The German Film Award receives a Special Award of the German Sustainability Award for its pioneering role in driving the sustainable transformation of one of Germany’s most important cultural events.

Since 2019, the LOLA has demonstrated how a long-established institution can use its public visibility to place sustainability at the center — visibly and with binding commitment. Under the guiding principle “glamorous and sustainable — without compromise,” the Film Award has proven that cultural impact and ecological responsibility can complement one another. The German Film Academy has embraced an event concept that uses its broad reach to show how transformation can be both attractive and influential.

Particularly groundbreaking is the world’s first implementation of sustainable event management according to ISO 20121 — first for the event itself (2021), and later for the entire organization (2022). This structurally anchored sustainability on a permanent basis. Every edition follows clear standards and continues to refine them year by year.
The implementation can be seen in concrete measures: low-carbon mobility concepts such as rail travel, low-emission shuttle options, and bicycle routes; zero-waste catering with vegan-vegetarian offerings, regional products, and complete reusable systems; as well as circular materials, nature-based decorations, and energy-efficient lighting technology. In 2022, the Film Award won the German Railways’ “Climate Mobility Challenge” — clear evidence of its measurable climate impact.

With “Lola goes green,” the project extends far beyond the event itself: the initiative influences production standards across the film industry and helped ensure that ecological criteria were incorporated into the 2025 Film Funding Act for the first time. In doing so, the Film Award demonstrates that cultural actors can trigger structural change.

At the same time, the message is amplified by sustainability ambassadors such as Lea van Acken, Maria Ehrich, and Lucas Reiber, who credibly carry the topic into the public sphere and especially reach younger audiences.

The German Film Award demonstrates how culture can become a driver of sustainable transformation. It has not only transformed a single event but has generated impulses that extend far beyond the industry. This combination of tradition, responsibility, and creative power makes it a worthy recipient of the German Sustainability Award.