Thomas Pluch Screenwriting Prize 2024

of the drehbuchVERBAND Austria in co-operation with the Diagonale

Main prize for the best screenplay for a feature-length cinema or television film
endowed with € 12,000
| Des Teufels Bad | by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala

Jury statement:
“For the jury, the reading experience of this screenplay is like that of a novel. The poetic language, the descriptions of image and sound create a sensory experience that transports us into an almost mythical world in which drama and horror intermingle. The text literally begins to breathe, smell and taste. In this profound work, the author duo skilfully uses elements of genre film and historical drama to highlight the little-known topic of indirect suicide in the context of mental disorders and how they are influenced by their environment.”

Special Jury Prize for the best screenplay of a feature-length cinema or television film with particularly outstandingly treated aspects
endowed with € 7,000
| Mit einem Tiger schlafen | by Anja Salomonowitz

Excerpt from the jury statement:
“The jury is very impressed by the unique and courageous narrative structure of this script. The associative use of different media such as feature film, documentary film and theatre underlines the character of the protagonist, who was both visionary and radical and uncompromising throughout her life and did not receive the recognition she deserved for a long time. Throughout her life, the artist Maria Lassnig had to struggle with not fitting into conventions, above all because she was a woman. Her life and her art become one in this screenplay.”

Award for the best screenplay for a short or medium-length feature film
endowed with € 3,000
| Strangers Like Us | by Felix Krisai and Pipi Fröstl

Excerpt from the jury statement:
“In one evening, desires, expectations and the struggle for agreement are dealt with en passant as well as social issues with great ease. The story repeatedly takes unexpected turns: what begins as a relationship drama soon plays with motifs from horror films and psychological thrillers, creating clever irritations that make you even more curious.”

Also nominated for the Thomas Pluch Main Prize and the Thomas Pluch Special Jury Prize were
Bosanski Lonac / Bosnian Pot by Pavo Marinković
Persona Non Grata by Antonin Svoboda and Markus Schleinzer
VENI VIDI VICI by Daniel Hoesl

Jury Austria:
Libertad Hackl (screenwriter)
Senad Halilbašić (screenwriter)
Marie-Therese Thill (screenwriter)

Jury International:
Adis Djapo (Producer, BIH)
Frauke Finsterwalder (Director, DE/CH)
Hansjörg Weißbrich (Editor, DE)