Twelve graduates of FABW in the running for a ‘LOLA’
On Tuesday, 31 March 2026, the German Film Academy announced the nominations for the 76th German Film Award. The drama IN DIE SONNE SCHAUEN (SOUND OF FALLING), whose screenplay was written at Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg (FABW), garnered eleven nominations – more than any other film. In total, twelve FABW alumni can hope to win one of the coveted “LOLAs”.
For IN DIE SONNE SCHAUEN, the nearly 2,400 members of the German Film Academy awarded nominations to the Ludwigsburg alumni Mascha Schilinski (Best Directing, Best Screenplay), Louise Peter* (Best Screenplay), Fabian Gamper (Best Cinematography), Cosima Vellenzer (Production Design) and Maike Kiefer (Set Decoration) – jointly nominated for Best Production Design) – as well as Claudio Demel (Best Sound Design, together with Billie Mind, Kai Tebbel, Sebastian Heyser and Jürgen Schulz). Other categories in which the drama – which has already won the Jury Prize at Cannes and been selected as Germany’s entry for the Oscar® race – stands a chance are: Best Feature Film, Best Supporting Actress, Best Editing, Best Costume Design and Best Make-up.
SOLDIERS OF THE LIGHT has made it onto the shortlist for Best Documentary Film. Here, FABW graduates Karoline Henkel*, Jasper Mielke, Arto Sebastian (production) and Julian Vogel* (screenplay, directing, director of photography), together with Johannes Büttner (screenplay, directing, sound design), are among the nominees.
Many alumni of Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg were also involved in the absurd tragicomedy SIE GLAUBEN AN ENGEL, HERR DROWAK? . One of them, Bertin Molz, is in the race for a German Film Award for Best Sound Design alongside Jacques Kieffer and Tobias Koch.
Last but not least, Michael Wortmann, an alumnus of FABW’s Animationsinstitut, and Frank Schlegel are among the contenders for a “LOLA” in the category of Best Visual Effects for their work on the remake of MOMO.
The German Film Award is the most prestigious national award in the film industry. The ceremony is organised by the German Film Academy in collaboration with the Federal Government officer for Culture and the Media (BKM). It will take place on 29 May at the Palais am Funkturm / Messe Berlin and will be broadcast on ARD that same evening – as a live stream in the ARD media library and as a recorded broadcast on Das Erste. Actor, musician and director Christian Friedel will host the evening for the second time.
*Louise Peter, Karoline Henkel and Julian Vogel are scholarship holders of the foundation Baden-Wuerttemberg Stiftung and have participated in an international partner programme as part of their studies at FABW.