha mollenhauer
The Good Woman - Still 2

The Short Film Award of the City of Hof went to Masha Mollenhauer for The Good Woman. The film impressively deals with female self-determination in patriarchal structures. Special mentions were given to Ademi by Zhamilya Sakhari and Turtle & Albion by Fitore Muzaqi.

The direction impressively shows how a system works in which many people play along without really questioning it ... The result is a film that points far beyond the private sphere and deals with a topic that could hardly be more topical: the self-determination of women in a world that often denies them this.

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