The Iranian feature film "Rona, Azim's Mother" by Jamshid Mahmoudi won the € 2,500 Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the IFF Mannheim-Heidelberg 2019. The jury also awarded a Special Mention to "The Grizzlies" by Miranda de Pencier from Canada.
The festival prizes were not awarded this year by a jury, but by the audience. As a farewell to festival director Michael Kötz, the festival management thus set a special accent. Kötz has been responsible for the festival - which he took over as International Film Festival Mannheim - since 1992. At the Ecumenical Reception of the Churches, his accomplishments in making the festival a "Festival of Newcomers" were acknowledged by appointing him Honorary Member of INTERFILM.
The Grand Newcomer Award Mannheim-Heidelberg 2019 went ex aequo to "On the Roof" by Jiri Madl from the Czech Republic and "The Grizzlies". Miranda de Pencier's film also received a recommendation from the cinema operators. "Under the Turquoise Sky" by Kentaro from Japan won the Talent Award of Mannheim-Heidelberg, as well as the Prize of the International Film Critics Jury (Fipresci).
Link: Festival website