Sometimes life is like a movie with a happy ending! The phone rings, it's Hollywood: "Good afternoon, am I speaking to the LICHTERS?".

Admittedly, the call didn't come from Hollywood Hills. It was the Sachsenhäuser Berg calling. And how! You hear it rustle at the other end of the line. And then your name is written on the envelope: "And the winner is... LICHTER Filmfest Frankfurt International!" Tush, tears of joy, shouts of jubilation! What a message:

The BINDING CULTURE AWARD 2023 goes to the LICHTER Filmest Frankfurt International / LICHTER Filmkultur e.V.

The award promotes outstanding cultural achievements in Frankfurt and the Rhine-Main region that develop relevance beyond the region. Does anyone still remember our legendary FIRST FLOOR in the former Turmpalast cinema? At the entrance it said: Hollywood is okay for us!

So it was worth it: the talk-swinging, the location-scouting, the movie-seeing, the movie-loving! For 16 years now, we have been bringing creative power and diversity to Frankfurt's screens and stages, bringing generations and communities together in the cinema hall.

Thank you to our incredible team and all the talented filmmakers who have made this possible time and time again. And, of course, to the Board of Trustees of the Binding Cultural Foundation, who have placed their trust in us for the 29th year of the awards.

And we're not just thinking of ourselves: the award also gives visibility to film as an art form. And the art of acting! The art of screenwriting! The art of film sound! The art of lighting design! The art of montage! The art of production design! The art of costume and make-up!

Cinema is magic in the service of dreams. Let's keep dreaming together!