Achievements in cinematography and editing
The German Camera Awards have been recognizing outstanding achievements in cinematography and editing since 1982 and is one of the most prestigious awards in the industry in German-speaking countries. On Friday evening, June 13, 2025, the award was presented for the 35th time. At the festive award ceremony at the WDR Funkhaus in Cologne, a student and a graduate of Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg joined the ranks of the award winners.
In the Short Film category, the jury selected Paul Ader* as DoP for the Filmakademie production HAUS AM HANG (HALFWAY HOUSE, directed by Konstantin Münzel), which has already won a BAFTA Student Award in Los Angeles. The film was made in the second year of study and is set in a facility for young offenders, where physical labor and uncompromising, hierarchical structures prevail. There, inmate Jurek finds himself caught between fascinating attraction, suppressed aggression, and rediscovered tenderness with newcomer Sascha, which jeopardizes his release.
The jury justified its decision as follows: "In HAUS AM HANG, Paul Ader finds images that go beyond the representational. The cool colours and soft texture of the image excerpts excellently reflect the tension between the harsh environment and the poetic approach of the characters. His quiet and unobtrusive camera work creates space for emotional closeness. Paul Ader's clear artistic stance is reflected in his skillful and deliberate use of stylistic devices."
In the Fiction Cinema category, the award for Best Film Editing went to editor and FABW alumnus Stephan Bechinger for the drama THE OUTRUN (directed by Nora Fingscheidt). The story centers on Rona (Saoirse Ronan), who, after a dissolute life in London, returns to her home on an archipelago off the north coast of Scotland after a long period of heavy alcohol abuse. There, she hopes to put an end to her self-destructive behaviour with the help of her parents.
Here, too, the jury was full of praise: "A film set in intertwining timelines, telling the story of a young woman's alcoholism. The montage allows the viewer to become a participant in her stream of consciousness. Self-destruction and attempts at self-rescue alternate for a long time as if completely out of control, until the film slowly finds an ending that is also clearer in terms of time. The montage is not only surprising in its associative details, but also contributes decisively to the unity of form and content in this magnificently told film."
Overall, Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg and its alumni were represented with five nominations at the German Camera Award.
In the Young Talent Award section, FABW student Jona Riese made it to the final selection for his cinematography in the film UNHCR – THROUGH MY EYES, which he realized as an external project with the participation of several Filmakademie students.
In addition, alumni Yunus Roy Imer (cinematography for THE OUTRUN in the Fiction Cinema category) and Anna Nekarda (editing for WER OHNE SCHULD IST / WHO IS WITHOUT GUILT in the Fiction Screen category) were also nominated.
Paul Ader is a scholarship holder of the foundation Baden-Württemberg Stiftung and participated in an international partner programme as part of his studies.
Picture: Deutscher Kamerapreis