2018 Festival Moments - Our Beginning
2018 Inaugural Competition Winners
International Feature Competition
- Best Feature Film Award"Morning Light" - Thomas Weber (Germany)
- Runner-up Feature"River Journey" - Marie Dubois (France)
- Best DirectorKlaus Mueller - "Black Forest Tales" (Germany)
- Best ScreenplayAnna Kowalski - "Border Crossing" (Poland)
- Emerging Filmmaker AwardMarco Benedetti - "First Light" (Italy)
European Short Film Competition
- Best European Short"Sunday Afternoon" - Lars Petersen (Sweden)
- Best Animation"Moving Pictures" - Sophie Richter (Austria)
- Emerging Talent Award"Young Voice" - Elena Rodriguez (Spain)
- Best Experimental"Visual Poem" - Jan Novak (Czech Republic)
- Audience Choice Short"The Conversation" - Henri Laurent (Belgium)
Documentary Showcase
- Best Documentary Feature"Local Legends" - Robert Johnson (UK)
- Best Documentary Short"Workshop Stories" - Maria Santos (Portugal)
- Social Impact Award"Community Builders" - Collective Work (Germany)
- Best Cinematography"Natural Beauty" - Erik Andersen (Denmark)
- Community Choice Award"Hometown Heroes" - Local Stories
Special Recognition Awards
Performance & Technical Excellence
- Best ActressIngrid Bergmann in "Autumn Days" (Germany)
- Best ActorFrançois Moreau in "Country Roads" (France)
- Best Original Score"Folk Melodies" - Traditional music celebration
- Best Editing"Simple Stories" - Clean narrative construction
- Best Production Design"Modest Excellence" - Effective use of resources
Festival Founding Awards
- Young Filmmaker AwardMarco Benedetti (25 years old) - "First Light" (Italy)
- Pioneer Spirit"New Beginnings" - Festival inauguration recognition
- Independent Vision"Creative Freedom" - Artistic independence
- Community Foundation"Building Together" - Local support recognition
- Future Promise"First Steps" - Inaugural edition special award
2018 Festival Highlights - Our Foundation
The Birth of Bonn IFF
The inaugural 2018 edition of the Bonn International Film Festival marked the beginning of our journey to celebrate independent cinema. Starting small but with great enthusiasm, this first edition established the foundation for what would become a respected regional festival.
2018 Statistics
- 28 films submitted
- 12 films selected for competition
- 7 countries represented
- 1 world premiere
- 3 European premieres
Founding Achievements
- Successfully launched the festival
- Established local partnerships
- Created competition framework
- Built initial film community
- Set foundation for growth
Message from the Founders
Looking Back at Our Beginning
"The 2018 inaugural edition was a dream realized through the dedication of volunteers, the enthusiasm of filmmakers, and the support of our local community. What started as a small gathering of film enthusiasts has grown into something we could never have imagined."
- Founding Committee, Bonn International Film Festival