Screenwriter Schiar Simo is the winner of the 2024 Thomas Strittmatter Prize, endowed with 20,000 euros by MFG Filmförderung, for his screenplay for the black humor thriller “Himmelfahrt“. In the story, a Syrian man who is considered a model migrant and lives as a baker in Germany turns out to be a terrorist ‘sleeper’ who unexpectedly has to choose between his new home and his sacred mission.
The Thomas Strittmatter Prize was presented by Arne Braun, State Secretary of the Ministry of Science, Research and Arts Baden-Württemberg, and MFG Managing Director Carl Bergengruen at a festive reception on the fringes of the 74. Berlinale at the Baden-Württemberg State Representation. A number of current MFG-funded productions were also presented, in particular the Berlinale films “Treasure” by director Julia von Heinz, the German-Tanzanian documentary “The Empty Tomb” by directors Cece Mlay and Agnes Lisa Wegner and the youth drama “Elbow” by Aslı Özarslan.
In addition to Baden-Württemberg’s Minister President Winfried Kretschmann and personalities and filmmakers from numerous fields, representatives of the AMCRS and their HEROES were also guests, including the team of the animated film “Giants of La Mancha” (including Dominique Schuchmann and Wolfgang Kerber (M.A.R.K. 13) as well as Benjamin Ey (Studio 100) and one of the voice actors, Julian Janssen (‘Checker’ team)), Jan Pinkava (Animationsinsitut), Lilian Klages (Eagle Eye Filmproduktion), Kate Forsdick (M.A.R.K. 13), Heiko Burkardsmaier (Accenture Song Content Germany GmbH), Sebastian Runschke (SERU Animation), Robert Gehring (MFG), AMCRS manager Stefanie Larson and many more.
Sources: MFG Baden-Württemberg
https://www.mfg.de/aktuelles/details/4075-thomas-strittmatter-preis-2024-geht-an-autor-schiar-simo-fuer-sein-drehbuch-zur-schwarzen-komoedie-himmelfahrt/
https://www.mfg.de/newsdetail/4041-drei-nominierungen-fuer-den-thomas-strittmatter-preis-2024-fuer-ein-herausragendes-drehbuch/
