•  »BULLDOG« wins Best Debut Feature Film

• Outstanding acting performance by lead actor Julius Nitschkoff

The graduation film of the ifs Internationale Filmschule Köln »BULLDOG« by André Szardenings (director/writer/cinematographer) and Antonia-Marleen Klein (editing), produced by Lea Neu and Katharina Kolleczek, was awarded Best Debut Feature Film at the Biberach Film Festival yesterday. The "Debüt-Biber" is endowed with 3,000 €, donated by the district of Biberach and the OEW Oberschwäbische Elektrizitätswerke. Lead actor Julius Nitschkoff was awarded the "Silver Beaver" for his outstanding acting performance, endowed with prize money of € 2,000 and donated by Kaufmann & Kaufmann Steuerberater,

In the coming-of-age drama »BULLDOG«, the unreasonably symbiotic relationship of 21-year-old Bruno (Julius Nitschkoff) with his young mother Toni (Lana Cooper) is put to the test when her new partner Hannah (Karin Hanczewski) moves into their shared bungalow in Spain. Ousted from their shared bed, Bruno must immediately come to terms with no longer being the sole focus of his mother's attention. However, the forced cutting of the cord also opens up an unexpected freedom for Bruno - and the first decision of his life. The film was made in co-production with Bayerischer Rundfunk and was funded by the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW.

The jury's statement: "This suspenseful debut film [...] is an example of the successful interplay of all trades: script, acting and production create a high level of identification with credibly narrated characters. Visual design, sound and montage interlock skilfully, drawing the audience into a world that is greatly reduced in terms of location and yet strangely wide at the same time. With a lot of courage for the unspoken, a difficult relationship is revealed. The film is consistently told from the perspective of the main character. [...] Small moments, glances and gestures make us feel with the characters, we understand them, their lack of support, their aimlessness - but above all, and this is the most important thing: love in all its ambivalence. And all the time our hearts are pounding up to our necks. A great cinematic debut, a rarely successful mix of improvisation and precision - BULLDOG!"