International Award

The International Newcomer Award, the main award of the IFFMH, is endowed with 30,000 euros, donated by the Manfred Lautenschläger Foundation. With this award, the international jury honours the best directorial work of the respective year, recognizing what they consider to be the strongest work and the directorial talent that is evident in it.

The International Jury consists of three outstanding personalities from the international film industry, artists, designers and thinkers of cinema. These personalities change from year to year and are newly appointed by us for each season.

This is our International Jury 2026!

Bettina Brokemper

After studying in Munich and spending time in Los Angeles, Bettina Brokemper returned to her home town in 2001: she became managing director of Zentropa Köln and, as such, has been a co-producer of Lars von Trier’s films since "Dogville". At the same time, she founded Heimatfilm in 2003 and has since produced films of international calibre. Alongside her work with Christoph Hochhäusler, she has produced films by Margarethe von Trotta, Nicolette Krebitz and Jan Bonny, as well as "Bal – Honig", winner of the Golden Bear. In 2021, the IFFMH honoured this trailblazer of daring cinematic visions wit the HOMAGE. This year, we are screening two films she produced: "All of a Sudden" and "The Education of Jane Cumming".

Carson Lund

Director, cinematographer and editor Carson Lund attended the 73rd IFFMH in 2024 with his directorial debut, "Eephus". He is originally from New Hampshire, lives in Los Angeles and holds a bachelor’s degree in film production. He is currently shooting and editing projects for a wide range of clients at Razorfish, one of the world’s leading digital advertising agencies. His debut as a cinematographer and producer, Tyler Taormina’s "Ham on Rye" (2019), is available on Amazon Prime. The multi-talented American also writes about film for "Slant Magazine" and the Harvard Film Archive. He is also active as a musician. His second feature film as director is due to be released shortly.

Asaf Saban

Asaf Saban is from Israel and is a multi-award-winning director and screenwriter for cinema and television productions. His films are screened at major international festivals such as the Berlinale, San Sebastián, Telluride and others. In November 2023, he was a guest at our festival with his unusual coming-of-age film "Delegation", which tells the story of a group of Israeli school pupils’ trip to Auschwitz. His other well-known works include "Paradise" (2021) and "Outdoors" (2017). A defining feature of his work is the sensitive way in which it explores the intimate, emotional inner lives of his characters within a specific context.