German Film Awards: Golden Lola goes to thriller “September 5”

Tim Fehlbaum’s thriller “September 5” about the 1972 Olympic attack in Munich was awarded the Golden Lola at the German Film Awards.

The film entered the competition with a total of ten nominations – and won nine, including Leonie Benesch for Best Supporting Actress. The screenplay, direction, and editing also received awards. "September 5" recounts the events of the Olympic bombing on September 5, 1972, from the perspective of a US television crew that was supposed to be covering the competitions. Instead, the journalists become live reporters of a hostage-taking of Israeli athletes by a Palestinian terrorist commando. The film was nominated for Best Original Screenplay at this year's Oscars, but went home empty-handed.

The silver Lola was won by Mohammad Rasoulof's political thriller "The Seed of the Sacred Fig Tree," about the protests in Iran following the death of the young Kurdish woman Jina Mahsa Amini in September 2022. Andreas Dresen's drama "With Love, Your Hilde" won the bronze Lola.

Misagh Zare won Best Actor for "Seed of the Sacred Fig Tree." Sam Riley, who was nominated twice in this category ("Cranko" and "Islands"), went home empty-handed. Liv Lisa Fries received the award for Best Actress. She portrayed Nazi resistance fighter Hilde Coppi (1909–1943) in the film "With Love, Your Hilde."

The German Film Prize is one of the most important awards in the industry. Around 1,700 guests were invited to the ceremony at the Theater am Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, including the new Minister of State for Culture, Wolfram Weimer.