BERLIN -- "The Lives of Others," a gripping, drama about the Stasi's domestic spying apparatus in the former East Germany, sneaked its way to seven Lolas, Germany's top film prize, including best Film and director for first-timer Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck.

Von Donnersmarck picked up a second Lola for his script to "The Lives of Others" with its story of a Stasi officer caught between loyalty to the state and his own conscience.

The German Film Academy awarded the best actor Lola to that officer, actor Ulrich Muehe, and the supporting actor prize to co-star Ulrich Tukur, who played an ambitious Stasi bureaucrat in "Others."

Tukur got the night's celebration off to a lively start by accepting his golden Lola entirely in Italian in a spirited parody of Roberto Benigni's Oscar speech of 1999.

A gleeful Von Donnersmarck said he saw the Lola kudos as vindication after struggling to get "Others" financed.

"Everyone I showed the script to said great story, but why does it have to be about the Stasi? Nobody's interested in that," Von Donnersamarck said. "I always argued that the historical background wasn't important, that it was about love, lies and betrayal, the big universal themes. Tonight, the academy proved me right."

The other big winner at Friday's night Lola gala was Hans-Christian Schmid's harrowing exorcism drama "Requiem," which won five Lolas, including one of the two runner-up Silver Lolas for best film.

"Requiem" is based on the same real-life story that inspired "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" but is told as a personal drama of faith and delusion that does without horror film conventions or special effects. It premiered in Competition in February at the Berlin International Film Festival.

"Requiem" won in both actress categories. Theater star Imogen Kogge took the supporting actress award for her portrayal of a staunch Catholic mother convinced her daughter is possessed by the devil, while rising star Sandra Hueller added a golden Lola to the Silver Bear she won in Berlin for her performance.

"I was worried the film would divide audiences and the academy," Schmid said. "It isn't an easy ride. So I am very happy with these Lolas -- it is real recognition for something I have been working on for several years."

The surprise winner of the 56th Lola Awards was "Tough Enough," a pull-no-punches drama from Detlev Buck set on the mean streets of the Berlin neighborhood of Neukoelln.

"Tough" won three Lolas: a Silver Lola for best film and statuettes for editing and film score.

"We never made a film on such a socially relevant topic before," Buck said, accepting the Silver Lola with producing partner Claus Boje. "And we never had such a lousy boxoffice. But screw it. I don't care. This was our best work, and Neukoelln needs (this kind of) lobby."

In other categories, Byambasuren Davaa's fairy tale of a Mongolian nomad family, "The Cave of the Yellow Dog," won the Lola for children's or youth film, and "Lost Children," an eye-opening look at children soldiers in Uganda, took the Lola for documentary.

The 56th German Film Awards were held for the first time in the Palais am Funkturm in Berlin's convention center. The 2006 gala was pulled forward from its usual summer date in the hopes that winners will get a boxoffice bump before the traditionally weak summer season in Germany.

Whatever their boxoffice hopes, Lola nominees and winners already are guaranteed cash from the German government, which doles out about $3.5 million in prize money.

"There was a headline in a paper the other day: 2006 will be the best year ever for German film," said German cultural minister Bernd Neumann, addressing the gala crowd. He then turned his attention to the Festival de Cannes.

The French film festival again snubbed German films, locking them out of the main Competition and Un Certain Regard sections.

"I don't see this as a sign that German film has been found lacking but rather a sign that Cannes should be worried," Neumann said. "Worried that they aren't keeping up their high standards and aren't properly serving their audience."

The gala ceremony, which was broadcast on pubweb ARD, was a serviceable affair, with star German comedian Michael "Bully" Herbig doing his Billy Crystal-like combination of song-and-dance numbers and taped film parodies.

The night's high point came when actor Bruno Ganz ("Downfall") presented the lifetime achievement Lola to veteran film agent Erna Baumbauer. The 87-year-old "Queen of Bavaria" is a living legend in the German film scene and is responsible for discovering an army of German stars, from Maximilian Schell and Otto Sander to Katja Riemann and Nicolette Krebitz.

The audience rose to a standing ovation as all the actors represented by Baumbauer's agency gathered onstage.

"I can only say thank you," a visibly moved Baumbauer said. "Thank you to my actors. I only opened the door."

A full list of 2006 German Film Prize winners follows.


Best Film – Lola in Gold: "The Lives Of Others"
Wiedermann & Berg Filmproduktion

Best Film – Lola in Silver: "Tough Enough" Boje und
Buck Produktion
Best Film – Lola in Silver: "Requiem" 23/5
Filmproduktion

Best Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck for
"The Lives Of Others"

Best Documentary: "Lost Children" Director: Oliver
Stoltz

Best Children's/Youth Film: "The Cave Of The Yellow
Dog" Director: Byambasuren Davaa

Best Actress: Sandra Hueller for "Requiem"

Best Actor: Ulrich Muehe for "The Lives Of Others"

Best Supporting Actress: Imogen Kogge for "Requiem"

Best Supporting Actor: Ulrich Tukur for "The Lives Of
Others"

Best Cinematography: Hagen Bogdanski for "The Lives Of
Others"

Best Editing: Dirk Grau for "Tough Enough"

Best Production Design: Silke Buhr for "The Lives Of
Others"

Best Costume Design: Bettina Marx for "Requiem"

Best Film Score: Bert Wrede for "Tough Enough"

Best Sound Design: Lars Ginzel, Dirk Jacob, Marc
Parisotto, Martin Steyer for "Requiem"

Best Screenplay: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck for
"The Lives Of Others"

Lifetime Achievement Lola: Erna Baumbauer