Four up-and-coming German documentary filmmakers were awarded this year's Bavarian Documentary Prize "The Young Lion" on the eve of the 20th Munich Filmfest this weekend.

The three Young Lions- with a purse each of Euros 8,000 - went to producer-director-writer Caterina Klusemann for her film Ima; to the director-writer team of Sonja Heiss and Vanessa van Houten for Karma Cowboy; and to producer-director-writer Claudia Heuermann for A Bookshelf On Top Of The Sky - 12 Stories About John Zorn.

In addition, this year's Discovery Channel Award - also with a purse of Euros 8,000 - for an innovative achievement by newcomer documentary filmmakers went to Martina Reuter and Gavin Hodge for their Dunkle Welten/Bunker - Die Letzten Tage.

And the documentary pioneers Donn Alan Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus were presented with the Bavarian Documentary Film Award's Honorary Prize for their complete oeuvre and their contribution to a new definition of the documentary.

Pennebaker and Hegedus are the subject of an homage at the Filmfest running from June 29 - July 6.