The screenwriter Laila Stieler has been honored for her outstanding achievements in German film. The author, who was born in Thuringia in 1965, was to be awarded the Defa Foundation Prize at a gala evening at the Berlin Academy of Arts, the foundation announced. The prize is endowed with 10,000 euros.
Stieler wrote the screenplays for the GDR music film "Gundermann" (2018) and for "Rabiye Kurnaz gegen George W. Bush" (2021), in which the mother of Murat Kurnaz tries to free her son from the US prison camp Guantánamo. She was awarded the Silver Bear at the Berlinale for the film. Stieler has worked many times with film director Andreas Dresen.
The screenwriter has been inspiring audiences with her gift for observation since the 1990s, according to the foundation's press release. With quiet humor and casual descriptions, she tells of the beauty and problems of everyday life and also of how worthwhile it can be to reclaim it after a breakdown.
Master editor also honored for her life's work
Master editor Gudrun Steinbrück-Plenert, born in 1957, was also honored for her life's work. Steinbrück-Plenert established herself as one of the most sought-after editing masters for documentaries at Defa in the 1980s. She worked several times with renowned directors such as Helke Misselwitz, Jürgen Böttcher, Thomas Heise, Bernd Böhlich and Andreas Kleinert. The prize is also endowed with 10,000 euros.
The DEFA Foundation is dedicated to preserving and promoting the film heritage of the GDR. It was named after the Deutsche Film AG (Defa), which was the film production company of the GDR.
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