Innovation

The international competition Innovation represents unusual and surprising narrative styles, the skillful use of technology, creative, sometimes unconventional visuals and themes that open up new worlds. Beyond any boundaries of genre and format, the films in this category seek artistic, technical and narrative experimentation to surprise their audiences. Far away from conventional formats and narrative structures we are used to from film and TV, new experiences and perspectives can be gained. An experiment worth getting involved in.

 

The Bremische Landesmedienanstalt (brema) has supported this competition since its introduction in 2018 and is once again awarding this year’s prize for the best visual innovation.

 

From over 290 submissions, an eleven-member viewing committee has selected 21 shorter works and five feature-length films – from artistic animated films and documentary approaches of drag art to essay films that provide food for thought on social or political issues. Experimental documentaries, footage, fantasy and drama come together here and lead to new horizons.

Jury prizes

 

 

 

Best Visual Innovation

endowed with 1.500 EUR, sponsored by Bremische Landesmedienanstalt (brema)

Cornelia Holsten – Director of the Bremische Landesmedienanstalt

Best Narrative Innovation

endowed with 1,500 EUR

 

 

 

Best Technical Innovation

endowed with 1,500 EUR

 

 

 

On 23 March 2025 at 11.00 am, the expert jury of this section will announce the winning films in the Kleines Haus of the Theater Bremen.

The nominated films:

 

Dreaming & Dying
Avant-Drag!
Invention
Olivia & the Clouds
Martin Reads the Quran

Nominated Shorts

Shorts Innovation #1
Light, Time & Memories
Shorts Innovation #2
Who or what?
Shorts Innovation #3
Fears
Days in Winter & Birth Proof

Jury

Lucia Eskes

 

Lucia Eskes was in charge of press and public relations at the European Center for Media Competence before joining the Grimme Award team at the Grimme Institute in 2010. There she was responsible for the content and organization of the competition and has been the head of the Grimme Prize since 2016.

Sophie Linnenbaum

 

After completing a degree in psychology and working as a playwright, director and author Sophie Linnenbaum studied directing at the Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF. In addition to her nationally and internationally award-winning short films, she also directs TV shows and documentaries. Her first feature film THE ORDINARIES had its international premiere in the main competition of the International Film Festival Karlovy Vary, was awarded the Förderpreis Regie at the Munich Film Festival and won the First Steps Award for best feature-length film.

Daniel Kötter

 

Daniel Kötter is a documentary filmmaker and theatre director.  

He has a strong interest in urbanization and political landscapes in Africa and West Asia. His music theatre performances in collaboration with composer Hannes Seidl have been shown at numerous international festivals since 2008. Between 2009 and 2015 he developed the series state-theatre on conditions of theatre architecture and urban performativity in Lagos, Tehran, Berlin, Detroit, Beirut and Mönchengladbach (with Constanze Fischbeck). 2014-17 he worked with curator Jochen Becker on the research, exhibition and film project CHINAFRIKA. Under construction. His film Hashti Tehran (60′, 2017) was awarded the German Short Film Award. Rift Finfinnee (79’, 2020) on urbanization in Ethiopia won the DEFA Award at DOK Leipzig. His most recent film Landshaft (2023, 97‘) won the award for Best Documentary from the German Film Critics’ Association. 

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