German Film Award / Best Female Leading Role

Sibel Kekilli

Winner of the German Film Award in the category Best Female Leading Role (formerly: Best Acting Performance - Female Leading Role ). From the end of the 1960s / beginning of the 1970s to 1996, the category was replaced by a prize for “ Best Acting Achievement ”, without any division into leading or supporting roles. Since 1997, the awards for actors have again been awarded separately for main and supporting roles. The winners have been honored with the "Lola" prize statuette since 1999 and receive prize money of 10,000 euros . The gold film tape had previously been awarded.

The most successful in this category were Hannelore Elsner , Sandra Hüller , Sibel Kekilli and Lilli Palmer , who each won the award twice. In addition to Juliane Köhler and Nina Hoss, Elsner has also received the most mentions (three each) for this category since the nomination mode was introduced. In 2016 Laura Tonke was awarded both the best leading and best supporting actress of the year.

In 1997, Sylvie Testud ( Beyond the Silence ) , a foreign actress in a German film or co-production, was honored.

Prize winners from 1954 to 1968

year	Award winners	Movie title
1954	Ruth Leuwerik	Beloved life
1955	Therese Giehse	Children, mothers and a general
1956	Lilli Palmer	Devil in silk
1957	Lilli Palmer	Anastasia, the last daughter of the Tsar
1958	Liselotte powder	The inn in the Spessart
1959	Prize not awarded
1960	Nadja Tiller	labyrinth
1961	Hilde Krahl	The glass of water
1962	Vera Chekhova	The bread of the early years
1963	Elisabeth Bergner	The happy years of the Thorwalds
1964	Mira Stupica	Men's game
1965	Jana Brejchová	The house on Karpfengasse
1966	Sabine Sinjen	It
1967	Alexandra Kluge	Goodbye to yesterday
1968	Thekla Carola Wied	Trace of a girl