"Bound in Heaven" (China 2024) by Xin Huo received the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the Mannheim-Heidelberg 2024 Film Festival. It is endowed with € 2,500 by the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) and the Catholic German Bishops' Conference (DKK). The festival's International Newcomer Award for Best Director went to "Manas" (Brazil, Portugal 2024) by Marianna Bernhard, while the Rainer Werner Fassbinder Award for Best Screenplay went to "Famliar Touch" (USA 2024) by Sarah Friedland. The Jury of International Film Critics (FIPRESCI) awarded its prize to "Bring Them Down" (Ireland, Great Britain, Belgium 2024) by Christopher Andrews.
The International Film Festival Mannheim-Heidelberg (IFFMH) 2024 opened on 7 November with the psychological drama "Sharp Corner" by Jason Buxton (Canada, Ireland 2024). The core of the festival is the international competition ON THE RISE with first and second films by young directors. The section PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES is dedicated to films that expand the established forms of expression in cinema, while FILMSCAPES brings together striking cinematic works from the current year, some of them going beyond the feature film format.
The retrospective 2024 was dedicated to the theme of body and film. A homage was paid to Polish director Agnieszka Holland, while the Grand IFFMH Award was presented to Scottish director Lynne Ramsay. Two masterclasses provided an opportunity to meet the two film artists.
With the Ecumenical Reception on 12 November, Mannheim's Protestant and Catholic churches continued a long tradition of honouring the opening up of experiences beyond one's own personal horizons through the films of the festival's programmes. After greetings from Dean Ralf Hartmann (Protestant Church) and City Dean Karl Jung (Catholic Church), keynote speeches were given by Festival Director Sascha Keilholz and the Chairman of the Catholic Film Commission, Markus Leniger, while Gaëlle Courtens, President of the Ecumenical Jury, introduced the jury members.
The award ceremony took place on Thursday 14 November in Mannheim. The film screenings for regional audiences will continue up to and including Sunday 17 November.