Caroline Link's Nirgendwo In Afrika has picked up four nominations for this year's German Film Awards (Lolas) which will be presented in Berlin's Tempodrom on June 14.

At the announcement of this year's nominees during a gala event in Berlin on April 19, Link's adaptation of Stefanie Zweig's bestseller was nominated in the Best Film, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Best Direction categories, while three nominations were each picked up by Hans Weingartner's Das Weisse Rauschen (White Noise), Ben Verbong's family film Das Sams (The Slurb) and Dominik Graf's Der Felsen (A Map Of The Heart).

The six films nominated in the Best Film category each received a premium of Euros 250,000, the two films for children and young people Euros 125,000 each, and two documentaries Euros 100,000 each. In total, State Minister for Culture Julian Nida-Ruemelin paid out Euros 1.95m in nomination premiums, with an additional Euros 865,000 distributed for the winning films in each category at the ceremony in June as well as for premiums for the prizes for individual achievements.

An innovation this year was the awarding of nomination premiums for the two films in the category for children and young people, while the success of Der Schuh Des Manitu - where Michael 'Bully' Herbig's combined the functions of screenwriter, producer, director and actor - was honoured with the creation of a Special Prize worth Euros 10,000.

The complete lineup of nominations

Best Film: Bella Martha, Halbe Treppe, Heaven, Nirgendwo In Afrika, Das Weisse Rauschen, Wie Feuer Und Flamme
Best Film for Children and Young People: Hilfe! Ich Bin Ein Fisch, Das Sams
Best Documentary: Black Box BRD, A Woman And A Half - Hildegard Knef
Best Lead Actress: Karoline Eichhorn (Der Felsen), Martina Gedeck (Bella Martha), Juliane Koehler (Nirgendwo In Afrika)
Best Lead Actor: Daniel Bruehl (Nichts Bereuen, Das Weisse Rauschen, Vaya Con Dios), Ulrich Noethen (Das Sams), Antonio Wannek (Der Felsen, Wie Feuer Und Flamme)
Best Supporting Actress: Anabelle Lachatte (Das Weisse Rauschen), Eva Mattes (Das Sams), Marie-Lou Sellem (Mein Bruder, Der Vampir, Nichts Bereuen)
Best Supporting Actor: Martin Feifel (Was Tun, Wenn's Brennt), Remo Girone (Heaven), Matthias Habich (Nirgendwo In Afrika)
Best Direction: Andreas Dresen (Halbe Treppe), Dominik Graf (Der Felsen), Caroline Link (Nirgendwo In Afrika)

The winners of other awards for outstanding individual achievements, the Best Foreign Film, the Honorary Award in recognition of a German personality's services to German cinema, and the Audience Awards will all be announced at the ceremony on June 14.