‘Sound of Falling’ Sweeps German Film Awards

Sound of Falling, Mascha Schilinski’s experimental period drama tracing the lives of four young women from four different epochs in rural East Germany, swept the German Film Awards, the Lolas, winning 10 Lolas including best film and best director for Schilinski.

Schilinski’s sophomore feature, which premiered in Cannes last year, winning the jury prize, was the frontrunner going into the 2026 Lolas and it won in every category where it was on the nomination sheet. İlker Çatak‘s Berlin Film Festival winner Yellow Letters, which had nine nominations to Sound of Falling‘s 11, was nearly shut out, picking up just the runner-up Silver Lola for best film and the prize for best score for composer Marvin Miller.

Simon Verhoeven’s comedy Ach, diese Lücke, diese entsetzliche Lücke, picked up two acting trophies: Best Actress for 85-year-old Senta Berger, a grande dame of German cinema (and Simon Verhoeven’s mother), who accepted her first-ever Lola in Berlin Friday night, and Michael Wittenborn, another beloved veteran performer, who played her on-screen husband.

Best acting honors went to August Diehl for The Disappearance of Josef Mengele, directed by Kirill Serebrennikov, in which he plays the infamous Nazi doctor on the run in South America after the Second World War.

Actor Christian Friedel (The Zone of Interest, The White Lotus) hosted the 76^th edition of the German Film Awards in what was a surprisingly emotional and sharply political ceremony.

Legendary German director Wim Wenders (Paris, Texas, Pina, Perfect Days) received an honorary Lola for his life’s work. He used his speech to turn self-critical, reflecting on decisions made throughout his 60 years in cinema. In particular, Wenders spoke about a scene from his 1975 film Wrong Move, which includes a topless shot of actress Nastassja Kinski, who was just 13 at the time. Wenders said he wouldn’t shoot that scene today and that he was “struggling” with the question of whether to permanently cut it out of the film, asking the younger filmmakers in the audience for help resolving the issue.

The audience at the Berlin Messe gave a standing ovation to Tricia Tuttle when she took the stage to present the Best Director honor. It was a show of support for the Berlin Film Festival director, who nearly lost her job earlier this year amid a campaign, led by the right-wing press, to topple her for pro-Palestinian statements made by one of this year’s Berlinale winners. Ingo Fliess, producer on Yellow Letters, used his Silver Lola acceptance speech to directly call out German Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer, sitting in the audience, who had put pressure on Tuttle to resign.

A full list of German Film Award winners follows.

Lola for Best Film

Sound of Falling, dir. Mascha Schilinski

Silver Lola For Best Film

Yellow Letters, dir. İlker Çatak

Bronze Lola For Best Film

Ach, diese Lücke, diese entsetzliche Lücke, dir. Simon Verhoeven

Best Director

Mascha Schilinski for Sound of Falling

Best Documentary

Siri Hustvedt – Dance Around the Self

Best Children’s Film

Circus Boy

Best Actor

August Diehl for The Disappearance of Josef Mengele

Best Actress

Senta Berger for Ach, diese Lücke, diese entsetzliche Lücke

Best Supporting Actress

Lena Urzendowsky for Sound of Falling

Best Supporting Actor

Michael Wittenborn for Ach, diese Lücke, diese entsetzliche Lücke

Best Cinematography

Fabian Gamper for Sound of Falling

Best Editing

Evelyn Rack for Sound of Falling

Best Sound Design

Claudio Demel, Billie Mind, Kai Tebbel, Sebastian Heyser, Jürgen Schulz for Sound of Falling

Best Score

Marvin Miller for Yellow Letters

Best Costume Design

Sabrina Krämer for Sound of Falling

Best Production Design

Cosima Vellenzer, Maike Kiefer for Sound of Falling

Best Hair and Make-Up

Anne Marie Walther, Irnina Schwarz for Sound of Falling

Best Visual Effects

Michael Wortmann, Frank Schlegel for Momo

Best Score

Marvin Miller for Yellow Letters

Audience Prize for Most Successful Film

Manitou’s Canoe, dir. Michael “Bully” Herbig

Lifetime Achievement Lola

Wim Wenders

Bernd Eichinger Prize

Thomas Wöbke, Philipp Trauer