Saarbrücken: Film festival Max Ophüls Prize started

The 46th Max Ophüls Prize (MOP) film festival opened in Saarbrücken in the evening. It is considered the most important festival week for German-language film and stands for the discovery of talent from Austria, Germany and Switzerland. This year, a total of 151 films will be presented in 234 screenings in 9 venues in Saarbrücken and Saarland.

At the start of the festival, the political satire “Muxmäuschenstillˣ” by Jan Henrik Stahlberg was shown simultaneously in five cinemas in Saarbrücken, in three cinemas in Bous, St. Ingbert and Saarlouis and via live stream. The film, which will be released in cinemas nationwide on May 1st, deals with the mechanisms of party politics and current populism in a subtle, humorous and at the same time unsparing way.

Director and actor Stahlberg, who plays the central character in the main role of Mux, came to the performance in person with his team and several actors. Actresses Sibel Kekilli and Lorna Ishema were also announced as prominent jury members at the opening of the festival.

Rehlinger: “Films that entertain and challenge”

“This year the Max Ophüls Festival once again addresses socially relevant topics and gives a screen to films that want to entertain us, but that also challenge us,” said Prime Minister Anke Rehlinger (SPD). “This week we can expect courageous contributions from young filmmakers: No hate messages. No divisiveness. But many films, including very political ones, that stimulate thought and social conversation.”

Until the awards ceremony on Saturday, 57 films, including 38 premieres, are applying for the awards in the four competition categories of feature film, documentary film, medium-length film and short film. The content ranges from family, grief, loss and death to the focus on female empowerment, images of masculinity, queer identities and love as well as aspects of magical realism. According to program manager Theresa Winkler, there are significantly fewer contributions than in the previous year on the topics of flight, migration and war.

Premiere at the prices

The winners of the competition will receive 19 prizes worth a total of 128,500 euros. For the first time, this includes a new prize worth 10,000 euros for “Treatment Development”, which was launched in collaboration with ZDF/Das kleine Fernsehenspiel. It supports the research and material development for a full-length debut film.

For festival director Svenja Böttger, one of the highlights of the festival week is the visit by tribute guest Christian Petzold, a director and screenwriter whose work plays an important role in German-language cinema. She is also looking forward to “celebrating the talents of German-language film for a whole week and sharing her creative visions with audiences and experts.”

At 1.6 million euros, the event’s total budget is slightly above the previous year’s level. In addition to numerous sponsors, the state capital Saarbrücken and the state are among the largest supporters.

Film Festival Max Ophüls Prize