German director Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay’s Hysteria has won the Europa Cinemas Label as Best European film in the Panorama section.
The film, which has received rave reviews, unfolds against the backdrop of a film shoot which is thrown into disarray when a burned Quran is found on film set.
A young intern is caught in the crossfire and drawn into a dangerous game of secrets, accusations and lies.
Hysteria will now benefit from promotional support from Europa Cinemas and better exhibition thanks to a financial incentive for network cinemas to include it in their programme schedule.
The jury comprised Klaudia Elsässer (Art+ Cinema, Budapest, Hungary), David Kelly (Light House Cinema, Dublin, Ireland), Constanze Oedl (Stadtkino im Künstlerhaus, Vienna, Austria) and Cenk Sezgin (Cinemarine Cinemas, Bodrum, Turkey).
Hysteria is a filmfaust production, with international sales handled by Pluto Films.
The cast includes Devrim Lingnau, Mehdi Meskar, Serkan Kaya, Nicolette Krebitz, and Aziz Çapkurt. Director Büyükatalay also wrote the screenplay.
Producers are Büyükatalay and Claus Herzog-Reichel. Cinematography is by Christian Kochmann, editing by Denys Darahan and Andreas Menn, music by Marvin Miller, sound design by Steffen Pfauth, production Design by Mayte Hellenthal and casting by Kerstin Neuwirth.
The jury issued the following statement: “Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay’s Hysteria is a really well-crafted conspiracy thriller. There are plenty of twists and turns, and the film builds towards a very exciting climatic final ten minutes. The audience here in Berlin were clearly relishing the ride. But beyond the enjoyment to be had with the film, we feel that its incendiary subject matter can really promote dialogue and a greater insight into the tensions in our society today.”