BERND BURGEMEISTER TV PRODUCTION AWARDS FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION ARE PRESENTED AT THE

 MUNICH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Kurt Krieger Opening evening with the NDK premiere ZWEI ZU EINS at HP8 as part of the 41st FILMFEST MUNICH on June 29, 2024. © Kurt Krieger / Munich Film Festival

Munich, July 1, 2024 — Last night, the two prestigious Bernd Burgemeister TV Production Awards for outstanding achievement in production were presented at Munich’s Gloria Palast movie theater. The three-member jury, chaired by producer Dagmar Rosenbauer and including Jan Kruse (Bavaria Fiction) and Martin Richter (Rat Pack Filmproduktion), honored producer Maren Knieling and producer Lars Jessen (Florida Film GmbH) for the comedy “Micha Thinks Big” starring Charly Hübner as best TV movie. 

Public premiere ZWEI ZU EINS Premiere at the Deutsche Theater as part of the 41st FILMFEST MÜNCHEN on July 1, 2024. © Joel Heyd / Filmfest München

Festival director Christoph Gröner and artistic co-director Julia Weigl at Amerikahaus as part of the 41st FILMFEST MUNICH on June 28, 2024.

The award for best series or miniseries went to producer Katrin Haase and producers Oliver Arnold (U5 Filmproduktion GmbH & Co. KG) and Lasse Scharpen (Studio Zentral) for the vampire-themed series “Love Sucks”. 

Best TV film: (from left) Peter Kurth, Jan Georg Schütte, Maren Knieling (Florida Film), Lars Jessen (Florida Film), Natalia Rudziewicz, Ulrich Brandhoff © Getty Images/Gisela Schober for VFF

Best TV series/multi-part series: (from left to right:) Henning Falk (Studio Zentral), Havana Joy Josephine Braun, Andreas Prochaska, Artemis Kobra (Studio Zentral), Rick Okon, Oliver Arnold (U5 Filmproduktion), Hannes Höhn (Studio Zentral), Anne Ratte-Polle  ©Gisela Schober/Getty Images for VFF

Best TV movie: “Micha Thinks Big” — a quirky comedy about obtaining sufficient land and water resources 

Produced by: Maren Knieling and Lars Jessen, Floria Film GmbH, for ARD Degeto Film GmbH and MDR 

Directed by: Lars Jessen, Jan Georg Schütte 

Cast: includes Charly Hübner, Natalia Rudziewicz, Jördis Triebel, Ulrich Brandhoff, Peter Kurth 

Screenplay by: Lars Jessen, Christian Riedel, Jan Georg Schütte, Charly Hübner 

“Water is no longer coming out of the tap. Not just in one household, but in the whole village. No more water for people, animals, or land — the groundwater has dried up. This premise can be rendered as a dystopia or made the theme of a film. Producers Maren Knieling and Lars Jessen have instead opted for a different genre: comedy. This was a bold decision that obviously won over the commissioning broadcasters, ARD Degeto and MDR,” says jury chairwoman Dagmar Rosenbauer. “After ‘green producing’, ‘green storytelling’ is the next challenge our industry faces. How can the climate crisis be related without reverting to preaching and lecturing? How can the dramatic scale of the problem be presented in a way that won’t put off audiences? This production and its outstanding team in front of and behind the camera have shown how this can be done in their TV movie ‘Micha Thinks Big’. For this, they are receiving the Bernd Burgemeister TV Production Award today.” 

Kurt Krieger Tobias Krell at "Zauberwelt Kino - A Live Show with Checker Tobi" in the Deutsches Theater as part of the 41st FILMFEST MUNICH on June 30, 2024.© Kurt Krieger / Munich Film Festival

Habib Adda, Lambert Wilson at the NDK premiere KLANDESTIN in the Sendlinger Tor cinema as part of the 41st FILMFEST MUNICH on July 1st, 2024.© Ronny Heine / Munich Film Festival

Nehir Tuna and cast at the CineCoPro premiere DORMITORY at the City Cinema as part of the 41st FILMFEST MUNICH on June 30, 2024.© Ronny Heine / Munich Film Festival

Best series or miniseries: “Love Sucks” is about a tragic romance between a vampire and a mortal 

Produced by: Katrin Haase, Oliver Arnold of U5 Filmproduktion in co-production with Lasse Scharpen of Studio Zentral for ZDFneo. 

Directed by: Lea Becker, Andreas Prochaska 

Cast: Havana Joy Josephine Braun, Damian Hardung, Rick Okon, Stipe Erceg, Anne Ratte-Polle 

Screenplay by: Marc O. Seng, Julia Penner, Thorsten Wettcke 

“Thanks to online video archives and streaming services, we producers have an opportunity not only to watch bold productions of different genres, but also to produce them ourselves — given the right touch.

In 2024, Katrin Haase, Oliver Arnold, and Lasse Scharpen, working with ZDFneo, created just such a production,” said the jury. “A series like ‘Love Sucks’ necessitates producers who are willing to take risks, a unique way of looking at this world, and a feel for the right creative partners.

They rose to the task and found the perfect writers. Giving the directors the liberty to deliver the broadcaster a translation of the script worthy of international distribution worked out perfectly. A genre and a world are created that not only promise, but also deliver, an extraordinary viewing experience. One has the feeling that all the gears mesh perfectly here. And when the jury looks at this series and is unanimous in saying they wish they could have produced it themselves, that’s the perfect reason to honor this work.” 

Festival director Christoph Gröner and artistic co-director Julia Weigl and Natja Brunckhorst at the opening night with the NDK premiere ZWEI ZU EINS at HP8 as part of the 41st FILMFEST MUNICH on June 29, 2024.© Kurt Krieger / Munich Film Festival

A total of 15 productions were in the running for this prestigious honor. “Our intent in presenting this award is to turn the spotlight on producers and reward their outstanding achievements — as well as their entrepreneurial fortitude,” Dr. Albrecht Bischoffshausen emphasized in his first speech since becoming managing director of the VFF in April.

“In the spirit of Bernd Burgemeister, the foremost criterion when considering films and series in the New German Television Productions section at the Munich International Film Festival is that they address important sociopolitical issues and topics of our age. A further criterion is that superb content be made for the big screen in an innovative and groundbreaking way.” 

Anton Biebl, Julia Fuhr Mann, Franziska Unger, Emil Klattenhof, Angela Reedwisch, Aaron Arens, Dr. Bettina Reiz at the Starter Film Awards ceremony in the Audimax at the HFF as part of the 41st FILMFEST MUNICH on June 28, 2024.© Ronny Heine / Munich Film Festival

Following the award ceremony, hosted by Jana Kübel, and the screenings, the award-winners gathered at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof to meet other distinguished guests from the German film and television industry, including actors and actresses Peter Kurth, Rick Okon, Anne Ratte-Polle, Natalia Rudziewicz, Jutta Speidel, Felix Klare, Michaela May, Michael Brandner, Max von Pufendorf and Aglaia Szyszkowitz. 

Kurt Krieger Jessica Lange au CineMerit Award en récompense au Deutsche Theater dans le cadre du 41e FILMFEST München le 29 juin 2024. © Kurt Krieger / Filmfest München

 Impressions in the Amerikahaus as part of the 41st FILMFEST MUNICH on June 28, 2024. © Bojan Ritan / Munich Film Festival

Opening Night with the NDK premiere ZWEI ZU EINS in the HP8  As part of the 41st FILMFEST MUNICH on June 29, 2024. © Bojan Ritan / Filmfest Munich

 Festival director Christoph Gröner and artistic co-director Julia Weigl and Tobi Krell at the opening night with the NDK premiere TWO TO ONE at HP8 as part of the 41st FILMFEST MUNICH on June 29, 2024. © Kurt Krieger / Munich Film Festival