Saturday evening, at the awards ceremony of the 22nd Neisse Film Festival in the Polish city of Zgorzelec, the Neisse Fish award sculptures -- created by the Strahwalde artist Andreas Kupfer -- will be granted to the winners in the three competitions and to the audience favorite. The main prize, sponsored by Saxony's State Ministry for Science, Culture and Tourism with €10,00 for the "Neisse Fish: Best Feature Film" -- went to the German entry "Beware of Pity" ("Ungeduld des Herzens") by Lauro Cress, based on the novel by Stefan Zweig. The jury, consisting of the Polish film director, screenwriter and educator Sebastian Buttny, the Czech film producer Kamila Dohnalová and the German-Polish actress Karin Hanczewski had the task of deciding in this competition between nine feature films, three each from Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic.

"We are presenting the award for Best Feature Film to a piece that allows us to be part of a deeply moving and almost mystical process of the search for belonging," writes the jury. “With extraordinary tenderness and psychological depth and acuity this film takes us through a finely-nuanced narrative on deciphering the secret of human identity. It is a piece that offers no simple answers, rather opens space for reflection on who we are and where our true place in life lies.”

The award sponsored by the city of Zittau, for Best Acting, has gone to Giulio Brizzi for his performance in "Impatience of the Heart" ("Ungeduld des Herzens") by Lauro Cress. In their statement, the jury point out that “from the first moment until the last he displays a mysterious, nearly magnetic presence which captivates us and doesn't let us go. Scene after scene we fell the innermost pressure of his character: the search for belonging, for identity. With subtle strength, deep expression and moving tenderness he grants us insight into his inner struggles, which carries and permeates the film.”

Aneta Grňáková was recognized for the Best Production Design for her outstanding work on the Czech-Slovak feature film "Our Lovely Pig Slaughter" ("Mord"). "The award goes to a film in which a raw and dynamic family story, rooted in the theme of death, unfolds within the confined space of a decaying house and its surroundings – a setting that both unites and suffocates the relatives. Through subtle and deliberate detail, the production design captures the psychological depth of each character as well as the tension and kindness within their relationships, explains the jury in their statement.

The Neisse Fish for Best Screenplay, given by the Liberecký kraj, went to Maria Zbąska for the Polish feature film "It's Not My Film" ("To nie mój film"), which she also directed. With this decision, the jury honored an author who created a beautiful, convincing, true, and at the same time poetic metaphor of a shared journey through life. "It is a unique example of the endless possibilities that cinema still possesses, and of how many ideas are still waiting to be discovered. Because creating a story based on a combination of such qualities as brilliant sense of humor, wisdom, minimalism, limitation to two characters, and the maximalism of good dialogue is an extremely difficult art," the jury explains.

"Slackers" ("Nulpen") by Sorina Gajewski received special mention in the Feature Film competition.

Best Documentary: "Letters from Wolf Street" ("Listy z Wilczej") by Arjun Talwar

The Polish-German production "Letters from Wolf Street" ("Listy z Wilczej") has been granted the Best Documentary award in the trinational competition. The winner of this award sponsored by the regional campaign "So geht sächsisch" with €5,000, has been chosen from among nine competing documentaries. The jury, with the Polish film director and producer Maciek Hamela, the Czech film distributor Michaela Čajková and the German film director, author and dramatic advisor Tina Tripp saw "courageous storytelling that merges subtle observation, humor, and tragedy in the director’s personal odyssey as an immigrant through all shades of Polish society. The film pulls us in from the very first minute with honest conversations with inhabitants and random passersby on one Warsaw street, that reflect curiosity, warmth but also grievances and the growing xenophobia spreading across Europe.

Special mention in the Documentary Film competition went to "Trains" ("Pociągi") by Maciej J. Drygas.

Best Short Film: "I died in Irpin" by Anastasia Falileieva

The prize for Best Short Film went to the Czech contribution "I died in Irpin" by Anastasia Falileieva. The prize, donated with award money of 1,500 Euros by the Student Council of the local Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences (Hochschule Zittau/Görlitz), was decided upon by the Polish multimedia creator and lecturer Michał Jankowski, die Czech cartoonist and 2D-Animator Adriana Bendžalová alongside the Kazakhstan-born actress, director and author Helena Aljona Kyn who grew up in Germany. In the jury's statement they point out: "This entry spoke to us with its authenticity, its story, its tempo and the unbelievably beautiful, varied execution technique. It offers us a unique and very personal, almost diary-like glimpse into an unbelievably difficult event and is a unique, current piece of art which deserves an award."

Special mention in the Short Film competition goes to "Endings and Beginnings" ("Końce i początki") by Klaudia Fortuniak. 

Special Award for "Pociągi“ (Trains) von Maciej J. Drygas

The Special Award of the festival, which is sponsored by the Saxon Film Association, went this year to "Trains" ("Pociągi"). This award honors a film selected from among all films shown at the festival this year, one which is dedicated in a special way to the understanding of cultural and ethnic differences between various countries and/or the commonalities. In their statement, the jury explains: “With a unique way of compiling a huge amount of authentic archival film material, the film takes the viewer through almost the entire 20th century, and shows the human path from creation to destruction, from humble work to industrial machinery, from hope to hopelessness. Fascinating visuals collected throughout Europe and supported by a breathtaking minimalistic music take the viewer on a deep dive into the vexing fate of humanity, which is perhaps predetermined, perhaps not.”

Youth Jury Award: "Rok vdovy" ("Year of the Widow") by Veronika Lišková

The film receiving the first-ever Youth Jury Award of the Neisse Film Festival is "Rok vdovy" by Veronika Lišková. The trinational jury with six young people from Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic found the film to be one which "imposes itself on the viewer, because it tells the story in such a subtle way. The storyline shows the main character's odyssey of the soul after losing her beloved husband." They go on to say, “We were particularly impressed by Pavla Beretová's wonderful acting in the role of Petra Srobodová.”

This prize was initiated by students of the Schkkola Oberland high school, as part of their school project "Filmriss", in which they were learning about the film festival; one of their activities was, in cooperation with the Ebersbach Association for Film and Culture, to organize the educational offerings during the festival week. To bring the Neisse Film Festival to a younger audience, the students nominated a selection of films from the festival programme which especially move and speak to young people.

Special Mention by the youth jury goes to "The Family Approach" ("Im Prinzip Familie") by Daniel Abma.

The Audience Favourites go to three countries

The audiences were also asked for their opinion: the audience favourites for long films from the 22nd Neisse Film Festival programme, sponsored by the ZVON transportation association, went to the German feature film "Wilma Wants More" (Wilma will mehr") by Maren-Kea Freese and the documentary "Letters From Wolf Street" (Listy z Wilczej" by Arun Talwar. The favourite short film was the Czech animated film "Hurricane" ("Hurikán") by Jan Saska. This award has been sponsored by the city of Zgorzelec. Since Tuesday the trinational film festival has shown more than 100 films in 29 cinemas and cultural centres in Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic, in three competitions and various thematic film series, accompanied by film discussions, a reading, concerts, workshops and more. All prizewinning films can be seen on Sunday, in KunstBauerKino Grosshennersdorf, in the Kulturfabrik Meda in Mittelherwigsdorf, in the Kronenkino Zittau, the Filmtheater Ebersbach or in the Městské divadlo (city theatre) in Czech Varnsdorf. Check the Festival homepage and social media for when and where which film will be screened. This information will be put out by 9:00 p.m. Saturday evening.

The 23rd Neisse Film Festival will take place from May 26-31, 2026.

Pictures of scenes from the awardwinning films are available from 7:30 p.m. here via Dropbox: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/2efm8yqgqx9vs8s03y38g/ANbDL7y6EDSwCqcmv_yKUAM?rlkey=fpgb05vh4mfk9e114kj1tbzn3&st=xdyg1n66&dl=0 

Impressions of the Awards Ceremony can be downloaded as of Sunday, May 25, 2025 at 12:00 noon via Dropbox: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/zfzkvz8lmqe7tqtdiumyy/AAEagDz9JquZ8QFLPXeNMSE?rlkey=hl3nqy35vm9w4bby2gpixole0&st=t3f1bxx1&dl=0

Impressions of the entire 22nd Neisse Film Festival are available for download here: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/o25h69gqj8wrz4vv8yxjq/AL0iMRXzK6IirS16RxdO1z0?rlkey=9izbx2txf3661fyny02sc2pg7&st=bdh023ui&dl=0

Living Europe in the Three-Country Region Along the Neisse River

Since 2004, each May the Neisse Film Festival has been presenting current feature films, documentaries and short films from Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic as well as eastern Europe in the three-country corner at the Neisse River. Beginning with the idea of showing films in the neighbouring countries, the festival has developed into being a cultural bridge for film fans and is now a meeting point for national and international filmmakers and the film business. The Neisse Film Festival is unique with its trinational character, its films being screened across the borderlines in cinemas and other locations throughout the three-country corner.

The 22nd Neisse Film Festival is being supported by and with funding from: the Saxon Ministry for Science, Culture and Tourism; the Kulturraum Oberlausitz-Niedersilesian, the County of Görlitz - Wokrjes Zhorjelc, Sparkasse Oberlausitz-Niederschlesien, Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung, the Cultural Foundation of the Free State of Saxony, and the German-Czech Funds for the Future, Bundesstiftung zur Aufarbeiten der SED Diktatur. The financial support is paid in part via tax monies on the basis of the budget which was passed by the representatives to the annual parliament.