The Findling Award or short Findling (german: Findlingspreis) was a German film award donated by the umbrella organization of cultural cinemas and film clubs Verband für Filmkommunikation. It was founded in 1982 in

GDR East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

and was awarded on several film festivals. Far more than hundred filmmakers received this award. The prize itself is a stone on a pedestal with a metal plate designed by sculptor Peter Lewandowsky. Part of the prize's endowment was a tour of the winning film with its director and a critic, often with Sven Eggers, to cultural cinemas,

art house An art film (or arthouse film) is typically an independent film, aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience. It is "intended to be a serious, artistic work, often experimental and not designed for mass appeal", "made primarily ...

s and film clubs. The award was named after a

glacial erratic A glacial erratic is glacially deposited rock differing from the type of rock native to the area in which it rests. Erratics, which take their name from the Latin word ' ("to wander"), are carried by glacial ice, often over distances of hundr ...

, but plays with the word as it also means "

foundling Foundling may refer to: * An abandoned child, see child abandonment * Foundling hospital, an institution where abandoned children were cared for ** Foundling Hospital, Dublin, founded 1704 ** Foundling Hospital, Cork, founded 1737 ** Foundling Hos ...

". Sometimes, though wrong, you read Findling Prize.

Festivals

It was awarded on all

National film festivals: * Nationales Spielfilmfestival der DDR (National Feature Film Festival of GDR) in Karl-Marx-Stadt (1982-1990) * Nationales Festival des Dokumentarfilms der DDR (National Festival of Documentary Film of GDR) in Neubrandenburg (1982-1989) * Nationales Kinderfilmfestival Goldener Spatz (National Children's Film Festival) in Gera (1983-1989) * Internationale Dokumentar- und Kurzfilmwoche (International Week of Documentary and Animation Film) (now:

dok Leipzig DOK Leipzig is a documentary film festival that takes place every year in Leipzig, Germany. It is an international film festival for documentary and animated film founded in 1955 under the name "1st All-German Leipzig Festival of Cultural and D ...

) in Leipzig (1983-1989) After 1990 it is awarded on the following festivals: * Filmfestival Cottbus Festival for Eastern European Feature Film (1991-2002) *

FilmArtFestival Mecklenburg-Pomerania The FilmArtFestival Mecklenburg-Pomerania (German: ''filmkunstfest Mecklenburg-Vorpommern'') is held annually in the city of Schwerin in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. It was founded in 1991 and it is one of the largest film festival ...

German Feature Film Festival Schwerin (1991-2013) * dokumentART International Documentary Film Festival NeubrandenburgGerman-films.de
/ref> (1992-2015) * Film- Festival im Stadthafen Rostock / Young German Film (2004-2014) *

(Internationales Leipziger Festival für Dokumentar- und Animationsfilm) * 2015 and 2016 the Findling also was awarded abroad at the SEF
Szczecin European Film Festival
in Poland.

Selected honorees

Sources

References

{{Reflist German film awards Awards established in 1982 1982 establishments in Germany