EFFE Awards 2019-2020: Frie Leysen and Dieter Kosslick to receive lifetime achievement awards
Frie Leysen, Founder and Director of Kunstenfestivaldesarts in Brussels from 1992 – 2006 and Dieter Kosslick, Director of the Berlinale - Berlin Film Festival from 2001-2019, will receive recognition for their careers as festival directors at the EFFE Awards Salon on 26 September in BOZAR, Brussels. They were selected by an international jury chaired by Sir Jonathan Mills on behalf of the European Festivals Association.
Frie Leysen is being acknowledged for her outstanding commitment to artists and to commissioning new works, as well as to the promotion of artists’ creative freedom and the circulation of their works across borders. Her choices and her vision have created new platforms and had a deep impact on the context that the arts and arts festivals are operating in today.
Dieter Kosslick will be celebrated for his vision and the innovation of Berlinale as a festival for the 21st century. He has become a symbol for expertise mixed with freedom-fighting, great art, and good humour combined with seriousness. He has helped the development of cinema in many countries and is widely loved for his spirit and compassion. These have remained unchanged despite his power, influence and celebrity status as an artistic leader.
“The EFFE Awards Salon gives us the opportunity to celebrate those that enable artists to do their work, their analysis, their creation and productions: arts festivals and the managers behind them”, says Sir Jonathan Mills, Chair of the EFFE International Jury.
Next to the achievements of these two personalities, 24 festivals that are in the running for the EFFE Awards will be put in the spotlight. These laureates represent a great variety of festivals from all over Europe that have signed up for the Awards. For the first time, also EFFE’s Audience Choice is given to one of the 24 EFFE Laureates.
“This recognition of individuals and festivals is a key step for the European Festivals Association in the development of an interactive alliance between festival makers, artists, audiences and public authorities”, underlines Kathrin Deventer, EFA Secretary General.
The winners will be announced at the EFFE Award Ceremony on 26 September 2019 in BOZAR, Brussels (see programme). The ceremony will be livestreamed from 15:00 to 19:00 on the Facebook page of the European Festivals Association. 100 guests including Frie Leysen, Dieter Kosslick, European Commissioner Tibor Navrascisc, European Parliament Culture Committee Chair Ms Sabine Verheyen, festivals from all over Europe, artists, cities, and the EFFE International Jury will be present.
A press lunch is planned from 13:30-14:30 where you can meet and interview all personalities of the ceremony.
EFFE – Europe for Festivals, Festivals for Europe is a project by the European Festivals Association, supported by the European Commission and European Parliament.
