The Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film Festival (), often referred to by the German-language initialism IFFMH, is an annual film festival established in 1952 hosted jointly by the cities of Mannheim and Heidelberg in Baden-Württemberg, the southwest region of Germany.
The festival focuses on arthouse and auteur cinema produced by international newcomer directors, and historically it served as a springboard for many experimental filmmakers from cinemas that have been overlooked by Western audiences. It is the second-oldest film festival in Germany, behind only the Berlinale. Originally held in Mannheim, since 1994 is co-hosted by Mannheim and Heidelberg, two neighboring cities which are less than 20 kilometers away from each other. The festival usually takes places in October or November.
The last edition, the 70th IFFMH, was held in November 2021, and the next edition is scheduled to take place on 17–27 November 2022.
Festival profile
The International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg is aimed at industry professionals as well as cinema enthusiasts, with about 300 professional participants and approximately 50,000 visitors each year, it is one of the largest film festivals in Germany. After several screenings there are public panel discussions with the film's representatives (e. g. directors, actors or producers).
The festival presents films of independent newcomer directors and who are internationally widely-unknown, focussing on arthouse and auteur films. The films selected must be premieres and thus films screened at Cannes, Locarno, Venice and any German festival are excluded for the International Competition.
In 2010, the MANNHEIM MEETING PLACE was launched. The project succeeds the Festival's former co-production market MANNHEIM MEETINGS, focusing on the improvement of marketing opportunities of completed film projects. However, co-production meetings will still take place.
During the history of the festival, feature films by now-famous directors such as François Truffaut, Helke Sander, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Kalthoum Bornaz, Jim Jarmusch, Béla Tarr, Shelley Saywell, Atom Egoyan, Krzysztof Kieślowski , Bryan Singer, Guillaume Nicloux, Lou Ye, Rafi Pitts, Thomas Vinterberg, Derek Cianfrance, Luca Guadagnino and Rahmin Bahrani were first introduced to an international public at the festival.
Competition and awards
Grand Newcomer Award Mannheim-Heidelberg for the best fiction feature film with a minimum length of 70 minutes. Talent Award Mannheim-Heidelberg for the best unconventionally narrated feature film with a minimum length of 70 minutes. The prize can not be awarded ex aequo. Special Jury Award of Mannheim-Heidelberg for a film with the minimum length of 70 minutes, or for an extraordinary performance as actor, writer, director etc. This prize can be awarded twice if required. Special Mentions of Mannheim-Heidelberg for a memorial film or special achievements like acting, photography, music, and montage. Up to three special mentions can be awarded. The International Film Critics Prize given by the FIPRESCI Jury for a film of the competition. Prize of the Ecumenical Jury given by the Ecumenical Jury for a film of the competition. Audience Award of Mannheim-Heidelberg for the film most liked by the Festival audience, regardless of genre and length. Recommendations of the Jury of Cinema Owners for a film of the competition which should be released theatrically in Germany.
Master of Cinema Award
In addition, since 1998 in sporadic intervals, the honorary Master of Cinema Award is issued to outstanding cineastic artist:
2017 – István Szabó
2015 – Olivier Assayas
2009 – Atom Egoyan
2006 – Aleksandr Sokurov
2004 – Wim Wenders, Edgar Reitz
2003 – Raoul Ruiz
2002 – Zhang Yimou
1999 – Otar Iosseliani
1998 – Theo Angelopoulos
New Master of Cinema Award
In addition, since 2013, the honorary New Master of Cinema Award is issued:
2014 – Geoffrey Enthoven
2013 – Frédéric Fonteyne
List of award winners
2021
Grand Newcomer Award Mannheim-Heidelberg Il Buco, Michelangelo Frammartino, Italy Rainer Werner Fassbinder Award – Best Screenplay Zero Fucks Given, Julie Lecoustre and Emmanuel Marre, France/Belgium Rainer Werner Fassbinder Award – Best Screenplay - Special Mention Haruhara-san's Recorder, Kyoshi Sugita, Japan FIPRESCI International Film Critics' Prize The Sleeping Negro, Skinner Myers, USA Prize of the Ecumenical Jury My Night, Antoinette Boulat, France/Belgium Award of the Student Jury The First Fallen, Rodrigo de Oliveira, Brazil Audience Award The First Fallen, Rodrigo de Oliveira, Brazil