TWO "GOLDEN LOLAS" GO TO LUDWIGSBURG
A big night for Filmkademie Baden-Württemberg (FABW): At the German Short Film Awards 2025, two productions from the Ludwigsburg film school were honoured: the fiction film AT HOME I FEEL LIKE LEAVING and the animated film DETLEV. On Thursday evening (November 20, 2025), the Minister of State for Culture and Media, Wolfram Weimer, presented the most important and highest-endowed award for German short films at the Kampnagel International Culture Factory in Hamburg.
The Golden Lola in the category “Feature film with a running time of more than 15 to 30 minutes” went to AT HOME I FEEL LIKE LEAVING (director: Simon Maria Kubiena, screenplay: Simon Maria Kubiena and Nicola Jakobi, producers: Fabian Leonhardt and Lena Zechner). The film follows a young woman who returns to her remote home village after her father disappears. In the midst of preparations for the traditional solstice bonfire, she is torn between responsibility, memories, and a newly blossoming closeness to a childhood friend. The quiet observation of this day unfolds a sensitive and atmospheric portrait of origin, loss, and the need for connection.
Jury statement (excerpt):
“With great sensitivity, the film tells the story of a young woman's return to her home village to care for her father. Visually powerful and unobtrusive, it succeeds in drawing viewers into the closed world of the village. The interplay of all the cinematic elements and the strong ensemble cast form a coherent portrait of origin, loss, and connection.”
In the category “Animated film up to 30 minutes in length,” the elaborately produced stop-motion film DETLEV received the German Short Film Award (director & screenplay: Ferdinand Ehrhardt, production: Saskia Stirn & Ferdinand Ehrhardt; Animationsinstitut at FABW). The film tells the story of a freezing street sweeper who performs a strange ritual every evening at a lonely gas station: eating microwave-warmed Hawaiian toast, which is his only source of warmth. When he is observed doing this one night, his fragile world begins to fall apart.
Jury statement (excerpt):
“The animated film captivates with its laconic humor, loving visual design, and bizarre twists. The character of Detlev, who is freezing, explores isolation, longing, and everyday rituals in an oppressive way. With precise dramaturgy and atmospherically dense animation, the film creates its own space of meaning and combines social criticism with playful lightness.”
Both awards are representative of the breadth, experimental spirit, and artistic depth that characterizes the work at FABW and its Animationsinstitut.
“What an evening for our students! Two German Short Film Awards for FABW – that's a great success,” says Dr. Andreas Bareiß, Managing Director of Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg. “Congratulations to the teams behind AT HOME I FEEL LIKE LEAVING and DETLEV. Both productions impressively demonstrate how courageously and ambitiously our students tell stories – and how strongly they do so as a team. These Lolas join a series of numerous other well-deserved awards that FABW productions have already received this year.”
The director of the Animationsinstitut, Dr. Jan Pinkava, adds: “We at the Animationsinstitut are of course particularly proud of DETLEV. With the help of elaborate stop-motion animation technology, Ferdi and his team have created a moving and funny story full of heart and genuine emotion. A very German story that has been celebrated by audiences around the world and now also at home. Congratulations!”
The award-winning films also automatically qualify for the Oscar selection process (for 2027) and will be shown throughout Germany next year: As part of the “KURZ.FILM.TOUR – Der Deutsche Kurzfilmpreis. Im Kino.” (Short Film Tour – The German Short Film Award. In the cinema.), all nominated and award-winning films will tour local cinemas, making the diversity of current short films accessible to a wide audience.
Since 1956, the German Short Film Award has been one of the most important instruments for promoting young talent and culture in Germany. Twelve productions were nominated this year from 245 submissions – this nomination alone is endowed with 15,000 euros and supports further artistic work. The winners receive an additional 30,000 euros, earmarked for new film projects. A total of €275,000 is awarded annually in nomination and award prizes, supplemented by €20,000 for the best medium-length film. In addition, all nominated and award-winning teams collect points in the German Federal Film Board's reference funding system – another important incentive for future projects.
Further information (external links):
Complete jury statements and the films in full length
*Simon Maria Kubiena is a scholarship holder of the foundation Baden-Württemberg Stiftung and participated in an international partner programme as part of his studies.