Young Actors Award

The Young Actors Award will be presented for the first time in 2024 and honors an outstanding acting performance by an up-and-coming actor. The award thus continues the IFFMH's rich tradition of promoting up-and-coming filmmakers with a forward-looking focus. The award is endowed with 10,000 euros and, with the exception of the Retrospective, is presented across all sections of the festival. From three nominated young actors* who will be shown at the festival, the international jury will honor what it considers to be the most outstanding performance. The prize is sponsored by the Heidelberg-based consultancy cbs.

Noah Sayenko

Noah Sayenko was born in Hamburg in 2003. Inspired by Russian actor Maxim Averin, he dreamed of becoming an actor even as a child. In 2021, he was discovered on the street and played the lead role in Lena Hetzel's short film ›Lebensschulden‹ (›Debts of Life‹) and in Steffen Goldkamp's neo-noir drama ›Regen fiel auf nichts Neues‹ (›Rain Fell on Nothing New‹), for which he is nominated here. This is his first role in a feature film. All the more impressive is his acting performance, which impressed the programme team with its complex combination of sadness and suppressed anger that seems ready to erupt at any moment, strength and physical menace on the one hand, and vulnerability and sensitivity on the other.

Laura Weissmahr

Laura Weissmahr is a multinational actress from Catalonia who has appeared in seven productions to date. These include ›Fanatico‹ by Roger Gual and ›The Offspring‹ by Ventura Durall. She is awarded for her leading role in ›Salve Maria‹. She plays a mother who is unable to develop positive feelings for her baby. The way in which the actress succeeds in translating the film's diverse tonalities between horror, thriller and comedic elements into her performance is remarkable. Her emotional expression changes from scene to scene, sometimes from one moment to the next, and always strikes the right note.