The Film Festival Cologne (formerly: Cologne Conference) is an international Film and Television Festival that takes place annually in

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...

, Germany. With about 10.000 visitors, the Film Festival Cologne is considered as the best attended festival of its kind worldwide. Screenings of independent films as well as debates on

media politics Media policy / M. politics is a term describing all legislation and political action directed towards regulating the media, especially mass media, and the media industry. Those actions will usually be prompted by pressures from public opinion or f ...

and media aesthetic complement the event.

History

The Cologne Conference was founded in 1991 by journalist and media researcher Lutz Hachmeister while he was the head of the Adolf-Grimme-Institut. In addition to the Grimme-Preis, a national award, an international television festival was originated. The TV festival was part of German media convention mediaforum nrw; but it soon developed a momentum of its own and an international reputation. In 1993, the competitive festival section "TopTen" was established, which was, in 2001, divided into two sections, one section for fictional TV and one for documentary TV. In 2007, these two categories were recombined to one category, the "TopTen" section. In the same year, the second competitive festival section "Look", which presents visually extraordinary film and television productions, was created. In 2009, the competitive festival section "Kino" has also become a part of the Cologne Conference. The "Kino" section offers the most interesting aspects concerning film. The presentations and discussions within the Cologne Conference "Lectures" examine the relevant developments on the media market. Beyond that, a workshop discussion with the winner of the "Cologne Film Award" has become an inherent part of the "Lectures" since 2007. Furthermore, there are retrospectives and revivals of legendary television programmes, such as ''

The Monkees The Monkees were an American rock and pop band, formed in Los Angeles in 1966, whose lineup consisted of the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork alongside English actor/singer Davy Jones. The group was con ...

'', ''

Twin Peaks ''Twin Peaks'' is an American mystery serial drama television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. It premiered on ABC on April 8, 1990, and originally ran for two seasons until its cancellation in 1991. The show returned in 2017 ...

'' or ''

The Prisoner ''The Prisoner'' is a 1967 British television series about an unnamed British intelligence agent who is abducted and imprisoned in a mysterious coastal village, where his captors designate him as Number Six and try to find out why he abruptl ...

''.

Programme and Guests

One of the first TV productions presented at the Cologne Conference was

David Lynch David Keith Lynch (born January 20, 1946) is an American filmmaker, visual artist and actor. A recipient of an Academy Honorary Award in 2019, Lynch has received three Academy Award nominations for Best Director, and the César Award for Be ...

's mystery series ''

''. Later almost all groundbreaking US TV series had their German premiere at the Cologne Conference, e.g. ''Emergency Room'', ''

Sex and the City ''Sex and the City'' is an American romantic comedy-drama television series created by Darren Star for HBO. An adaptation of Candace Bushnell's newspaper column and 1996 book anthology of the same name, the series premiered in the United Stat ...

'' or '' 24''. Also British television always enjoyed strong presence, for instance with ''Cracker'', ''

The Office ''The Office'' is a mockumentary sitcom created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, first made in the United Kingdom, then Germany, and subsequently the United States. It has since been remade in ten other countries. The original ser ...

'' or ''

Prime Suspect ''Prime Suspect'' is a British police procedural television drama series devised by Lynda La Plante. It stars Helen Mirren as Jane Tennison, one of the first female Detective Chief Inspectors in Greater London's Metropolitan Police Service, who ...

''. Besides German film and television stars, international celebrities such as Academy Award winners

Paul Haggis Paul Edward Haggis (born March 10, 1953) is a Canadian screenwriter, film producer, and director of film and television. He is best known as screenwriter and producer for consecutive Best Picture Oscar winners ''Million Dollar Baby'' (2004) and ...

, Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck and

Michael Radford Michael James Radford (born 24 February 1946) is an English film director and screenwriter. He began his career as a documentary director and television comedy writer before transitioning into features in the early 1980s. His best-known credits ...

Anton Corbijn Anton Johannes Gerrit Corbijn van Willenswaard (; born 20 May 1955) is a Dutch photographer, film director and music video director. He is the creative director behind the visual output of Depeche Mode and U2,Pitman, Joanna"The silent partner"' ...

Nicolas Roeg Nicolas Jack Roeg (; 15 August 1928 – 23 November 2018) was an English film director and cinematographer, best known for directing ''Performance'' (1970), '' Walkabout'' (1971), ''Don't Look Now'' (1973), '' The Man Who Fell to Earth'' (1976 ...

, D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, Mika Kaurismäki,

Ole Bornedal Ole Bornedal (born 26 May 1959) is a Danish film director, actor and producer. Bornedal was born in Nørresundby, Denmark. He wrote and directed '' Nattevagten'' (''Nightwatch'', 1994), a thriller about a law student who works in a morgue as ...

Todd Haynes Todd Haynes (; born January 2, 1961) is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. His films span four decades with themes examining the personalities of well-known musicians, dysfunctional and dystopian societies, and blurred gender ...

Paul Abbott Paul Abbott (born 22 February 1960) is an English television screenwriter and producer. Abbott has become one of the most critically and commercially successful television writers working in Britain, following his work on popular series such as ...

Tarsem Singh Tarsem Singh Dhandwar (born 26 May 1961), known professionally as Tarsem, is an Indian director who has worked on films, music videos, and commercials. He directed ''The Cell'' (2000), '' The Fall'' (2006, also screenwriter and producer), '' I ...

presented themselves in Cologne.

Competition and awards

From roughly 800 international submissions, a jury selects the programmes for the festival sections "TopTen", "Look" and "Kino". Since 1997, the Cologne Conference awards prizes in different categories. The TV Spielfilm Award, donated by the identically named TV program magazine, is given to the best contribution of the three festival sections. Furthermore, the German Casting Award goes to the best German casting agent and The Hollywood Reporter Award, sponsored by

The Nielsen Company Nielsen Holdings plc is an American information, data and market measurement firm. Nielsen operates in over 100 countries and employs approximately 44,000 people worldwide. The company was listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and us ...

, goes to young and aspiring individuals in the media sector. Until 2007, the award for the best screenplay, sponsored by Network Movie, was also bestowed. Amongst others, it was given to Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck in 2006, who won the Oscar for ''

The Lives of Others ''The Lives of Others'' (german: link=no, Das Leben der Anderen, ) is a 2006 German drama film written and directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck marking his feature film directorial debut. The plot is about the monitoring of East Berli ...

'' in 2007. In 2007 the main award of the Cologne Conference, the "Cologne Film Award", was originated. This award honors outstanding creativity in film and TV and is worth EUR 25.000. It is bestowed to those individuals, who best contribute "to the further development of the language of film and media". The award is presented by the Cologne Conference, along with the City of Cologne and States Film Subsidy Body "Filmstiftung NRW". The first laureate of the "Cologne Film Award" in 2007 was Canadian film director and writer

(''LA Crash'', '' Casino Royale'') and in 2008, the award was given to the brothers Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne (''L'Enfant'', ''

Lorna's Silence ''Lorna's Silence'' (french: Le Silence de Lorna) is a 2008 drama film by the Belgian brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. It was the winner of the 2008 LUX Prize, as well as the Best Screenplay Award at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival. Plot L ...

''). In 2009, the award was bestowed to

Roman Polanski Raymond Roman Thierry Polański , group=lower-alpha, name=note_a ( né Liebling; 18 August 1933) is a French-Polish film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, tw ...

(''Chinatown'', '' The Pianist'') but the Polish/French movie director was not able to receive the prize on 3 October in Cologne since he was arrested on 26 September during his journey to the Zurich Film Festival, which caused a worldwide sensation. In 2010

was presented with the "Cologne Film Award" for his groundbreaking work in television and cinema.

David Simon David Judah Simon (born February 9, 1960) is an American author, journalist, screenwriter, and producer best known for his work on '' The Wire'' (2002–08). He worked for '' The Baltimore Sun'' City Desk for twelve years (1982–95), wrote '' H ...

received the TV Spielfilm Award for his critically acclaimed series '' Treme''.

was awarded the TV Spielfilm Award in 2011 for his extraordinary re-imagination of '' Mildred Pierce'' and the Cologne Film Award was presented to

Laureates 2004

* Casting Award: Rita Kes * Producer Award: Stefan Schubert and Ralph Schwingel * Writer's Award: Michael Gutmann * TV Spielfilm Award:

David Yates David Yates (born 8 October 1963) is an English film director, producer and screenwriter, who has directed feature films, short films, and television productions. He is best known for directing the final four films in the ''Harry Potter'' ser ...

for '' State of Play'' * Phoenix Award: One Shot Productions Ltd.

Laureates 2007

* Cologne Film Award:

* TV Spielfilm Award:

for the movie ''

Control Control may refer to: Basic meanings Economics and business * Control (management), an element of management * Control, an element of management accounting * Comptroller (or controller), a senior financial officer in an organization * Controlli ...

'' * Writer's Award: Hannah Hollinger for her lifework * The Hollywood Reporter Award: Das perfekte Dinner In 2007, the Cologne Conference was chaired by festival founder Lutz Hachmeister, along with Maybritt Illner,

Stefan Aust Stefan Aust (; born 1 July 1946) is a German journalist. He was the editor-in-chief of the weekly news magazine ''Der Spiegel'' from 1994 to February 2008 and has been the publisher of the conservative leading ''Die Welt'' newspaper since 2014 ...

, Marc Conrad, Michael Schmid-Ospach and Dieter Gorny.

Laureates 2008

* Cologne Film Award:

Jean-Pierre Dardenne Brothers Jean-Pierre Dardenne (; born 21 April 1951) and Luc Dardenne (born 10 March 1954), collectively referred to as the Dardenne brothers, are a Belgian filmmaking duo. They write, produce, and direct their films together. The Dardennes ...

and

Luc Dardenne Brothers Jean-Pierre Dardenne (; born 21 April 1951) and Luc Dardenne (born 10 March 1954), collectively referred to as the Dardenne brothers, are a Belgian filmmaking duo. They write, produce, and direct their films together. The Dardennes ...

* TV Spielfilm Award:

Abi Morgan Abigail Louise Morgan (born 1968) is a Welsh playwright and screenwriter known for her works for television, such as ''Sex Traffic'' and '' The Hour'', and the films ''Brick Lane'', '' The Iron Lady'', '' Shame'' and '' Suffragette''. Early l ...

and Hettie Macdonald for the BBC movie '' White Girl'' * German Casting Award: Franziska Aigner-Kuhn for the movie ''Die Welle'' * The Hollywood Reporter Award: Christian Becker, Rat Pack film production * Future TV Award: ''Sex and Zaziki'' by Sascha Jenschewski and Alexander Perschel In 2008, the Cologne Conference was chaired by Lutz Hachmeister, along with, Stefan Aust, Marc Conrad, Michael Schmid-Ospach and Dieter Gorny.

Laureates 2009

* Cologne Film Award:

* TV Spielfilm Award:

Lynda La Plante Lynda La Plante, CBE (born Lynda Titchmarsh; 15 March 1943) is an English author, screenwriter and former actress, best known for writing the '' Prime Suspect'' television crime series. Early life Lynda La Plante was born Lynda Titchmarsh on ...

(''Above Suspicion'', ITV) * The Hollywood Reporter Award: Max Wiedemann and Quirin Berg, Wiedemann & Berg Filmproduktion * Casting Award: Nina Haun In 2009, the Cologne Conference was chaired by festival founder Lutz Hachmeister, along with Stefan Aust, Marc Conrad, Michael Schmid-Ospach and Dieter Gorny.

Laureates 2010

* Cologne Film Award:

* TV Spielfilm Award:

for the HBO series '' Treme'' * The Hollywood Reporter Award:

Jon Hamm Jonathan Daniel Hamm (born March 10, 1971) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Don Draper in the period drama television series '' Mad Men'' (2007–2015), for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Televis ...

and

Elisabeth Moss Elisabeth Singleton Moss (born July 24, 1982) is an American actor. She is known for her work in several television dramas, earning such accolades as two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards, which led ''Vulture'' to name her the ...

for the AMC-series ''

Mad Men ''Mad Men'' is an American period drama television series created by Matthew Weiner and produced by Lionsgate Television. It ran on the cable network AMC from July 19, 2007, to May 17, 2015, lasting for seven seasons and 92 episodes. Its f ...

'''Mad Men' alumni get THR Award. Jon Hamm and Elizabeth Moss first actors to win award
By Scott Roxborough. ''The Hollywood Reporter''. 13/09/2010 * Casting Award: Ulrike Müller for her casting work in the feature films ''

When We Leave ''When We Leave'' (german: Die Fremde, tr, Ayrılık) is a 2010 German-Turkish drama film, produced, written and directed by Austrian filmmaker Feo Aladag. The film received worldwide acclaim, and represented Aladag's debut as a producer, wri ...

'', ''Im Schatten'' and ''

The City Below ''The City Below'' (german: Unter dir die Stadt) is a 2010 German film directed by Christoph Hochhäusler. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. Cast * Robert Hunger-Bühler as Roland Cordes * Nicole ...

Laureates 2011

* Cologne Film Award:

* TV Spielfilm Award:

for the HBO series '' Mildred Pierce'' * The Hollywood Reporter Award:

for the series '' Shameless'' and ''

Exile Exile is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons and peoples suf ...

''. * Casting Award: Sophie Molitoris for her casting work in the TV Movie '.

Laureates 2012

* Cologne Film Award:

François Ozon François Ozon (; born 15 November 1967) is a French film director and screenwriter. Ozon is considered one of the most important modern French filmmakers. His films are characterized by aesthetic beauty, sharp satirical humor and a free-wheeli ...

* TV Spielfilm Award:

Michael Winterbottom Michael Winterbottom (born 29 March 1961) is an English film director. He began his career working in British television before moving into features. Three of his films—''Welcome to Sarajevo'', ''Wonderland'' and ''24 Hour Party People''—h ...

for the movie Trishna. * The Hollywood Reporter Award:

Karl Baumgartner Karl Baumgartner (1949 – 18 March 2014) was a German film producer. He worked on more than 70 films between 1991 and 2014. Selected filmography * '' Life on a String'' (1991) * '' Underground'' (1995) * ''Dance of the Wind'' (1997) * ''Bl ...

, for his lifework. * Casting Award: Daniela Tolkien for her casting work in the movies Wickie auf großer Fahrt, Das Haus der Krokodile and .

Laureates 2013

* Cologne Film Award: Harmony Korine * TV Spielfilm Award:

Frauke Finsterwalder Frauke Finsterwalder (born 15 December 1975) is a German film director and screenwriter. Finsterwalder has directed several shorts and documentaries and is the director of the 2013 feature film '' Finsterworld''. Her second feature film, '' Sisi ...

for the film

Finsterworld ''Finsterworld'' is a 2013 German motion picture drama directed by Frauke Finsterwalder and co-written by Finsterwalder and Christian Kracht, starring Margit Carstensen, Sandra Hüller, Corinna Harfouch, Christoph Bach, Carla Juri, and Jak ...

* The Hollywood Reporter Award:

Sibel Kekilli Sibel Kekilli (born 16 June 1980) is a German actress. She gained public attention after starring in the 2004 film '' Head-On''. She won two Lolas, the most prestigious German film awards, for her performances in ''Head-On'' and ''When We Leave ...

* Casting Award: Susanne Ritter * International Actors Award:

Isabelle Huppert Isabelle Anne Madeleine Huppert (; born 16 March 1953) is a French actress. Described as "one of the best actresses in the world", she is known for her portrayals of cold and disdainful characters devoid of morality. She is the recipient of sev ...

Laureates 2014

* Cologne Film Award:

Lars von Trier Lars von Trier (''né'' Trier; 30 April 1956) is a Danish filmmaker, actor, and lyricist. Having garnered a reputation as a highly ambitious, polarizing filmmaker, he has been the subject of several controversies: Cannes, in addition to nominat ...

^{/sup>
* TV Spielfilm Award: Bertrand Tavernier

Bertrand Tavernier (25 April 1941 – 25 March 2021) was a French director, screenwriter, actor and producer.
Life and career
Tavernier was born in Lyon, France, the son of Geneviève (née Dumond) and René Tavernier, a publicist and writer, s ...
für den Film ''Quai d'Orsay''
* The Hollywood Reporter Award: Tom Tykwer

Tom Tykwer (; born 23 May 1965) is a German film director, producer, screenwriter, and composer. He is best known internationally for directing the thriller films '' Run Lola Run'' (1998), ''Heaven'' (2002), '' Perfume: The Story of a Murderer' ...

* international actors award.cologne: Martina Gedeck

Martina Gedeck (; born 14 September 1961) is a German actress. She came to broader, international attention due to her roles in films such as '' Mostly Martha'' (2001), ''The Lives of Others'' (2006), and '' The Baader Meinhof Complex'' (2008). S ...

Laureates 2015

* Cologne Film Award: Paolo Sorrentino

Paolo Sorrentino (; born 31 May 1970) is an Italian film director, screenwriter, and writer. His 2013 film ''The Great Beauty'' won the Academy Awards, Academy Award, the Golden Globe Awards, Golden Globe, and the British Academy of Film and Te ...

* TV Spielfilm Award: David Schalko für die Serie ''Altes Geld

''Altes Geld'' (German: ''Old Money'') is an Austrian TV dark comedy series created by David Schalko, revolving around the dysfunctions of a wealthy Viennese family.
Plot

When Rolf Rauchensteiner, patriarch of a rich Viennese dynasty, disc ...
''
* The Hollywood Reporter Award: Mathieu Amalric

Mathieu Amalric (; born 25 October 1965) is a French actor and filmmaker. He is best known internationally for his roles in the James Bond film '' Quantum of Solace'', in which he played the lead villain, Steven Spielberg's ''Munich'', Wes An ...

* international actors award.cologne: Nora von Waldstätten
* phoenix Award: Joshua Oppenheimer

Joshua Lincoln Oppenheimer (born September 23, 1974) is an American-British film director based in Copenhagen, Denmark. He is known for his Oscar-nominated films ''The Act of Killing'' (2012) and ''The Look of Silence'' (2014), Oppenheimer was ...

Laureates 2016

* Cologne Film Award: Claire Denis

Claire Denis (; born 21 April 1946) is a French film director and screenwriter. Her feature film ''Beau Travail'' (1999) has been called one of the greatest films of the 1990s, as well as of all time. Other acclaimed works include '' Trouble Ev ...

* NRW Film Award for the best documentary: ''Family Business'' (Regie: Christiane Büchner, Produktion: Tobias Büchner, Büchner.Filmproduktion)
* NRW Film Award for the best movie: '' Toni Erdmann'' (Regie: Maren Ade

Maren Ade (; born 12 December 1976) is a German film director, screenwriter and producer. Ade lives in Berlin, teaching screenwriting at the Film Academy Baden-Württemberg in Ludwigsburg. Together with Janine Jackowski and Jonas Dornbach, she ...
, Produktion: Janine Jackowski, Jonas Dornbach, Maren Ade, Komplizen Film)
* TV Spielfilm Award: Lucie Borleteau

Lucie is the French and Czech form of the female name Lucia. Notable people with the name include:

Given name
* Lucie Ahl, British tennis player
* Lucie Arnaz, American actress
* Lucie Aubrac, member of the French Resistance
* Lucie Balthazar ...
für die Serie ''Cannabis''
* The Hollywood Reporter Award: Christopher Doyle
* international actors award.cologne: Peter Simonischek
* phoenix Award: Pieter-Jan De Pue

Laureates 2017

* Cologne Film Award: Jane Campion

Dame Elizabeth Jane Campion (born 30 April 1954) is a New Zealand filmmaker. She is best known for writing and directing the critically acclaimed films ''The Piano'' (1993) and '' The Power of the Dog'' (2021), for which she has received a tot ...

* NRW Film Award for the best documentary: ''Peter Handke – Bin im Wald. Kann sein, dass ich mich verspäte...'' (Regie: Corinna Belz, Produktion: Thomas Kufus

Thomas Kufus (born 1957) is a German film producer especially known for documentary films.
Life and career
Thomas Kufus was born in Essen in 1957. He began his filmmaking career as a director but switched to producing, becoming known as one of ...
, zero one film)
* NRW Film Award for the best movie: '' Der traumhafte Weg'' (Regie: Angela Schanelec

Angela Schanelec (; born 14 February 1962) is a German actress, film director and screenwriter. Her film '' Places in Cities'' was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival. At the 69th Berlin International Film ...
)
* TV Spielfilm Award: Margarethe von Trotta

Margarethe von Trotta (; born 21 February 1942) is a German film director, screenwriter, and actress. She has been referred to as a "leading force" of the New German Cinema movement.
für '' Forget About Nick''
* The Hollywood Reporter Award: Sean Bean

Sean Bean (born Shaun Mark Bean on 17 April 1959) is an English actor. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Bean made his professional debut in a theatre production of ''Romeo and Juliet'' in 1983. Retaining his Yorkshire ac ...

* International Actors Award: Juliette Binoche

Juliette Binoche (; born 9 March 1964) is a French actress and dancer.

She has appeared in more than sixty feature films and has been the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Silver Bear, ...

* phoenix Award: Kevin Macdonald

Laureates 2018

* Cologne Film Award: Luca Guadagnino

Luca Guadagnino (; born 10 August 1971) is an Italian film director, producer, and screenwriter. His films are often characterized by their emotional complexities, sensuality and sumptuous visuals. He is also known for his frequent collaboration ...

* NRW Film Award for the best documentary: ''Lucica und ihre sechs Kinder'' (Regie/Produktion: Bettina Braun)
* NRW Film Award for the best movie: ''Wintermärchen'' (Produktion: Bettina Brokemper, Regie: Jan Bonny

Jan Bonny (born 1979 in Düsseldorf) is a German film director and screenwriter.
Life and work
Jan Bonny studied from 2000 to 2006 at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne and finished his study with the screenplay for his award-winning feature ...
)
* The Hollywood Reporter Award: Paweł Pawlikowski

Paweł Aleksander Pawlikowski (; born 15 September 1957) is a Polish filmmaker. He garnered early praise for a string of documentaries in the 1990s and for his award-winning feature films of the 2000s, '' Last Resort'' (2000) and '' My Summer of ...

* International Actors Award: Lars Eidinger

Lars Eidinger (; born 21 January 1976) is a German actor. Eidinger started his career at Deutsches Theater in 1997. Before his breakthrough, he played minor roles in German television shows like ''Schloss Einstein'' (2002) and '' Berlin, Berlin ...

* phoenix Award: Chris Martin (britischer TV-Journalist und Filmemacher)^{/sup>

References

{{Reflist

External links

Official Website Cologne Conference

Film festivals in Germany
Festivals in Cologne
1991 establishments in Germany
Recurring events established in 1991
Annual events in Germany}}