Leonie Benesch receives the Hannelore Elsner Prize at the Five Lakes Festival!

Leonie Benesch receives the Hannelore Elsner Prize at the Five Lakes Festival!

An exciting event is coming: On September 12, 2025, the talented actress Leonie Benesch will be honored with the Hannelore Elsner Prize as part of the renowned Five Lakes Film Festival (FSFF). This award, which is endowed with 5,000 euros, recognizes outstanding achievements by German-speaking actresses and has been awarded since 2019 to honor the memory of the late actress Hannelore Elsner. As the South German newspaper reported, the award ceremony will take place in the Schlossberghalle in Starnberg.

Benesch, born in 1991, is the seventh winner of the Hannelore Elsner Prize, after greats such as Barbara Auer, Nina Hoss and Paula Beer were previously honored. Festival director Matthias Helwig has been following her career for a long time and highlights the young actress's remarkable achievements. Benesch, who became known for films such as “The Teacher's Room”, where she was nominated for an Oscar, can look back on numerous awards, including the German Acting Prize.

The festival program

The 19th Five Lakes Film Festival will take place from September 9th to 16th, 2025 in the idyllic towns of Starnberg, Gauting, Seefeld and Weßling. In advance, film-loving viewers can look forward to an open-air cinema in the seaside resort of Starnberg, which will take place from August 2nd to 17th, followed by a special steamboat trip on Lake Starnberg on August 20th. The festival is known for being a showcase for the best films from the German and international film world and is considered one of the largest of its kind in Germany.

The film “Heroine” will be shown during the awards ceremony, and the festival will also dedicate a tribute to Benesch, presenting the films “The White Ribbon”, “September 5” and “The Teacher's Room”. Leonie Benesch has already won several awards in her career, including the German Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for “September 5,” which deals with the 1972 Olympic attack. Her versatility and flair for complex roles have made her one of the most exciting actresses of her generation.

A look at Paula Beer

But the awards don't just go to Benesch: Paula Beer, who received the Hannelore Elsner Prize on August 29, 2023, will also be the focus of the festival. Beer, known from the film “RED SKY”, was the youngest winner and noted how important the recognition of Hannelore Elsner and her colleagues is for the acting scene. How on Exclusively Munich can be read, Beer is praised for her film roles and her art, whose charisma is very popular with audiences.

The festival has established itself as worth visiting in recent years and attracts numerous stars and film fans. With a varied program and a wonderful atmosphere, the FSFF 2025 promises to be a highlight for the film world. Tickets for the events are already available on the festival website.