Nora Fingscheidt is awarded MFG-Star and will travel to Villa Aurora

Last Friday, director Nora Fingscheidt was awarded the MFG Star, the MFG Film Fund’s prestigious Young Talent Award, for her feature „System Crasher “. The award includes a six-week residency at Villa Aurora in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Jury member Hermine Huntgeburth explains her vote for Fingscheidt as follows: „I have seen a great movie – with a forceful artistic and humane signature. “

Nora Fingscheidt tells the story of Benni, a wild nine-year old girl belonging to a group called „system crashers“ by the German youth welfare office. Foster family, group home, special-needs school: Wherever Benni goes, she is immediately kicked out. At the same time, Benni only wants one thing: Love, security and to live with her mother again! But Bianca is afraid of her unpredictable daughter. As a last resort -when there seems to be no place for Benni and no solution for her situation- anti-violence trainer Micha tries to rescue her form a spiral of rage and aggression.

Nora Fingscheidt was born in Braunschweig in 1983 and went to school in Germany and Argentina. From 2003 on, served as a Founding Board Member of filmArche in Berlin, now Europe’s largest self-organized film school. At the same time, she was trained as an acting coach. From 2008 to 2017, Fingscheidt studied directing at the Film Akademie Baden-Württemberg. Her undergraduate film „Syncope“ was nominated for the German Short Film Award. Fingscheidt graduated with the award-winning documentary „Ohne diese Welt“ (Without this World), which received the 2017 Max Ophüls Prize, among others.  „System Crasher“ premiered at the 2019 Berlin Film Festival to rave reviews. The film was awarded the Silver Bear (Alfred Bauer Prize) as well as the Berliner Morgenpost Readers‘ Award and has been chosen to represent Germany in the International Feature Film category at the Oscars®.

The young talents award MFG-Star was awarded for the 20th time on November 29, 2019 during the FernsehfilmFestivals in Baden-Baden. The award grants the with winners a residency at the Villa Aurora with the best working conditions for the development of new projects and exceptional networking opportunities. Former MFG stars included Axel Ranisch, David Wnendt, Marc Brummund and Felix Hassenfratz.

The commission for the four nominated works in 2019 consisted of Bettina Reitz (Jury chairwoman of the FernsehfilmFestivals in Baden-Baden), Cathrin Ehrlich (Festival director), Ulrike Frick (programmer of the series NEUES DEUTSCHES FERNSEHEN at Filmfest München), Andrea Hohnen (Program Manager FIRST STEPS) and Prof. Carl Bergengruen (MFG Managing Director).