The Werner Herzog Foundation has revealed that Canadian director Harley Chamandy will receive the 2024 Werner Herzog Film Prize for his film “Alien Sunshine.” The annual award, given in collaboration with the Munich Film Museum, comes with a €5,000 ($5,445) prize.
Allen Sunshine is about a former music mogul who takes refuge in a secluded lake house after his famous wife commits suicide. The hero deals with his loss by creating electronic music and forming an unlikely bond with two local guys. His journey through grief is punctuated by encounters with his past and future.
The film premiered at the Munich Film Festival in June. Chamandy has previously directed several short films, and made his feature film debut with “Allen Sunshine.”
In a statement, Herzog praised Chamandy’s work: “The 2024 Werner Herzog Foundation Prize will go to Harley Chamandy for his film “Allen Sunshine”. One of the foundation’s missions is to promote young talent, and it is remarkable that Harley Chamandy participated in my first workshop for young filmmakers in Cuba when he was only 17 years old. At 21, he made his meticulous film, which received the award here.”
The foundation's criteria for the award include innovation, courage and initiative. “Harley Chamandy has demonstrated all of these qualities,” Herzog added. “He truly has his own voice. I congratulate him.”
Chamandi said diverse“This is the ultimate award for me. To receive an award for my first feature film, directed by one of the most famous filmmakers of all time, is a real dream come true. I have been inspired by Werner’s work since I was a teenager. He is one of my biggest inspirations ever and I am truly humbled.”
The awards ceremony is scheduled for December 6 at the Film Museum, where Herzog will present the award and participate in a post-screening discussion with Chamandy.
The Werner Herzog Film Prize is open to narrative and documentary films, filmmakers, actors and individuals of any nationality who demonstrate courage, determination and vision in their work. Previous winners include Asghar Farhadi’s Hero, Natalia Yefimkina’s Garage People, Chloe Zhao’s The Passenger and Rezo Gigineishvili’s Patient 1.
Watch the trailer for Allen Sunshine here:
