The thriller, which premiered in the Panorama section at the Berlinale earlier this year and won the Europa Cinemas Label Award for Best European Film, follows a film shoot that turns chaotic after a Quran is burnt on set. Hysteria is set to be released in German cinemas starting on 6 November.

Acclaimed German filmmaker Werner Herzog took home the Cologne Film Award, a career achievement award endowed with 25,000 euros. The festival lauded his career of over 60 years and Herzog’s commitment to creating films across many genres and art forms, specifically highlighting his “world-famous documentaries”.

The International Actors Award went to German actress Maren Eggert and includes prize money of 10,000 euros, sponsored by Network Movie and MMC Studios Cologne. Known for I’m Your Man [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Maria Schrader
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intervista: Ramon e Silvan Zürcher
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The Hollywood Reporter Award, presented to a director for their film, went to Kleber Mendonça Filho for The Secret Agent [+leggi anche:
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scheda film], selected from all of the fiction entries in the Top TV, Best of Cinema Fiction and Look categories. In the corresponding category for best documentary work, the phoenix Award, this year’s honour went to Mstyslav Chernov for 2000 Metres to Andriivka [+leggi anche:
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scheda film]. This intense and pressing Ukrainian frontline documentary premiered at Sundance earlier this year and tells of a platoon seeking to liberate the titular Russian-occupied village.

As part of the framework of the festival but during the “Global Day. Stories for Change” Conference, three awards for campaigns dedicated to development policy engagement – such as raising awareness pertaining to climate change, poverty and conflict – were also handed out, an initiative that is now in its sixth year.

The full list of award winners:

NRW Film Award
Hysteria [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay
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Cologne Film Award
Werner Herzog

International Actors Award
Maren Eggert

Hollywood Reporter Award for Best Fiction Work
Kleber Mendonça Filho – The Secret Agent [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] (Brazil/France/Germany/Netherlands)

phoenix Award for Best Documentary Work
Mstyslav Chernov – 2000 Metres to Andriivka [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] (Ukraine)

NRW Media Award for Development Policy Engagement

First prize
Besser Jetzt Als Peter. #StopDeepSeaMining – Greenpeace E.V.

Second prize
Ready to Recycle – MBRC the Ocean gGmbH

Third prize
#Road to Freedom: Auf den Spuren der Befreiung – Capa-Haus Leipzig x Leon Ziegler x Roofless Cat