With the Saxon Europa Award, the European Movement of Saxony (Europäische Bewegung Sachsen e.V./EBS) honors commitment to communication and understanding within Europe. In his laudatory speech at the award presentation at the Saxon Landtag in Dresden, Dr. Roland Löffler expresses his appreciation for the work of this film festival: "Like nearly no other film festival in Germany, the Neisse Film Festival is implementing the idea and vision of Europe and trans-border cooperation. It no longer only draws local audiences, but filmmakers and connoisseurs from all three countries, who have the opportunity here to become acquainted with the newest developments of eastern and central European film." This year approximately 60 films were shown at 20 locations in Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic, in three competition categories and several thematic series. "Those responsible for the film festival have a talent for bringing various institutions in the community and with that the different facets of human life to a unified whole," continued Dr. Löffler.
The EBS is an umbrella association of parties, associations, unions and other institutions, founded on 15 December 1992, which is dedicated to fostering the concept of Europe in the state of Saxony and to promoting understanding between the peoples of Europe. Since 2003, the EBS has granted the Saxon Europa Award annually in recognition of outstanding commitment and involvement, in Saxony, towards European unification.

Outstanding events and projects in the Ústecký Region have been able to shine since 2016 with the "Heirloom Silver Award of the Ústecký Region". One aim of this award is to create continuity for the most significant regional and interregional events. We are especially glad that in 2020 the "70mm Weekend" of the Neisse Film Festival in Varnsdorf will be included as one of these prestigous events! All projects will be presented as "Matters of the Heart" with a heart-logo under the motto: "A treasure we protect."

The "Euroregion Neiße-Nisa-Nysa Award“ 2018 award ceremony was held on 18 December 2018 at the Centrum Brána Trojzemí in Hrádek nad Nisou, Czech Republic. The Neisse Film Festival was awarded the main prize for the best border-crossing cooperation, which recognizes outstanding partnerships in the German-Polish-Czech border area. Ola Staszel and Elke Schöne from the Kunst-Bauer-Kino association (Germany), Martin Musílek from the Varnsdorf theater (Czech Republic) and Barbara Szutenbach and Mariusz Tokarczyk from the Zgorzelec House of Culture (Poland) represented the entire team in accepting the award.

The NFF received the filmPolska award for its remarkable dedication to Polish cinema and the German-Polish film relationships as well as for the spread of Polish film abroad.

For the past fifteen years, the Neisse Film Festival has been providing an annual glimpse into the film creations of the neighboring countries in the three-country-corner where Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic meet, and sees itself first and foremost also as a window to eastern Europe. The mixed-genre, trinational character of the festival is unique, with events on all sides of the borders, at 20 screening sites as well as a well-rounded joint program of accompanying events which serve to connect the audience(s) as well as the local film scene. The festival and its partners grant various awards, for example in the category of German-Czech-Polish film competitions for the best feature film, documentary and short-film. Various other film focuses such as "Retrospective: Wrocław" (2016) or "Polski Blues" (since 2017) open one's perspective on relationships between the neighboring countries and peoples and on the respective ways of dealing with the past and present via the medium of film. In addition, the project "Youth Cinema in the Three-Country-Corner" began in 2017 as a joint film workshop with German and Polish students.

The DEFA Foundation sponsors an award each year in the amount of €40,000 for the advancement of film as artistic and cultural expression. The Foundation's goal is to pass the DEFA inheritance on to future generations as a resource for historical, political and aesthetic research and artistic discoveries.

Awards presented by: Dorett Molitor

"In Saxony's three-country-corner of Germany, the Czech Republic and Poland, there is the Neisse Film Festival, an annual cultural film highlight located in the cultural region of Upper Lusatia. For eight years already the film selections have been increasing the awareness and knowledge of each other across the borders in three countries over a radius of about 100 kilometers in about 10 screening locations. Depiction in film transforms different living situations, life stories, border-crossing experiences and cultural backgrounds into intermediaries between people. The intention of combining current events with historical ones, the past with new experiences, leads time and again to insights and to greater understanding of the history of these countries, and imparts impulses for today.
The festival grew quickly within only a few years, thanks in great part to its many supporters. With a wonderful network - which we also honor with this award, in full awareness of the great effort involved in finding partners - the festival's supporters include the Saxon Foundation for the Arts, the Saxon State Agency for Political Education, the Stiftung Aufarbeitung (foundation for the reconciliation with the past), the Czech Cultural Center, the German-Polish Youth Foundation (dpjw) and the DEFA Foundation. In addition to the competitions with feature films and later also short films, exploration of various east-European cinematics and thematic groups of films, DEFA film and its history hav been part of the festival from day one. The first festival in 2004 presented a retrospective look at films by Jürgen Böttcher; in 2005 it was films by Wolfgang Kohlhaase. Feature films and documentaries also recalled the founding of DEFA, and themataic film series were dedicated to "Strong DEFA women", GDR film music as well as films for children and young people. The Neisse Film Festival offers more than just an extensive film program and forums for international dialog; it also organizes readings, exhibitions and concerts. This can and should be celebrated right along with the exchange of ideas. Congratulations!"

More informationon the 2012 award winners:
www.defa-stiftung.de