The Findling Award or short Findling (German: Findlingspreis) is a German film award donated by the umbrella organization of cultural cinemas and film clubs Verband für Filmkommunikation. It was founded in 1982 in GDR and is awarded on several film festivals. Meanwhile, far more than hundred filmmakers received this award. The prize itself is a stone on a pedestal with a metal plate designed by sculptor Peter Lewandowsky. Part of the prize's endowment is a tour of the winning film with its director and a critic to cultural cinemas, art houses and film clubs. The award is named after a glacial erratic, but plays with the word as it also means "foundling". Sometimes, though wrong, you read Findling Prize.
It was awarded on all GDR National film festivals:
Nationales Spielfilmfestival der DDR (National Feature Film Festival of GDR) in Karl-Marx-Stadt (1982-1990)
Nationales Festival des Dokumentarfilms der DDR (National Festival of Documentary Film of GDR) in Neubrandenburg (1982-1989)
Nationales Kinderfilmfestival Goldener Spatz (National Children's Film Festival) in Gera (1983-1989)
Internationale Dokumentar- und Kurzfilmwoche (International Week of Documentary and Animation Film) (now: dok Leipzig) in Leipzig (1983-1989)
After 1990 it is awarded on the following festivals:
Filmfestival Cottbus Festival for Eastern European Feature Film (1991-2002)
FilmArtFestival Mecklenburg-Pomerania German Feature Film Festival Schwerin (since 1991)
dokumentART International Documentary Film Festival Neubrandenburg (since 1992)
Film-Festival im Stadthafen Rostock / Young German Film (since 2004)
dok Leipzig (Internationales Leipziger Festival für Dokumentar- und Animationsfilm)
Since 2015 the Findling also is awarded abroad at the SEFF Szczecin European Film Festival in Poland.
