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 76th 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
