Johannes Waltermann wins the Michael Ballhaus Award 2015

This award is sponsored by Osram to support newly graduated camera operators as they take their first steps in the film industry

This is the second year in which Osram, together with the Michael Ballhaus Foundation, Leica and Weberbank, is endowing the 10,000 euro Michael Ballhaus Award. The purpose of the award is to help newly graduated camera operators embark on a career in the film industry. Of the three nominations, Johannes Waltermann, who was behind the camera on “After Spring Comes Fall”, particularly impressed the jury especially with his skills.

First Steps is an award for newcomers to the German film and TV industry and is presented for outstanding graduation films from film schools in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The Michael Ballhaus Award for Camerawork was presented in the Stage Theater at Potsdamer Platz as one of eight award categories under the First Steps program. The criteria on which judging was based included innovative imagery, exceptional cinematographic talent and unobtrusive visual handling of a filmic theme. “With its long tradition in the cinema and film industry, Osram is very keen to give active assistance to newcomers to the industry. The monetary aspect of the Michael Ballhaus Award will support the future projects of these talented youngsters”, said Hans-Joachim Schwabe, CEO of the Specialty Lighting Business Unit at Osram. 

Michael Ballhaus Award for Camerawork

Last year at the first award ceremony, Julia Hönemann was declared the winner for her camerawork on the film “Porn Punk Poetry”. This year, three cameramen were nominated across all categories: in addition to the winner Johannes Waltermann (Film University of Babelsberg) with “After Spring Comes Fall” also Sebastian Thaler (Film Academy of Vienna) with the medium-length film “Alles wird gut” and Raphael Beinder (German Film and Television Academy of Berlin) with the documentary “Die Böhms – Architektur einer Familie”. Waltermann's camera work was impressive in a political film that used Berlin as its background. The jury stated that the young cameraman made clever use of the limited resources and that thanks to him those limitations were not obvious in the film. He avoids gimmicky effects and overblown visuals, working instead with light and movement.

An inspirational partnership

Cameraman Michael Ballhaus, who was recently awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, is firmly anchored in the film industry as one of the most famous representatives of his discipline, just like Osram – the expert in lighting and projection systems. Ballhaus, who has been working behind cameras for forty years, has made films with such renowned directors as Rainer Werner Fassbender, Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola. Osram has also been shaping the film industry over many decades. Osram technology is used to illuminate one in three cinema screens throughout the world and half of all film sets. Osram has twice received an Oscar for its innovative lighting solutions for the film industry.