Screenwriter Ruth Toma, Berlin-based production company moneypenny Filmproduktion and casting director Rita Serra-Roll were among the German film industry figures honoured at the end of the Cologne Conference's eleventh International Television and Film Festival during the Media Forum NRW.

The casting award went to Munich-based Rita Serra-Roll, whose most recent credits include Roland Suso Richter's TV movie The Tunnel and Peter Keglevic's Tanz Mit Dem Teufel. Serra-Roll has been responsible for casting more than 50 film and TV productions between 1996 and 2000.

Meanwhile, the Conference's producer award went to Anne Leppin, Siigrid Hoerner and Martin Walz of moneypenny Filmproduktion, which has so far produced two feature-length films - Martin Eigler's Freunde and Anne Hoegh Krohn's Fremde Freundin - with public broadcaster ZDF.

Screenwriting honours went to Ruth Toma, whose recent credits included Rolf Schuebel's Gloomy Sunday, Detlev Buck's Liebesluder and Lars Buechel's Now Or Never - Time Is Money (Jetzt Oder Nie - Zeit Ist Geld).

In addition, the TV Spielfilm-sponsored prize for best fiction programme in the event's TopTen Fiction competition went to Keglevic's Tanz Mit Dem Teufel, while the Non-Fiction prize, awarded for the first time this year by the German news and event channel Phoenix, was presented to the Italian-Afghan co-production Jung (War) In The Land Of The Mujaheddin by Fabrizio Lazzaretti and Alberto Vendemmiati.