15/05/2023 - Edward Berger’s big Netflix production, which is the first German adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque's war novel, has taken home eight prizes

Leonie Benesch with her Award for Best Leading Actress for The Teachers’ Lounge by Ilker Çatak (© Eventpress)

On 12 May, the 73rd ceremony of the annual German Film Awards (aka the Lolas) was held. The two actors and presidents of the Deutsche Filmakademie Alexandra Maria Lara and Florian Gallenberger were the hosts of the event, which took place in Berlin. After a few welcoming and supporting words from the German Culture Minister, Claudia Roth, singer and actress Jasmin Shakeri took to the stage. The German Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM), the organiser of the Lola Awards, provides prizes totalling €3 million, spread across 20 different categories.

Most of the trophies went mainly to two titles. A total of eight Lolas went to All Quiet on the Western Front [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Edward Berger
film profile] by Edward Berger. This large-scale war drama by Netflix is the first German attempt to adapt the World War I novel of the same name by Erich Maria Remarque. The 2,200 members of the Filmakademie decided that the film should receive the Silver Lola. It also won both Best Leading Actor, which went to Felix Kammerer, and Best Supporting Actor, given to Albert Schuch, who last year won the Lola for Best Leading Actor for his performance in Dear Thomas [+see also:
film review
interview: Andreas Kleinert
film profile] by Alexander Kleinert. The film also received the Lolas for Best Cinematography, Best Sound, Best Original Music Score, Best Production Design, Best Make-up and Best Visual Effects.

The second film that scooped a whole clutch of awards is The Teachers’ Lounge [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: İlker Çatak
interview: Leonie Benesch
film profile] by Ilker Çatak. The most important gongs it bagged were the Golden Lola for Best Feature Film, Best Directing and Best Screenplay, which was written by the director together with Johannes Duncker. In contrast with All Quiet on the Western Front, The Teachers’ Lounge is an intimate, independent social drama, which premiered earlier this year in the Panorama section of the Berlinale. The Award for Best Leading Actress went to Leonie Benesch for the same film. She was one of the European Shooting Stars at this year's Berlinale (watch the video interview) and played another main role recently in the international dystopian TV series The Swarm [+see also:
series review
trailer
interview: Leonie Benesch
series profile]. The Lola for Best Editing went to Gesa Jäger for The Teachers’ Lounge.

The Bronze Lola was awarded to the Danish-German-Swedish-French co-production and thriller Holy Spider [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ali Abbasi
interview: Ali Abbasi
interview: Zar Amir Ebrahimi
film profile] by Ali Abbasi. As for Best Documentary, rising above the other nominees (which included Kalle Kosmonaut [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Tine Kugler and Günther Kurth as well as Love, Deutschmarks and Death [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Cem Kaya
film profile] by Cem Kaya), the winner was Elfriede Jelinek – Language Unleashed by Claudia Müller. Furthermore, Mission Ulja Funk [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Barbara Kronenberg received the Lola for Best Children's Film of the Year. Finally, while last year’s Award for the Highest-grossing Film of the Year was given to the children's flick School of Magical Animals [+see also:
trailer
film profile], this year it went to its sequel, School of Magical Animals 2 by Sven Unterwaldt.

Here is the full list of winners at the 2023 Lolas-German Film Awards:

Golden Lola for Best Feature Film
The Teachers’ Lounge [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: İlker Çatak
interview: Leonie Benesch
film profile] – Ilker Çatak

Silver Lola
All Quiet on the Western Front [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Edward Berger
film profile] – Edward Berger (Germany/USA/UK)

Bronze Lola
Holy Spider [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ali Abbasi
interview: Ali Abbasi
interview: Zar Amir Ebrahimi
film profile] – Ali Abbasi (Denmark/Germany/Sweden/France)

Best Documentary
Elfriede Jelinek – Language Unleashed – Claudia Müller

Best Children's Film
Mission Ulja Funk [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] – Barbara Kronenberg (Germany/Luxemburg/Poland)

Best Director
Ilker Çatak - The Teachers’ Lounge

Best Screenplay
Ilker Çatak, Johannes Duncker - The Teachers’ Lounge

Best Leading Actress
Leonie Benesch - The Teachers’ Lounge

Best Leading Actor
Felix Kammerer – All Quiet on the Western Front

Best Supporting Actress
Jördis Triebel – In a Land That No Longer Exists [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]

Best Supporting Actor
Albrecht Schuch – All Quiet on the Western Front

Best Cinematography
James Friend – All Quiet on the Western Front

Best Editing
Gesa Jäger – The Teachers’ Lounge

Best Sound
Frank Kruse, Markus Stemler, Viktor Prášil, Lars Ginzel, Alexander Buck – All Quiet on the Western Front

Best Original Music Score
Volker Bertelmann – All Quiet on the Western Front

Best Production Design
Christian M Goldbeck – All Quiet on the Western Front

Best Costumes
Tanja Hausner – Sisi & I [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Frauke Finsterwalder
film profile] (Germany/Switzerland)

Best Make-up
Heike Merker – All Quiet on the Western Front

Best Visual Effects and Animation
Frank Petzold, Viktor Müller, Markus Frank – All Quiet on the Western Front

Award for the Highest-grossing Film of the Year
School of Magical Animals 2 – Sven Unterwaldt

Honorary Award for Outstanding Contributions to German Cinema
Volker Schlöndorff