18 cinemas and initiatives awarded over 100,000 euros

Hamburg's film industry traditionally meets in late summer for the distribution of the Hamburg Cinema Awards. This year is a little different: in order to provide Hamburg's arthouse and neighbourhood cinemas with stronger and faster support during the coronavirus crisis, the cinema awards, which are endowed with around 100,000 euros, were distributed via video chat on Tuesday evening. The digital "Home Edition" brought together around 40 cinema owners and filmmakers from the north, including Directors and jury member Lars Jessen and Filmfest Hamburg director Albert Wiederspiel.

The early distribution of the cinema awards is part of the City of Hamburg's rescue package. At the beginning of April, the Senate had already set up the "Kino Hilfe Hamburg" (Cinema Aid Hamburg) with 550,000 euros to cushion the impact of the corona-related cinema closures.

Jana Schiedek, State Councillor of the Ministry of Culture and Media"Even though we can unfortunately only meet digitally at the moment, this year's cinema awards ceremony is a good opportunity to thank the city's wonderful arthouse cinemas for their commitment right now. In addition to 'Kino Hilfe Hamburg', the early distribution of the cinema awards is also a contribution to helping the cinemas through these difficult times. This year's award winners show how innovative and creative the industry is. These are qualities that we will need in the coming weeks in particular when it comes to supporting cinemas in being able to show cinematic art again under the new conditions. We will continue to stand by the cinemas."

Helge Albers, CEO of Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein"By bringing forward the award ceremony, we want to thank the cinemas for their work and continue to support them in the current crisis - just as many Hamburg cinema fans are already doing with voucher purchases or crowdfunding donations. This great wave of solidarity shows Cinema is alive! More than ever, I look forward to seeing you again soon in Hamburg's cinemas."

In addition to the 15 award-winning cinemas, three innovative and unconventional cinema initiatives were honoured for the first time this year. The winners include the short film walk "A Wall Is A Screen", the mobile cinema "Flexibles Flimmern" and the Schanzenkino 73, which won in two categories with its bilingual headphone concept in the cinema auditorium and as an open-air cinema.

Overview of the award winners:

• Abaton, Rotherbaum: 13.000 Euro

• 3001 Kino, Sternschanze: 13.000 Euro

• Zeise Kinos, Ottensen: 10.000 Euro

• Magazin Filmkunsttheater, Winterhude: 8.000 Euro

• Studio-Kino, Altona-Altstadt: 8.000 Euro

• Koralle, Volksdorf: 8.000 Euro

• Savoy Filmtheater, St. Georg: 7.500 Euro

• Alabama, Winterhude: 7.000 Euro

• B-Movie, St. Pauli: 7.000 Euro

• Passage Kino, Altstadt: 4.000 Euro

• Lichtmeß-Kino, Ottensen: 4.000 Euro

• Elbe Filmtheater, Osdorf: 3.000 Euro

• Blankeneser Kino, Blankenese: 3.000 Euro

• Filmraum, Eimsbüttel: 3.000 Euro

• Schanzenkino 73, Sternschanze: 1.500 Euro

Overview of the special award winners

• Flexibles Flimmern: 3.000 Euro

• A Wall Is A Screen: 3.000 Euro

• Schanzenkino 73: 2.000 Euro

About the cinema prize jury:

Film producer and Director Lars Jessen ("Wildes Herz", "Fraktus", "Dorfpunks"), cinema operator Verena von Stackelberg (Wolf Kino, Berlin) and Hamburg film journalist Britta Schmeis decided on this year's Hamburg Cinema Awards. The three industry experts form the current cinema award jury.

About the Hamburg cinema awards:

The Hamburg Cinema Awards have been presented to Hamburg cinemas and screening venues since 1993 for outstanding film programmes or other measures that promote cinema culture. They are initiated by the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg and Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein.

Pictures for free download can be found here.

Credits: FFHSH