Twenty-five years after taking home a Golden Ducat at the International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg for Next of Kin, the first award of his extraordinarily decorated career, Canadian moviemaker Atom Egoyan is returning to the place where it all started. On November 6, 2009, Egoyan will be back in Mannheim to receive the festival’s revered “Master of Cinema Award.” Each year, the award honors a moviemaker who explores the possibilities of art and cinema and pushes its boundaries to new extents. With 13 feature films to his name, including 1997’s The Sweet Hereafter (for which he received Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar nominations), Egoyan is a more than deserving recipient of this prestigious award.
“One of our original discoveries is finally back in Mannheim,” says Dr. Michael Koetz, director of the festival. “We are very excited to welcome him here, a now renowned filmmaker who has been honored with the Canadian Genie Award and received several nominations for the Oscars. The world of images created by Atom Egoyan in his films hits the heart.”
Egoyan joins the likes of Wim Wenders (Buena Vista Social Club), Edgar Reitz (Germany in Autumn) and Aleksandr Sokurov (Russian Ark) as recipients of the “Master of Cinema Award.” Along with a showing of Next of Kin, a public press conference with Egoyan will accompany the ceremony.
The 58th International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg will take place from November 5-15, 2009.