Berlin

 Jan Schomburg's ÜBER UNS DAS ALL/ABOVE US ONLY SKY from Germany has been awarded the Europa Cinemas Label as Best European Film in the Panorama section of the Berlinale, it was announced today by a jury of four exhibitors - the seventh year the Label has been awarded in the section.

ÜBER UNS DAS ALL/ABOVE US ONLY SKY will now receive the support of the Europa Cinemas exhibitors who commit themselves to extend the length of its run on screen and additional promotion across the Network.The Europa Cinemas Label awarded in Berlin complements the Labels awarded at the Directors' Fortnight in Cannes, Giornate degli Autori in Venice and Karlovy Vary.

The jury issued the following statement: "Jan Schomburg's film is an exceptionally well-made film - a very powerful, contemporary story about coming to terms with loss. Sandra Hüller gives a really extraordinary performance as a woman who has to deal with the discovery that the man she has lived with for many years is not the man she thought he was. Schomburg's economical story-telling is very well paced, and there is humour in the film alongside the strong emotions. We feel that audiences around Europe, like the press and public here in Berlin, will react positively to this intelligent and unpredictable examination of themes so common to all of us."

Sold internationally by Bavaria Film International, there are already deals made in several key territories. Jan Schomburg is both director and screenwriter. The film stars Sandra Hüller, Georg Friedrich and Felix Knopp. Cinematography is by Marc Comes, editing by Bernd Euscher, sound design by Andreas Hildebrandt, sound by Josef Pörzchen, mix by Alexander Weuffen, and music by Tobias Wagner.

Produced by Claudia Steffen and Christoph Friedel, ÜBER UNS DAS ALL/ABOVE US ONLY SKY is a Pandora Filmproduktions production.

Martha is in a happy relationship, she has a home, knows just where she belongs and shares her life with Paul, the man she trusts and knows inside out. She looks ahead and sees - the future. But then one day two policewomen appear at her door and all at once everything changes. The man with whom Martha has lived for many years is nothing but a phantom. Suddenly, Martha's life is not what it was, and nothing she knew was what it seemed. Then Martha meets Alexander, and a tiny gesture is enough to rekindle her longing for Paul, whom she now sees in Alexander. She looks ahead and sees - the past. And so there she is, in a happy relationship once again; she has a home, knows just where she belongs and is sharing her life with someone she trusts. But does she really know the man she loves? Or does she just love the man she knows?

Born in Aachen in 1976, after studying visual communications in the film and television department at Kassel College of Art  Schomburg graduated in film directing from the Academy of Media Arts Cologne (KHM). In 2008 he was awarded a fellowship to study at the Andrzej Wajda Film School in Warsaw. After making several short films, some of which won awards, ÜBER UNS DAS ALL marks his first theatrical feature. He lives in Cologne.

This year's Berlin Europa Cinemas jury comprised four network exhibitors: Wilko Schuringa (De Lieve Vrouw Cinema in Amersfoort, Netherlands); Salvatore Cordaro (Multisala Aurora in Palermo,Italy); Gábor Böszörményi (Csepel Cinema

in Budapest,Hungary) and Till Burandt von Kameke (Central-Kino in Berlin, Germany).

Winning films receive the support of the Europa Cinemas exhibitors who give it additional promotion across the Network and commit themselves to extend the length of its run on screen.

Previous winners of the Berlin Europa Cinemas Label are:

2005:                      Va, Vis et Deviens / Live and Become  (Radu Mihaileanu, France/Belgium/Israel)

Crustacés et Coquillages / Cockles and Muscles (Olivier Ducastel, Jacques Martineau, France)

2006:                      Knallhart /Tough Enough (Detlev Buck, Germany)

2007:                      El Camino de los Ingleses / Summer Rain (Antonio Banderas, Spain)

2008:                      Revanche (Götz Spielmann, Austria)

2009:                      Welcome (Philippe Lioret, France)

Nord (Rune Denstad Langlo, Norway)

2010:                      Die Fremde / When We Leave (Feo Aladag, Germany)