John Malkovich is a globally acclaimed and award-winning actor. He has created complex characters such as Baron de Charlus in the literary adaptation “Time Rediscovered” or menacing figures such as Cyrus “The Virus” in the action film “Con Air”, which immediately captivate the audience. His disarming tool is always his unique voice and clear articulation, which guarantees instant recognition value. In general, his language is often the supporting and tension-generating element, such as in Wolfgang Petersen’s “In the Line of Fire”, where he largely appears as a disembodied counterpart to Clint Eastwood and still received an Oscar nomination for his performance. Over the course of four decades, his choice of roles with the corresponding character traits has become just as varied as the spectrum of film genres in which he breathes life into the characters in his inimitable way. During his career, he has appeared in European arthouse productions as well as comedies, war dramas, action, and historical films from Hollywood. Both subtle and authentic, he makes people sympathise, think, fear and laugh. 

With John Malkovich, we are honouring an icon of Hollywood and European film – a character actor who easily reinvents himself with every role, yet always remains the unique John Malkovich who can captivate audiences of all ages and backgrounds. 

32 film awards and 44 nominations speak for themselves, and yet we are delighted that the Bremen Film Prize, the prize awarded by Sparkasse Bremen in co-operation with the Bremen Film Festival, can now join this impressive collection in the form of the “Goldener Mops”. 

During a stay in Munich, John Malkovich once said that he only lives for the time he is on stage or when the camera is rolling. So, he certainly doesn’t mind if the whole of Bremen is allowed to look over his shoulder or into his head for 15 minutes (or even a little longer) – just “Being John Malkovich”. 

Greeting from Klaus Windheuser

(Boardmember Sparkasse Bremen)

For almost a decade, the Bremen Film Festival has been attracting more and more people to Bremen’s cinemas, and Sparkasse Bremen has been a partner from the very beginning. Promoting film culture and filmmaking is an important component of our social commitment.  

We are delighted to see the growing popularity of the Bremen Film Festival, both with audiences and filmmakers. Since last year, the already international film festival has also been thrilling audiences with its new competition for German premieres, bringing even more glamour, Hollywood flair and numerous film guests from all over the world to Bremen.  

The 2023 festival was crowned by the presence and honouring of the fantastic Maria Schrader, who accompanied her retrospective in the city for two days. As Sparkasse Bremen, we are delighted that our commitment and the idea of integrating the film award into Filmfest Bremen has fallen on such fertile ground. The Filmfest Bremen now has an even greater strength that extends far beyond the Hanseatic city. 

This year, we are looking forward to welcoming the exceptional artist John Malkovich, who has left a lasting impression on us all with his cinematic works for over 40 years. He is one of the world’s greats in his profession and has told many impressive stories with his films. After the presentation of our Bremen Film Award in the form of the Golden Pug, John Malkovich will enrich the gala with a live performance. This is only possible in Bremen – and we can all be there!