The German Film Fest Madrid has wrapped its 28th edition (held from 3-7 June) by announcing the prize most coveted by the participating directors: the Audience Award, which, on this occasion, thanks to viewers' votes, went to The Frog and the Water, the latest feature by director Thomas Stuber (In the Aisles).

The film, one of the programme’s flagship titles after opening the festival (see the news), unanimously won over the Madrid audience thanks to its distinctive narrative atmosphere, its sensitivity and the impeccable art direction that characterises Stuber’s filmography. The feature had already received the Best Actor Award (ex aequo) for its two leads, Kanji Tsuda and Aladdin Detlefsen, at last year’s Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (see the news).

The film eschews artifice, leaning on the organic, quiet chemistry between the highly charismatic Detlefsen and veteran Japanese actor Tsuda. Stuber crafts a tale in which whimsical improbability is treated as a virtue, allowing human connection to blossom beyond cultural barriers. With an all-enveloping soundscape marked by the mellow jazz of Caleb Arredondo, the picture privileges emotion over formal bravura, presenting itself as a work about the value of stepping beyond familiar limits.

An heir to the sobriety of new German realism, Thomas Stuber has established himself as a chronicler of far-flung emotional boundaries. His cinema seeks beauty in in-between spaces where his characters – often silenced by the pace of the modern world – find refuge. In this new work, whose sales are handled by The Match Factory, the director reaffirms his ability to create a hybrid of genres with an almost painterly sensitivity.

With the announcement of its sole award, German Film Fest Madrid closes one of its most dynamic editions, reaffirming itself as an annual fixture for discovering trends, new talents and established voices from the German film industry in Spain. Over five days, the festival’s venues saw excellent attendance levels, with audiences enjoying not only the screenings, but also the customary post-screening Q&As and meetings with the film teams.

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