Bavarian Film Prize: Haase and Herbst win main prizes

The winners of this year’s Bavarian Film Awards in the main categories have been determined: Berliner Jella Haase (32, “Fack ju Göhte”) will be awarded “Best Actress” for her role in “Chantal in Fairytale Land” (2024), while Wuppertal’s Christoph Maria Herbst (58) won the award for “Best Actor” for his acting in three films – “The Book Walker” (2024), “The Nickname” (2024) and “A Celebration for Life” (2023) – receives.

The jury particularly praised Haase’s multifaceted portrayal of her cult character Chantal, which she already embodied in the “Fack ju Göhte” series (2013, 2015, 2017). “Jella Haase has the rare ability to make every role the role of her life,” says the jury’s statement. In “Chantal in Fairytale Land” she impresses as a “cheeky brat with no plan for life, a convincing romantic or a wild and self-determined fighter.”

Christoph Maria Herbst impressed the jury with his versatility in three very different roles last year. “He achieves the visible surface of his roles by helping to shape their depths and shallows,” praised the jury. His ability to convey depth even in light conversation is particularly emphasized.

The decision on the winners was made by a twelve-member expert jury chaired by Daniel Curio. “The Bavarian Film Prize stands for the outstanding creativity of our filmmakers. Jella Haase and Christoph Maria Herbst stand for outstanding acting and the best entertainment in film,” said Bavaria’s Film Minister Dr. Florian Herrmann the award winners.

The renowned prize will be awarded on January 24th in Munich’s Prinzregententheater. The award ceremony will be broadcast on BR television and can be seen in the ARD media library from 7 p.m. The Bavarian Film Prize is one of the most important awards in the German film industry and is endowed with a total of 300,000 euros. Of this, the prizes for “Best Actress” and “Best Actor” each account for 10,000 euros.

It is not the first Bavarian Film Prize for Jella Haase. She was already awarded “Best Young Actress” in 2011 for her roles in “Warrior” (2011) and “Lollipop Monster” (2011).