six nominations for FABW
Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg is delighted to have received six nominations for this year's FIRST STEPS Awards. The award ceremony will take place on October 6, 2025, at the Stage Theater des Westens in Berlin. Each nomination comes with a prize money of €1,000 and recognises the creative work of young filmmakers from German-speaking countries.
Among the projects selected by the expert juries is the 30-minute feature film SKIN ON SKIN, which has received three nominations: in the category Medium-Length Feature Film (Simon Schneckenburger/screenplay, director), for the NO FEAR Bernd Eichinger Award (Leon Döhner*/producer) and the Michael Ballhaus Prize (Nico Schrenk/cinematography). The film tells the story of an industrial slaughterhouse in Germany, where a silent connection and an unspoken longing for freedom develop between a security guard and a Bosnian worker. The jury's verdict: "The actors are outstanding, the camera work precise and atmospheric. A disturbing film that aims deep inside.“ And further: ”SKIN ON SKIN is the result of logistical excellence, artistic conviction, and a genuine willingness to take risks." SKIN ON SKIN was awarded the Audience Award at the Max Ophüls Prize in Saarbrücken in January.
Also in the running for the NO FEAR Bernd Eichinger Award for young producers are FABW graduates Lotta Schmelzer* and Lisa Purtscher* (LiseLotte Films) with their diploma film BABYSTAR, which will celebrate its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. Directed by Joscha Bongard*, the satirical drama follows 16-year-old Luca, whose life as a family influencer is turned upside down when a new sibling challenges her identity. The film takes a critical look at social media identities in adolescence. “The two producers not only founded their own company to realise this, their first feature film, on their own, but also secured convincing financing. Their commitment to fair and transparent working conditions throughout the entire production is particularly noteworthy,” praised the jury.
In the Screenplay category, FABW alumna Lisa Brunke is in the running for a First Steps Award. She is nominated for her film script BACKFISH. In the 90-minute story, 14-year-old Sami longs for the recognition of his older brother. On a trip with his youth group to the North Sea, he meets 31-year-old receptionist Valentina, who listens to him and cares for him. But the relationship becomes increasingly intense and manipulative, and Sami falls into a downward spiral of toxic masculinity rituals and self-harm. “The author manages to take the main character's perspective seriously while also giving depth to the supporting characters through ambivalence. The narrative style is restrained and sensitive, yet always suspenseful. A multi-layered, dramaturgically outstanding screenplay that lingers in the mind,” said the jury.
FABW´s Animationsinstitut also has reason to celebrate: the short film THE UNDYING PAIN OF EXISTENCE, produced there, and its director and writer Oscar Jacobson received a nomination in the Short Steps category. In it, a nude model poses with statuesque calm at an elite art school - until his self-control is put to the test. He finds himself in an inner struggle between the relentless pressure to be perfect and his unbridled, animalistic impulses. Once again, the jury was enthusiastic: "The animated story (...) is dramatically well told, stylistically impressive, and lovingly detailed. (...) Poignant, loving, and with a great sense of absurd humour, THE UNDYING PAIN OF EXISTENCE is a real discovery." The film was also recently nominated for a Student Academy Award.
In addition, Stella Marie Markert*, a graduate of FABW´s production study course, received a nomination in the Big Audience Award category for her feature film debut DANKE FÜR NICHTS (THANK YOU FOR NOTHING), which she made as part of her master's degree at the Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf.
The FIRST STEPS award for young talent is considered the most important award for graduation films from film schools in German-speaking countries. With a total prize fund of €132,000, it is the most highly endowed award for young talent and is presented annually in ten categories covering direction, production, cinematography, acting, and screenwriting for short, medium-length, and feature-length films, documentaries, and very short formats.
FIRST STEPS was launched in 1999 as a private initiative of the film industry by producers Bernd Eichinger and Nico Hofmann. It is organised by the German Film Academy in partnership with Amazon Studios, ARD, Netflix, Seven.One Entertainment Group, Studio Hamburg, UFA, and Warner Bros. Discovery. They all share the desire to promote young film talent in a sustainable and effective way.
* Leon Döhner, Lotta Schmelzer, Lisa Purtscher, Joscha Bongard, and Stella Marie Markert are scholarship holders of the foundation Baden-Württemberg Foundation and participated in an international partner programme as part of their studies.
Photo: First Steps Award 2025