Brothers Sebastian and Florian von Donnersmarck have won the Eastman Support Award for newcomer talents at the Hof Film Days for their short Der Templer.

The story of a Templar knight returning disillusioned from the Crusades was produced by Wiedemann & Berg Filmproduktion with broadcasters Bayerischer Rundfunk, Arte and 13th Street and the film schools in Munich and Potsdam-Babelsberg.

Past winners of the Euros 3,750 prize of Kodak film stock since 1984 have included Caroline Link, Hans-Christian Schmid, Veit Helmer, Tom Tykwer, and - in 2001 - Sve Taddicken with Getting My Brother Laid (Mein Bruder Der Vampir).

Meanwhile, Germany's Association of Production Designers, Art Directors and Costume Designers (SFK) gave their Production Design Award to Marc Ottiker's digitally-produced feature Halbe Miete, the opening film at this year's Film Days and the second in Road Movies Factory's 'Radikal digital' initiative.

On a lighter note, this year's football match saw a 4-4 draw between a local Hof team and one composed of festival guests. The filmmakers' team, which included film directors Winfried Bonengel (Fuehrer Ex), Wolfgang Dinslage (Die Katze Von Altona), media lawyer Stefan von Moers and Thorsten Ritter of Bavaria Film International, were leading 4 : 3 until the 91st minute when the local players equalised.

Past festival teams had seen luminaries as Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Werner Herzog, Soenke Wortmann, and Detlev Buck donning football kit for the traditional match during the festival.