26/01/2026 - Ben Voit’s coming-of-age drama joined other winners including Wolves by Jonas Ulrich, Noah by Ali Tamim and Days Yet Unknown by Jola Wieczorek

Ben Voit, the director of Gropiusstadt Supernova, with his Award for Best Feature Film (© ffmop/Oliver Dietze)

The Max Ophüls Prize has once again fulfilled its role as the most important platform for the new generation of filmmakers from the German-speaking countries. Its 47th edition was held from 19-25 January in Saarbrücken. An interesting selection of new works spanning all genres and formats were presented to the public – a total of 146 films and 203 screenings were on the menu. Proceedings commenced with the German-Swiss co-production Do You Believe in Angels, Mr. Drowak? by Swiss director Nicolas Steiner.

On 25 January, the festival came to an end after awarding 18 prizes endowed with a total of €123,500. The films were competing in several sections, divided by genre and format. Several of them snagged awards, as decided by an expert jury of five, including Swiss director Piet Baumgartner, who won last year’s Award for Best Director for Bagger Drama [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Piet Baumgartner
film profile]; German actress Thelma Buabeng; German director Jutta Feit, German producer Nina Frese; and German cinematographer Simon Dat Vu.

The Award for Best Feature Film went to Gropiusstadt Supernova by Ben Voit. With his directorial debut, Voit paints an intimate portrait of a young man of foreign descent living in Berlin. In a state of high alert, he navigates the night of New Year's Eve, amidst contradictory feelings and a fear of loss. The prize is endowed with €36,000.

The Award for Best Director went to Austrian filmmaker Magdalena Chmielewska for her hybrid fiction-documentary drama about a 67-year-old mother and her relationship with her own body as well as with her daughters, Teresas Körper. The award comes with a total of €11,000; half of that sum goes to the director and the other half constitutes distribution support.

The same jury also gave out an Award for Best Social Interest Film, which went to Noah by Ali Tamim. It tells the story of a young man who died in a police raid and whose mother tries to say her goodbyes, but has to fight against German bureaucracy before doing so. Using multiple perspectives, the film talks about discrimination, police violence and the sense of societal belonging. Noah also won a second laurel at the festival: the Fritz-Raff Award for Best Screenplay, endowed with €13,000. The award was given out by a jury of three, composed of actor Daniel Blum, filmmaker and producer Raquel Dukpa, and journalist Oliver Hottong.

Among the other prizes given out during the event was a Critics' Award for Best Fiction Feature and a Critics’ Award for Best Documentary. The former went to Wolves [+see also:
film review
interview: Jonas Ulrich
film profile] by Swiss director Jonas Ulrich and the latter to Terre Rouge – Topographie du poète by Luxembourgish director Nicola Fränz Hausemer. Wolves also won the Award of the Young Jury.

As for Best Documentary, decided upon by a jury of three (cinematographer Ayşe Alacakaptan, producer Florian Brüning and writer-director Judith Keil), the €7,500 accolade went to Days Yet Unknown by Austrian director Jola Wieczorek.

Here is the full list of award winners:

Best Feature Film
Gropiusstadt Supernova – Ben Voit (Germany)

Best Social Interest Film
Noah – Ali Tamim (Germany)

Fritz-Raff Award for Best Screenplay
Ali Tamim – Noah

The Saarland Minister-President's Award for Best Director
Magdalena Chmielewska - Teresas Körper (Austria)

Best Documentary
Days Yet Unknown – Jola Wieczorek (Austria)

Best Up-and-coming Actor
Tommes Diallo – Champions und wir (Germany)

Best Up-and-coming Actress
Emilia Warenski - Bleistiftstriche (Austria)

Audience Award for Best Fiction Feature Film
Wovon sollen wir träumen – Mielan Aboyan, Constantin Hatz (Germany)

Audience Award for Best Documentary
Eine Krankheit wie ein Gedicht – Jelena Ilić (Germany)

Audience Award for Best Short Film
Die gemeinen Kleinigkeiten – Florian Moses Bayer (Austria)

Audience Award for Best Medium-length Film
Mein Name Akim – Aleksandr Kim (Germany)

Best Medium-length Film
Harika – Beran Ergün (Germany)

Best Short Film
Die gemeinen Kleinigkeiten – Florian Moses Bayer (Austria)

Prize of the Ecumenical Jury
Wovon sollen wir träumen – Mielan Aboyan, Constantin Hatz

Young Jury Award
Wolves [+see also:
film review
interview: Jonas Ulrich
film profile] – Jonas Ulrich (Switzerland)

Critics' Award for Best Fiction Feature
Wolves – Jonas Ulrich

Critics' Award for Best Documentary
Terre Rouge – Topographie du poète – Fränz Huasemer (Luxembourg)

Treatment Development – ZDF/Das kleine Fernsehspiel
Ich will etwas, das nur mir gehört – Maja Bresink