The film The Rider (USA) directed by Chloé Zhao took home the main award, the Golden Puffin.

Shriekfest, the Los Angeles International Film Festival & Screenplay Competiton was a huge success! Denise Gossett, festival director, once again hosted Shriekfest Oct 5-8th at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood. Shriekfest screened 48 films and had 40 screenplay finalists.

Gossett says "I'm so very proud of all of these talented people.  It is an honor to know them."

"Gnaw" directed by Haylar Garcia took the Grand Jury prize for Best Horror Feature Film,  "Curvature" directed by Diego Hallivis took the Best SciFi Feature Film Award, and "The Glass Coffin" directed by Haritz Zubillaga took the Best Thriller Feature Film Award.

"Burn" directed by Judson Vaughan took the Best Horror Short Film Award, "The Things They Left Behind" directed by Sara Werner won the Best SciFi Short Film Award and "Classified"  directed by Kevin McMahon and Andy Dylan took the best Super Short Film Award.

The winner of the Best Horror Feature Screenplay went to "The Heebies"  written by Andrea D. McGee,  the winner of the Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy Feature Screenplay goes to "Remote"  written by Marc Roussel, and the winner of the Best Thriller Feature Screenplay goes to "Rational Panic" written by Robert Rhyne.

The International Juries of the Adelaide Film Festival (ADL Film Fest) today announced I Am Not A Witch (France, United Kingdom) and documentary Taste of Cement (Germany, Syria Qatar, Lebanon, United Arab Emirates), as major competition prize winners for 2017, joining the previously announced winner of the inaugural AFTRS International VR Award, Michelle and Uri Kranot’s Nothing Happens (Denmark, France).

I Am Not A Witch, the exciting feature debut of Zambia-born Welsh director Rungano Nyoni, has taken out the prestigious 2017 ADL Film Fest International Feature Award. Taste of Cement, Ziad Kalthoum’s dreamlike documentary about the Syrian construction workers virtually imprisoned on the site of the Beirut skyscrapers they build, had its Australian Premiere at the festival and has won the Flinders University International Best Documentary Award.

The ADL Film Fest International Best Feature Fiction Award was awarded by the International Jury made up of the acclaimed taboo-smashing actress and UN Peace Ambassador Leena Alam (Afghanistan), multi-award winning producer Catherine Fitzgerald (New Zealand), Head of EYE International for the promotion of Dutch cinema Martin Rabarts (Netherlands), Locarno 2016 Best Director winner for The Ornotholgist João Pedro Rodrigues (Portugal), and acclaimed Australian producer Miranda Dear (Blackfella Films).

The Jury said of the selection ‘As an International Jury we faced a surprising and compelling selection of films and filmmakers from around the world. The Jury found a unique and bold quality with I Am Not A Witch. Based on its originality it was surprising, funny and compelling. It is a bold debut feature from a director with her singular vision. We are excited to celebrate the work of a bright new talent.’

Managing Director of Madman Entertainment, Paul Wiegard said “We are thrilled that the Adelaide Film Festival jury has presented this prestigious award to I Am Not A Witch. This prize highlights the exceptional talent of Rungano Nyoni, whose debut feature is a bold and striking satire that places her at the forefront of young female filmmakers working today.”

The ten feature films In Competition included 6 Australian Premieres* and features from Cannes, Toronto and Karlovy Vary film festivals. They are Boris Khlebnikov’s Arrythmia* (Russia, Finalnd, Germany), Mikhail Red’s Birdshot* (Philippines, Qatar), Ofir Raul Graizer’s The Cakemaker* (Germany, Israel), Luca Guadagnino’s Call Me By Your Name (Italy, France), Rungano Nyoni’s I Am Not A Witch (France, UK), John Cameron Mitchell’s How To Talk To Girls at Parties* (UK, USA), Mahommad Rasoulof’s A Man Of Integrity (Iran), Pedro Pinho’s The Nothing Factory* (Portugal), Ruben Östlund’s Palme d’Or winner The Square (Denmark, Germany, Sweden, France) and Joachim Trier’s Thelma* (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, France).

The 2017 ADL Film Festival Flinders University International Best Documentary Award was determined by the internationally renowned and acclaimed documentary practitioners Molly Reynolds (Australia) and Eva Orner (Australia) and film curator and programmer Hania Mroué (Lebanon)

The jury said of their decision ‘Over the past week the documentary jury had the pleasure of viewing an array of diverse and fascinating documentaries. We deliberated long and hard before deciding upon Taste of Cement. The film is a poetic unfolding of war refugees rebuilding for other countries while their own is being destroyed. We admire the filmmaker's audacity, ambition and heart. Ziad is a director of talent and is to be encouraged.’

Now in its second edition, the Flinders University International Best Documentary Award recognises the authenticity, curiosity and fearlessness of truth on screen and in 2017 was marked by two world premieres and four Australian premieres amongst the ten films in competition.

Virtual Reality work by Michelle and Uri Kranot,Nothing Happens (Denmark, France) won the ADL Film Fest’s inaugural AFTRS International VR Award with a Special Mention going to Selly Raby Kane’s homage to Senegalese mythology, The Other Dakar (Senegal). ADL Film Fest is proud to partner with the Australian Film, Television & Radio School (AFTRS) in launching this new International Award.

The AFTRS International VR Award Jury was comprised of Head of Documentary at AFTRS Rachel Landers, Google Creative Technologist Mathew Tizard and ADL Film Fest Artistic Director Amanda Duthie.

In 2017 ADL Film Fest introduced the AFTRS ADL Film Fest International VR Award, the first competition of its kind in Australia, adding to the festival’s reputation as a leader in screen culture, having been the first Australian festival to introduce an international competition, and the first to invest directly in film production with the ADL Film Fest Fund.

Documentary winner Taste of Cement screens again

Saturday 14 Oct, 2pm at Mercury Cinema

https://adelaidefilmfestival.org/titles/106229/taste-of-cement

VR winner Nothing Happensscreens every day until Sunday 15 Oct in the VR Lounge

https://adelaidefilmfestival.org/titles/106224/nothing-happens

ABOUT ADL FILM FEST

Launched 14 years ago, the ADL Film Fest has secured a major reputation as an essential screen culture event and has been named in Variety Film magazine’s 50 Unmissable Film Festival lists and continues to be regarded as a destination for new and exciting Australian screen projects from the industry and national audiences. Adelaide Film Festival is, once again, thrilled to work with long-standing Principal Partner Channel 9 since 2013, sharing our love of all screen storytelling.

The first Australian festival to invest directly in film production, ADL Film Fest Fund first premiered in 2005. Over eight festivals the Fund has invested in 86 projects – from feature fiction to moving image, TV series to shorts. One of the most renowned and successful festival funding initiatives, AFFFund projects have now received over 175 national awards and over 90 international awards. The Fund has seen the launch of award-winning Australian screen creatives, with their films being selected for all of the world’s leading festivals including Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Telluride, Toronto and Sundance.

In 2017, ADL Film Festival Fund has premiered three feature films, the World Premieres of Yolande Ramke and Ben Howling’s CARGO starring Martin Freeman, Susie Porter, Anthony Hayes, Natasha Wanganeen and David Gupilil, Sophie Hyde’s F*!#ING ADELAIDE starring Pamela Rabe, Kate Box, Tilda Cobham-Hervey and Brendan Maclean and the Australian Premiere, direct from Official Competition at the Venice Film Festival, of Warwick Thornton’s SWEET COUNTRY starring Bryan Brown, Sam Neill and Hamilton Morris.

I am Not a Witch (France, United Kingdom)

Dir. Rungano Nyoni

An innocent young Zambian girl is accused of witchcraft in the exciting feature debut of Zambia-born Welsh female director Rungano Nyoni. Impressive newcomer Maggie Mulubwa leads a splendid non-professional cast as Shula, an orphan banished from her village to a “witch camp” with mostly elderly women. Combining magic realism, potent social commentary and a wonderfully deadpan sense of humour, Nyoni’s film defies easy categorisation – and that’s precisely what makes it such a special treat. 

Official Selection – Cannes Directors’ Fortnight

"It’s rare and exhilarating that a new filmmaker arrives on the scene so sure of herself and so willing to take bold, counter-intuitive chances". (Variety)

TASTE OF CEMENT (Germany, Lebanon, Syrian Arab Republic, United Arab Emirates, Qatar)

Dir. Ziad Kalthoum

Each morning at sunrise, Syrian workers in Lebanon climb construction sites, their hammer strokes waking the country – a country they only know from distance, as they are banned from moving through it, or swimming in its sea. While these Beirut Roosters rebuild Lebanese houses, the war in Syria destroys their own homes. That war brought together director Ziad Kalthoum, who left the Syrian Army to find refuge in Lebanon, and his fellow compatriots who work in Beirut. In this city, they share feelings of being alienated, unwanted and negated by Lebanese society. At night, they move into a hole underneath the construction site: their new home. Down here, the memories of home, war and what they have left behind plague them. Together, they share the pain and fear of losing their home country while finding themselves unable to construct a life for themselves.

Reeling: The Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival announces the highly anticipated juried and audience award-winning films for work screened at the 35th annual festival, September 21-28 2017. The complete list of award-winning films follows:

Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature:
Cat Skin (dir. Daniel Grasskamp)

Jury Award for Best Documentary Feature:
Woman on Fire (dir. Julie Sokolow)

Jury Award for Best Narrative Short:
Dusk (dir. Jake Graf)

Jury Award for Best Documentary Short:
Jeanne Córdova: Butches, Lies, and Feminism (dir. Gregorio Davila)

Jury Award for Best Animated/Experimental Short:
In A Heartbeat (dir. Beth David, Esteban Bravo)

Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature:
I Dream in Another Language (dir. Ernesto Contreras)

Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature:
Chavela (dir. Catherine Gund, Daresha Kyi)

Audience Award for Best Narrative Short:
Something New (dir. TJ Marchbank)

Audience Award for Best Documentary Short:
Jeanne Córdova: Butches, Lies, and Feminism (dir. Gregorio Davila)

Audience Award for Best Animated/Experimental Short:
In A Heartbeat (dir. Beth David, Esteban Bravo)

JURY STATEMENTS

DOCUMENTARIES NATURE
WINNER: DUSK CHORUS
What an experience! Not only is this a well-presented long-term and ambitious project, it is also the perfect interplay of cinematography, story-line and sound. The film makes it possible to become fully immersed in an extraordinary acoustic and visual experience.  This an excellent piece of work that expands our understanding and explores environmental problems in a completely new light. The jury members would like to compliment the filmmakers for this outstanding student thesis project.

HONORABLE MENTION:
IM BANN DES MONDES (BEWITCHED BY THE MOON)!

An excellent nature film about the moon’s impact on our world.  The film shows how impressively land, plants and animals follow the cycle of the moon. Varied and dynamic, the aesthetics and rhythm of the film make this connection clear.

DOCUMENTARIES ENVIRONMENT
WINNER: THE LAST PIG

With care and detail, this empathic film tells the story of an unusual pig farmer.  The unobtrusive manner in which the farmer’s story is told and the sensitive nature of the filmmaking leave room for the viewer to analyze and interpret the complexities of the topic.  A moving story, a great protagonist, and impressive cinematography. 

HONORABLE MENTION: POETS OF LIFE

A gentle interpretation of the story of a female Iranian farmer. Viewers follow the journey of a sympathetic protagonist, who loves her soil, as she evolves into an engaged nature activist. One begins to recognize the significance of small occurrences in her daily life.  We come to see the importance of both small and large issues, from earthworms to an international rice business. The camera stays focused on the protagonist, and captures the surroundings of the farmer in an unobtrusive, poetic way. 

HONORABLE MENTION: LAKE OF APPLES

In fairy-tale like fashion, the environmental problems of this Macedonian lake are brought to the attention of the viewer.   The film highlughts careful camera work, while also offering concrete solutions.  The film deserves recognition due to the authenticity of the protangonists. 

SHORT FILMS

WINNER: DER BLOCK / THE BLOCK

That a story can be effectively told through a single shot proves the skills of this director. A seemingly common scene develops into an amusing and entertaining film, revealing the social developments of this region in Kyrgyzstan.

HONORABLE MENTION: AFTER THE VOLCANO

This story developed from an archive of Super 8 films, which originally had nothing to do with one another. The decision to compose a drama in this novel format was entertaining. The eccentric idea was carried out in a humourous fashion.

ANIMATIONS

WINNER: BENE’S HORIZON

In this film, the power of the narrative is presented in an outstanding way. The film draws viewers into the life of poachers in Africa, thus enabling them to experience the violent exploitation of the rainforest and its animals.  With feeling, and in a mythical way, an important problem is addressed. Color and music compliment a seemingly simple aesthetic.

HONORABLE MENTION: MISHIMASAIKO

The strength, as well as the fragility, of nature are the subject of this poetic hero-story.  Sophisticated animation techniques are focused on even the smallest details, creating a completely extraordinary aesthetic universe in manga style.

Young Talents

WINNER: THE LAST HOUNDS

The hunter becomes the hunted.  The last hounds is a film that succeeds in telling a story using pictures. The filmmaker, Morgane Thibaut, skillfully minimizes her documentation and thereby manages to captivate the viewer.  An insight into another time and tradition.

HONORABLE MENTION: IN SEARCH ORF LEOPARDS (AND OTHER COOL STUFF)

The newcomer, Josh Guyan, takes us along on his adventurous quest through the jungle.  With him, we are close to the action.  He also creates a sense of suspense and maintains it throughout the entire film.

BEST FILM ON THE TOPIC OF SOIL

DEAD DONKEYS FEAR NO HYENAS

Is this even an environmental movie?  It doesn’t actually matter. This film tells a story that simply must be told, and does it in a very personal way.  Moreover, the film is very well-researched. The imagery is not easy to observe, but never boring.  Dead Donkeys Fear No Hyenas discusses grievances in meaningful ways.

The World Bank and international investors come under severe criticism: the film shows not only the menacing scale of official land grabs in Ethiopia, but also the methods and connections to the global capital system.  The story of small farmers, who have lost their land, is portrayed with impressive camera work. The film is thought provoking and evokes empathy.  And that's a good thing. The film is at once exciting, scandalous and investigative.

ALL WINNING FILMS NOW ELIGIBLE FOR OSCARS®

 This year, the Student Academy Awards competition received a total of 1,587 entries from 267 domestic and 89 international colleges and universities – which were voted by a record number of Academy members.  The 2017 winners join the ranks of such past Student Academy Award winners as Patricia Cardoso, Pete Docter, Cary Fukunaga, John Lasseter, Spike Lee, Trey Parker and Robert Zemeckis.

The winners are (listed alphabetically by film title):

Alternative (Domestic Film Schools)
"Opera of Cruelty," Max R. A. Fedore, New York University

Animation (Domestic Film Schools)
"Cradle," Devon Manney, University of Southern California
"E-delivery," Young Gul Cho, School of Visual Arts
"In a Heartbeat," Beth David and Esteban Bravo, Ringling College of Art and Design

Documentary (Domestic Film Schools)
"Hale," Brad Bailey, University of California, Berkeley
"On Pointe," Priscilla Thompson and Joy Jihyun Jeong, Columbia University
"One Way Home," Qingzi Fan, New York University

Narrative (Domestic Film Schools)
"Mammoth," Ariel Heller, University of Southern California
"My Newphew Emmett," Kevin Wilson, Jr., New York University
"Who’s Who in Mycology," Marie Dvorakova, New York University

Narrative (International Film Schools)
"Facing Mecca," Jan-Eric Mack, Zurich University of the Arts (Switzerland)
"Watu Wote/All of Us," Katja Benrath, Hamburg Media School (Germany)
"When Grey is a Colour," Marit Weerheijm, Netherlands Film Academy (Netherlands)

Animation (International Film Schools)
"Life Smartphone," Chenglin Xie, China Central Academy of Fine Arts (China)

Documentary (International Film Schools)
"Galamsey," Johannes Preuss, Filmakademie Baden-Wurttemberg (Germany)

First-time honors go to China Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing.

All Student Academy Award-winning films are eligible to compete for 2017 Oscars^® in the Animated Short Film or Live Action Short Film category and 2018 Oscars in the Documentary Short Subject category.  Past winners have gone on to receive 57 Oscar nominations and have won or shared 11 awards.  This year one 2016 Student Academy Award winner received an Oscar nomination in the Documentary Short Subject category: Daphne Matziaraki, a Gold Medal winner in the Documentary category for "4.1 Miles."

Students will arrive in Los Angeles for a week of industry activities that will culminate in the awards ceremony on Thursday, October 12, at 7:30 p.m., at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.  The medal placements – gold, silver and bronze – in the seven award categories will be announced at the ceremony.

New this year, the competition was expanded to allow two options for students at international film schools to submit their films. In addition to CILECT-member schools submitting one student film per international film school category, international students may now enter films that qualify through film festivals recognized by the Student Academy Awards Executive Committee. 

The 44th Student Academy Awards ceremony on October 12 is free and open to the public, but advance tickets are required.  Tickets may be obtained online at oscars.org starting today.  Any remaining tickets will be made available at the door on the evening of the event.  The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills.

The Student Academy Awards were established in 1972 to provide a platform for emerging global talent by creating opportunities within the industry to showcase their work.

Four individuals and one writing team have been selected as winners of the 2017 Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting competition.  The fellows will each receive a $35,000 prize, the first installment of which will be distributed at the Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting Awards Presentation & Live Read on Thursday, November 2, at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.  For the fifth consecutive year, an ensemble of actors will be reading selected scenes from the winning scripts.

The 2017 winners are (listed alphabetically by author):

Vigil Chime, , “Jellyfish Summer”

Max Lance and Jen Bailey, “Last Days of Winter”

Cesar Vitale, “Roll the Bones”

Lillian Wang, “The Cutting Season”

Michael A. Wright, “The Savage”
 

Fellowships are awarded with the understanding that the recipients will each complete a feature-length screenplay during their fellowship year.  The Academy acquires no rights to the works of Nicholl fellows and does not involve itself commercially in any way with their completed scripts.

The Academy Nicholl Fellowships Committee is chaired by writer Robin Swicord.  The members of the committee are writers Tina Gordon Chism, Larry Karaszewski, Dan Petrie Jr., Eric Roth, Misan Sagay, Kirsten Smith and Tyger Williams; animation director Jennifer Yuh Nelson; cinematographer Steven Poster; executives Marcus Hu and Bill Mechanic; producers Stephanie Allain, Albert Berger, Julia Chasman, Julie Lynn and Robert W. Shapiro; and sound Bobbi Banks.

The global competition, which aims to identify and encourage talented new screenwriters, has awarded 152 fellowships since it began in 1986.  In 2017 several past Nicholl fellows added to their feature film and television credits:  

• Allison Anders directed and Nikole Beckwith co-wrote “Beaches,” which aired on Lifetime. Allison also directed episodes of “Riverdale” and “Time After Time.”  Nikole co-wrote “Three Generations,” which opened theatrically in May.
• Destin Cretton and Andrew Lanham wrote and Destin directed “The Glass Castle,” which opened theatrically in June. Destin and Andrew co-wrote “The Shack,” which opened theatrically in March.
• Sean Robert Daniels was on the writing staff of “High Rollers” and was head writer on “Grit,” both of which aired on South African television.
• Bob Edwards co-wrote and produced the feature documentary “The Last Laugh,” which opened theatrically in March.
• Jacob Estes co-wrote “Rings,” which opened theatrically in February.
• Ken Kristensen is a writer on the forthcoming TV series “The Punisher” on Netflix and “Happy” on SyFy.
• Tianna Lanham co-wrote “Il Nido” (“The Nest”), which had its North American premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
• Eric Nazarian co-wrote “Three Christs,” which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.
• Mike Rich co-wrote “Cars 3,” which opened theatrically in June.
• Abel and Burlee Vang wrote and directed “Bedeviled,” which opened theatrically in June.

Tickets for the 2017 Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting Awards Presentation & Live Read are now available at Oscars.org/Events.  Casting for the live read will be announced at a later date.  

A record 92 countries have submitted films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category for the 90th Academy Awards®.  Haiti, Honduras, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mozambique, Senegal and Syria are first-time entrants.

The 2017 submissions are:

Afghanistan, “A Letter to the President,” Roya Sadat, director;
Albania, “Daybreak,” Gentian Koçi, director;
Algeria, “Road to Istanbul,” Rachid Bouchareb, director;
Argentina, “Zama,” Lucrecia Martel, director;
Armenia, “Yeva,” Anahit Abad, director;
Australia, “The Space Between,” Ruth Borgobello, director;
Austria, “Happy End,” Michael Haneke, director;
Azerbaijan, “Pomegranate Orchard,” Ilgar Najaf, director;
Bangladesh, “The Cage,” Akram Khan, director;
Belgium, “Racer and the Jailbird,” Michaël R. Roskam, director;
Bolivia, “Dark Skull,” Kiro Russo, director;
Bosnia and Herzegovina, “Men Don’t Cry,” Alen Drljević, director;
Brazil, “Bingo - The King of the Mornings,” Daniel Rezende, director;
Bulgaria, “Glory,” Petar Valchanov, Kristina Grozeva, directors;
Cambodia, “First They Killed My Father,” Angelina Jolie, director;
Canada, “Hochelaga, Land of Souls,” François Girard, director;
Chile, “A Fantastic Woman,” Sebastián Lelio, director;
China, “Wolf Warrior 2,” Wu Jing, director;
Colombia, “Guilty Men,” Iván D. Gaona, director;
Costa Rica, “The Sound of Things,” Ariel Escalante, director;
Croatia, “Quit Staring at My Plate,” Hana Jušić, director;
Czech Republic, “Ice Mother,” Bohdan Sláma, director;
Denmark, “You Disappear,” Peter Schønau Fog, director;
Dominican Republic, “Woodpeckers,” Jose Maria Cabral, director;
Ecuador, “Alba,” Ana Cristina Barragán, director;
Egypt, “Sheikh Jackson,” Amr Salama, director;
Estonia, “November,” Rainer Sarnet, director;
Finland, “Tom of Finland,” Dome Karukoski, director;
France, “BPM (Beats Per Minute),” Robin Campillo, director;
Georgia, “Scary Mother,” Ana Urushadze, director;
Germany, “In the Fade,” Fatih Akin, director;
Greece, “Amerika Square,” Yannis Sakaridis, director;
Haiti, “Ayiti Mon Amour,” Guetty Felin, director;
Honduras, “Morazán,” Hispano Durón, director;
Hong Kong, “Mad World,” Wong Chun, director;
Hungary, “On Body and Soul,” Ildikó Enyedi, director;
Iceland, “Under the Tree,” Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson, director;
India, “Newton,” Amit V Masurkar, director;
Indonesia, “Turah,” Wicaksono Wisnu Legowo, director;
Iran, “Breath,” Narges Abyar, director;
Iraq, “Reseba - The Dark Wind,” Hussein Hassan, director;
Ireland, “Song of Granite,” Pat Collins, director;
Israel, “Foxtrot,” Samuel Maoz, director;
Italy, “A Ciambra,” Jonas Carpignano, director;
Japan, “Her Love Boils Bathwater,” Ryota Nakano, director;
Kazakhstan, “The Road to Mother,” Akhan Satayev, director;
Kenya, “Kati Kati,” Mbithi Masya, director;
Kosovo, “Unwanted,” Edon Rizvanolli, director;
Kyrgyzstan, “Centaur,” Aktan Arym Kubat, director;
Lao People’s Democratic Republic, “Dearest Sister,” Mattie Do, director;
Latvia, “The Chronicles of Melanie,” Viestur Kairish, director;
Lebanon, “The Insult,” Ziad Doueiri, director;
Lithuania, “Frost,” Sharunas Bartas, director;
Luxembourg, “Barrage,” Laura Schroeder, director;
Mexico, “Tempestad,” Tatiana Huezo, director;
Mongolia, “The Children of Genghis,” Zolbayar Dorj, director;
Morocco, “Razzia,” Nabil Ayouch, director;
Mozambique, “The Train of Salt and Sugar,” Licinio Azevedo, director;
Nepal, “White Sun,” Deepak Rauniyar, director;
Netherlands, “Layla M.,” Mijke de Jong, director;
New Zealand, “One Thousand Ropes,” Tusi Tamasese, director;
Norway, “Thelma,” Joachim Trier, director;
Pakistan, “Saawan,” Farhan Alam, director;
Palestine, “Wajib,” Annemarie Jacir, director;
Panama, “Beyond Brotherhood,” Arianne Benedetti, director;
Paraguay, “Los Buscadores,” Juan Carlos Maneglia, Tana Schembori, directors;
Peru, “Rosa Chumbe,” Jonatan Relayze, director;
Philippines, “Birdshot,” Mikhail Red, director;
Poland, “Spoor,” Agnieszka Holland, Kasia Adamik, directors;
Portugal, “Saint George,” Marco Martins, director;
Romania, “Fixeur,” Adrian Sitaru, director;
Russia, “Loveless,” Andrey Zvyagintsev, director;
Senegal, “Félicité,” Alain Gomis, director;
Serbia, “Requiem for Mrs. J.,” Bojan Vuletic, director;
Singapore, “Pop Aye,” Kirsten Tan, director;
Slovakia, “The Line,” Peter Bebjak, director;
Slovenia, “The Miner,” Hanna A. W. Slak, director;
South Africa, “The Wound,” John Trengove, director;
South Korea, “A Taxi Driver,” Jang Hoon, director;
Spain, “Summer 1993,” Carla Simón, director;
Sweden, “The Square,” Ruben Östlund, director;
Switzerland, “The Divine Order,” Petra Volpe, director;
Syria, “Little Gandhi,” Sam Kadi, director;
Taiwan, “Small Talk,” Hui-Chen Huang, director;
Thailand, “By the Time It Gets Dark,” Anocha Suwichakornpong, director;
Tunisia, “The Last of Us,” Ala Eddine Slim, director;
Turkey, “Ayla: The Daughter of War,” Can Ulkay, director;
Ukraine, “Black Level,” Valentyn Vasyanovych, director;
United Kingdom, “My Pure Land,” Sarmad Masud, director;
Uruguay, “Another Story of the World,” Guillermo Casanova, director;
Venezuela, “El Inca,” Ignacio Castillo Cottin, director;
Vietnam, “Father and Son,” Luong Dinh Dung, director.

Nominations for the 90th Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, January 23, 2018.

The 90th Oscars® will be held on Sunday, March 4, 2018, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.  The Oscars also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

LOVELESS (Best Film), THE WOUND (Best First Feature), KINGDOM OF US (Best Documentary) and THE RABBIT HUNT (Best Short Film) receive the Star of London

The 61st BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express® announced this year’s Festival Award-winners at its high profile Awards dinner, at Banqueting House, Whitehall, this evening. Hosted by James Nesbitt and with an address from BFI Chair Josh Berger, guests includedAndrea Arnold, Hayley Atwell, Eric Bana, Jessie Buckley, Lily Cole, Jason Isaacs, Adrian Lester, Helen McCrory, Andrea Riseborough, Anya Taylor Joy and this year’s BFI Fellowship recipient, Paul Greengrass. 

OFFICIAL COMPETITION WINNER – Best Film: LOVELESS, directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev (Russia, France, Germany, Belgium)

Recognising inspiring, inventive and distinctive filmmaking, the winner of the Best Film Award, went to Andrey Zvyagintsev’s LOVELESS, a powerful and eloquent film about a divorcing Russian couple whose son disappears. The award was announced by President of the Official Competition jury, previous Sutherland alumnus and Academy Award® and BAFTA-winning director Andrea Arnold: 

The jury commented:

 “We felt that Loveless was a very poetic and beautiful film. Dark and told with a fierce passion. Although the film concentrated on the intimate story of one family in Russia, it felt like a universal tragedy; one that we recognized as one of the world¹s great sadnesses.  The film-maker elevated the personal to a social and political statement. A critique of our current psychological and political moment. Some of us felt the film a cautionary tale. An angry warning. And some of us saw it as a rallying call for the opposite of what the film is called.   

We also commend Wajib. We found this to be a very honest, tender and beautifully acted story about a father and son delivering wedding invitations to their relatives. Sometimes funny and often sad we loved the glimpse into the lives of ordinary Christian Arabs in Nazareth. And through the intimacy between father and son, the film explored the clash of old and new in a fast changing world.  A call for patience, respect and understanding”. 
 

Arnold’s fellow jurors were the BAFTA award-winning filmmaker Babak Anvari; the actor Eric Bana whoselatest film THE FORGIVEN premiered at this year’s LFF; Ashley Clark, senior programmer of cinema at BAM Brooklyn; actor and social entrepreneur Lily Cole; previous LFF Best Film winner, the writer and director Alexei Popogrebsky and the BAFTA and Academy Award®-nominated producer Emma Thomas.

This is the second time that Andrey Zvyagintsev has won the Best Film at BFI London Film Festival having previously received the award for LEVIATHAN in 2014 which subsequently went on to win the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language film and was nominated for an Academy Award and a BAFTA in the same category. 

FIRST FEATURE COMPETITION WINNER – The Sutherland Award: John Trengove for THE WOUND (South Africa) 

The long-standing Sutherland Award is named after the first Chairman of the British Film Institute, George Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 5th Duke of Sutherland.  The Sutherland Award is presented to the director of the most original and imaginative first feature in the Festival, and this year’s winner is John Trengove for THE WOUND, a powerful exploration of masculinity and unspoken queer desire set in the remote mountains of South Africa’s Eastern Cape. The winner was announced by the jury president, composer and producer,Melissa Parmenter.

About THE WOUND, the jury said:

“Among a strong field of debut features, we found ourselves enamoured by the urgency, vitality and originality of The Wound. Director John Trengove and his terrific cast have created a dynamic and inimitable coming-of-age story that takes a heart-breaking look at masculinity and sexuality. 

We would also like to give a special mention to the dreamlike Summer 1993, a beautiful and personal film, impressively and sensitively crafted. Its director and screenwriter Carla Simón is an exciting emerging filmmaker to watch”.

Parmenter’s fellow jurors were freelance film writer and editor Kaleem Aftab; the multi-award-winning actorsJason Isaacs and Helen McCrory and the filmmaker and Turner Prize-nominated artist Isaac Julien CBE.

DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION WINNER – The Grierson Award: KINGDOM OF US , directed by Lucy Cohen (United Kingdom)

The Grierson Award for the Best Documentary recognises outstanding feature-length documentaries of integrity, originality, technical excellence or cultural significance. Lucy Cohen’s documentary feature debut is a luminous exploration of grief, identity, family bonds and emotional recovery.. The award was presented by the jury President, the BAFTA & Academy Award®-winning documentary producer, John Battsek.

On behalf of the jury, John Battsek said:

“In a strong and diverse documentary selection, Lucy Cohen’s impressive debut Kingdom of Us equally fascinated and moved us all. It captures an extraordinary level of family intimacy in its delicate exploration of grief and memory.   

We would like to specially commend the poignant yet beautiful Makala, which examines third world poverty in simple and unflinching way, and also the thoroughly enjoyable, charming, inventive hybrid Before Summer Ends – this French road trip with three expat Iranians really touched and delighted the jury”. 

Joining Battsek on the jury this year were BAFTA and GRIERSON-winning editor and producer Paul Dosaj; creative director of UK Factual at Raw TV Liesel Evans; multi-award-winning directors Edward Lovelace andJames Hall and the highly-accoladed documentary veteran Norma Percy.

SHORT FILM COMPETITION WINNER – Best Short Film Award: THE RABBIT HUNT directed by Patrick Bresnan (USA) 

The Short Film Award is now in its third year at the Festival, and recognises short form works with a unique cinematic voice and a confident handling of chosen theme and content. Patrick Bresnan’s documentary short film THE RABBIT HUNT follows a family hunting rabbits in the sugarcane fields of the Florida Everglades during the harvest season. The Short Film award was presented by jury President, the Academy Award® and BAFTA-winning animation director and illustrator, Michael Dudok de Wit.

Of the winning film, Dudok de Wit and his jury commented:

“We were unanimously impressed by Patrick Bresnan's verité documentary The Rabbit Hunt. The film is a thrilling look at one family's otherwise everyday hustle, and is proof that farm-to-table eating doesn't have to be a bourgeoisie exercise. We admired its agility, its confidence and its refusal to judge its enterprising subjects, and are excited to see what Bresnan does next.

We are also giving a special mention to Scaffold, for its assured simplicity and economy of storytelling; Martin Cries (Martin Pleure), for its inventiveness in transforming the ultraviolent video game Grand Theft Auto V into a tone poem about loneliness; and to Deborah Zebeda, for her magnetic performance in Laws Of The Game”.

Joining Dudok de Wit on the jury were film critic and culture writer, Simran Hans; BAFTA-winning producer Afolabi Kuti; one of the former BAFTA 'Brits to Watch' and director of the acclaimed feature debut LADY MACBETH, William Oldroyd and actor Chloe Pirrie, a former BAFTA Breakthrough awardee and Screen Star of Tomorrow.

BFI FELLOWSHIP Paul Greengrass (as previously announced)

This year’s BFI Fellowship was presented to BAFTA award-winning director, producer, screenwriter and former broadcast journalist, PAUL GREENGRASS by his frequent collaborator Tim Bevan.

Planet in Focus, Canada’s foremost and longest running environmental film festival, is honoured to be hosting the 4th Annual International Green Film Network Awards.

The Green Film Network brings together the major film festivals that take place annually around the globe that focus on environmental issues. The network objective is to coordinate the events of the associated festivals, promote environmental films worldwide and encourage initiatives and projects that might help people ponder about the environment.

In partnership with:

 

Presented by:

 

Sponsored by:

 

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Green Vision Award: 24 SNOW

 

Green Cinema Award: PLASTIC CHINA

 

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Friday, October 20

The Revue Cinema

6:30 PM

 

BUY TICKETS

Friday, October 20

The Revue Cinema

9:00 PM

 

BUY TICKETS

Mikhail Barynin | Russia | 2016 | 90 min | PG

If temperatures of -40°C make Canadian winter seem intolerable, then one can only imagine living in a climate that dips below -70°. But that’s the reality for farmers like Sergei in the Siberian Russian territory of Yakutia who breeds horses in an environment where the ground is almost always frozen. Despite the unforgiving weather, 24 Snow captures Yakutia in all its staggering beauty. Sumptuous cinematography and a vibrant score make this film a work of art and a stirring portrait of a land and its inhabitants. This gorgeous film shows how Sergei and his neighbours thrive despite the extreme elements and warm up to modern technology as they adapt their way of life to the south.

Jiu-liang Wang | China | 2016 | 81 min | PG

The class system is alive in all its toxicity in Jiu-liang Wang’s IDFA award-winning Plastic China, a film shot in Shandong on the country’s east coast. There, the hard drinking Peng makes $6.50 a day working in a plastic recycling plant run by the authoritarian Kun. Working alongside Peng are his three children, including the 11- year old Yi-Jie, a bright girl who wants to attend school. While Kun’s son gets to go to private school, Yi-Jie’s prospects of getting an education and bettering herself are minimal. “Wang’s inquisitive cameras compile a grim reportage of what looks like an unwholesome, even toxic environment for workers, bosses and pint-sized residents alike. Harmful, insidious, invisible forces are evidently at work here, both of a socioeconomic and physiological nature.”—Neil Young, Hollywood Reporter

The winners of the International Uranium Film Festival Berlin 2017(link is external).

The International Uranium Film Festival Berlin was for the 6th time in Berlin. Between Oktober 10 and 15 the in the world unique atomic age film festival screened 28 nuclear films. More than a dozen filmmakers participated in the event with a fantastic audience of hundreds of people from Berlin and around the globe. "The sixth Uranium Film Festival in Berlin was a blast", concluded Festival director Norbert G. Suchanek. 

Three films from Japan, France and Brazil received the Uranium Film Festival Award that is a piece of art created by Brazilian waste-material-artist Getúlio Damado, who lives and works in the famous artist quarter Santa Teresa in Rio de Janeiro. Getúlio uses waste material that he finds in the streets of Santa Teresa and old, broken watches to remember the first atomic bomb dropped over Hiroshima. Watches in Hiroshima stopped exactly at 8:15 in the morning when the A-bomb exploded on August 6th, 1945.  Die award ceremony was moderated by Claus Biegert, filmmaker, journalist and founder of the Nuclear-Free Future Award (NFFA).

And these are the International Uranium Film Festival in Berlin 2017 winners.(link is external)

Best Feature Documentary

Greetings from Mururoa (Bons Baisers de Moruroa)

Algeria, France, 2016, Director Larbi Benchiha, production: Aligal production and France Télévisions, documentary 52 min, French with German or English subtitles.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o42VnV8qYEQ(link is external)

Best Fiction Short Film

Algo do que Fica (Something that remains)

Brazil, 2017, director Benedito Ferreira, fiction movie, 23 min, Portuguese with German subtitles.

Berlin Audience Award

NUCLEAR CATTLE

Japan, 2016, Director Tamotsu Matsubara, Production Power-i Inc, Documentary, 98 min, Japanese with English or German subtitles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuhzHjWPBms(link is external)

Honorary Lifetime Achievement Award

Odesson Alves Ferreira

He is surviver of the „nuclear“ accident of Goiânia in Brazil in 1987. Odesson Alves Ferreira is spokesman and until recently long-standing president of the Association of Cesium Victims of Goiânia (AVCésio). Odesson himself was strongly contaminated by highly radioactive Cesium-137 and lives with the consequences. 

Since 30 years he is telling his story for that the accident of Goiânia will never be forgotten nor repeated.

Special Recognition 

CHERNOBYL 3828

Ukraine, 2011, Director Serhiy Zabolotny, Production, Igor Kobryn, Film studio „Telecon“, Documentary, 27 min, Russian with German subtitles.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zduyeJayD84(link is external)

INVOLUTION(S)

France, Japan, Director Cris Ubermann, Experimental, 15 min, no Dialogue. Filminfo:http://www.crisubermann.com/(link is external)

JOURNEY WITHOUT END

Japan, 2014, Director and producer Masako Sakata, Documentary, 78 min, Japanese with english subtitles. Filminfo/Trailer:  http://www.cine.co.jp/owaranai_tabi/eng/(link is external)

NUCLEAR HALLUCINATIONS (ATOMARE HALLUZINATIONEN)

India, UK, 2016, Director Fathima Nizaruddin, Production: Joram ten Brink. Documentary, 54 min, English. Filminfo: https://www.facebook.com/nuclearhallucinations2016/(link is external)

NUCLEAR WASTE LAND?

UK, Director Timothy Large, Production Thomson Reuters Foundation, Documentary, 14 min, English. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Gpt46ofCXs(link is external)

ROADSIDE RADIATION

Ukraine/Germany, 2016, Director Moritz Schulz, Production Michael Sladek & Earlybirdpictures GbR, Documentary, 55 min, Russian, Ukrainian with German subtitles. Filminfo: http://roadside-radiation.com/index.php/de/(link is external)

THE DAY THE SUN FELL

Switzerland/Finland/Japan, 2015, Regie Aya Domenig , Producer: Mirjam von Arx, Documentary, 78 min, Japanese, German or English subtitles Filminfo: https://www.alsdiesonnevomhimmelfiel.com(link is external)

Festival Patrons

Klaus Mindrup, Member of the German Parliament

"The Uranium Film Festival which is the only one worldwide dedicated exclusively to nuclear power and the whole nuclear fuel chain has already attracted numerous spectators in recent years. Many nations continue to invest in nuclear power and uranium mining. All the inhabitants of the earth must be aware of the importance of this topic. Not only in Germany, but also globally, people need to be informed about radioactivity and dangers of atomic waste. If this happens in a creative and artistic way, this is to be supported twice. „

Jörg Sommer, Chairman of the German Environmental Foundation

"The Uranium Film Festival is unique because it tries to make the complex issue of nuclear power and its risks accessible to all."

Uwe Bünker, Bünker Casting GbR

"What can be done that everyone participates in the German nuclear phase-out?  Are the catastrophes of Chernobyl, Fukushima, Sellafield and so on not enough to wake up the people? The festival is an important contribution to awareness building and enlightenment and hopefully leads to further discussion, moving to thought and action. We continue to struggle for our precious world!“

Supporters & Partners

Main Festivalpartners & Sponsors of the Uranium Film Festival in Berlin 2017 are Umweltbundesamt and Ministry of the Environment of Germany, the Elektrizitätswerke Schönau (EWS), Naturstrom, the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War Germany  (IPPNW), Sayonara Nukes Berlin, the International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons Germany (ICBUW), COOP Anti-War Kunstbar Café, the International Association of Lawyers against Nuclear Arms  (IALANA), the Friedensglockengesellschaft Berlin, Cinestar Berlin and the Zeiss-Großplanetarium and since 2011 Cachaça Magnífica do Brasil from Rio de Janeiro. 

Contact Uranium Film Festival

·       Swedish director Mikael Bundsen wins international Iris Prize for Mother Knows Best (Mamma Vet Bäst)

“A brilliantly scripted and intense short film which uses a great economy of shots to tell a powerful and universal story.”

·       Dionne Edwards’s film We Love Moses wins the Best British Award.

·       Best Feature win for Prom King, 2010

·       Miles Szanto and Fawzia Mirza win Best Performance Awards

Mother Knows Best, directed by filmmaker Mikael Bundsen has been announced as the winner of the 2017 Iris Prize, Cardiff’s International LGBT Short Film Prize, supported by The Michael Bishop Foundation. The £30,000 prize will allow Bundsen to make a new short film in Wales, becoming the tenth Iris production.
The winners were announced at the Iris Carnival at Cardiff venue Depot on Sunday, marking the culmination of six days of film screenings, talks and forums.  The event included a programme of live music, with a special guest appearance by Heather Small.

International Jury chair Brian Robinson said, “Mother Knows Best is a brilliantly scripted and intense short film which uses a great economy of shots to tell a powerful and beautifully acted, universal story in which the realities of a young gay man’s different relationships with his parents are played out.”

Special commendations also go to: Odd Job Man and The Mess He Made.

“Odd Job Man is a well-shot, beautifully constructed film that tells a heart-warming story with compelling dry wit and humour, boasting a great lead performance.

“The Mess He Made manages to create a whole world with fine cinematography and a wonderfully nuanced central performance, when some mundane errands turn into a life-changing moment.”

The winner was announced by Heather Small, and the Iris Carnival hosted by Capital FM’s Matt Lissack.

The other winners are: 

We Love Moses directed by Dionne Edwards was announced as Best British Short, sponsored by Pinewood Studios.

Best British jury chair Katie White said, “We Love Moses is a vividly realised tale of curiosity, secrecy and regret. One of its most refreshing aspects is the film’s mediation through the eyes of a young black girl, a perspective seldom foregrounded in cinema. Avoiding clichés of childhood innocence and naïveté, Edwards works more in the vein of a filmmaker like Catherine Breillat, allowing girlhood to be a space of sexual curiosity and wry observation.”

The award was presented by David Johnston of Pinewood Studios.

Also highly commended were:

Where We Are Now directed by Lucie Rachel and Eté directed by GregoryOke.

Best Feature Film went to Prom King, 2010, directed by Christopher Schaap. The award was presented by Emma Clark and Chris Williams of Buzz Magazine.

Announcing the winner Chris said, “I loved everything about Prom King, 2010. I was able to relate to the main character, as I’m sure must be the case for the wider audience. Christopher takes the conventional US teen drama and presents the story with visual flare and a European cinematic sensibility. I hope the film gets to be seen by as wide an audience as possible.”

Also highly commended was Icelandic horror film Rift, directed by Erlingur Thorrodsen.

Best Performance Awards, sponsored by Attitude and DIVA:

The award for Best Performance in a Male Role went to Miles Szanto for Teenage Kicks.

The award for Best Performance in a Female Role went to Fawzia Mirza for Signature Move.

The winners were announced by Matt Cain, editor of Attitude, and Carrie Lyell, editor of DIVA magazine.

Commenting later, the jury said:

“Miles Szanto’s performance was amazing. The juxtaposition between physical strength and emotional vulnerability was mesmerising. We’re looking forward to watching his movie career with great anticipation.

“We believe that Fawzia Mirza came across as naturally funny, with impeccable comedy timing. Her performance challenges the public perception of what it’s like to be a young Pakistani Muslim lesbian.”

And finally, the Iris Prize Youth Award, sponsored by Cardiff University, went to Lily, directed by Graham Cantwell from Ireland. The votes were cast by over 100 students at the Iris Prize Education day and over 60 young people at the Pride Cymru Youth Festival.

The award was presented by Youth Council representatives Alex Jones and Eve Limbrick, who said, “Lily was inspirational, and if it’s played in schools and universities it will change behaviours. Winning this award is such an important part of this year’s festival.”

Notes for editors:

The Iris Prize is a six-day celebration of LGBT film in Cardiff. The programme includes screenings of 35 international short films competing for the Iris Prize and the 15 Best British Short nominees, as well as feature films, parties, talks, an education day and much more. Iris continues to be the only LGBT short film prize in the world which allows the winner to make a new film.

The main festival sponsors are: The Michael Bishop Foundation, Welsh Government, BFI, Ffilm Cymru Wales, Pinewood Studios Group, Cardiff University, FOR Cardiff, Gorilla Group, Co-op Respect and Cineworld. The festival also works in partnership with BAFTA Cymru and Pride Cymru.
The Iris Prize Festival returns in 2018 – Date for the diary: 9 – 14 October 2018

Ends.

‘Zagros’, the debut feature by Belgian-Kurdish director Sahim Omar Kalifa, has been awarded the Grand Prix for Best Film at Film Fest Gent's Closing Night, while Italy's Oscar hopeful, Jonas Carpignano’s coming-of-age drama ‘A Ciambra’, scooped the Georges Delerue Award for Best Music. ‘Croisé’ took home the National Lottery Award for Best Belgian Student Short, whereas the award for Best European Short went to ‘My Second Eye’. Actress and Film Fest Gent jury member Greta Scacchi was also presented the Joseph Plateau Honoray Award honouring extraordinary achievements in film.

‘Zagros’ sees a young Kurdish shepherd who follows his wife to Belgium after she’s being suspected of adultery. First-time helmer Sahim Omar Kalifa previously directed the Berlin-awarded short ‘Land of the Heroes’, as well as ‘Baghdad Messi’ and ‘Bad Hunter’ which were both shortlisted for the Academy Awards. The Grand Prix for Best Film comes with a distribution grant of €20,000 to support the film’s domestic theatrical release, and a national media campaign worth over €25,000.

In its report, the jury lauds the film’s “outstanding acting, sincere storytelling and compelling plot”. “The director managed to show us a real story in a naturalistic way, leaving its audience puzzled and deeply moved.”

The Georges Delerue Award for Best Music was awarded to ‘A Ciambra’ in which Italian-American filmmaker Jonas Carpignano sketches an obstinate portrait of the gypsy community in Southern Italy. The film’s soundtrack was created by American composer Dan Romer, who won the Discovery of the Year Award for ‘Beasts of the Southern Wild’ at the 2013 World Soundtrack Awards. The Georges Delerue award includes a €10,000 distribution grant and media coverage worth €12,000.

“The soundtrack and music takes us extremely close to the protagonist, his world and its problems, still we never feel trapped and travel along with the rhythmic energy of his film”, motivates the jury its decision. “A film that made us laugh and cry, touched us with its brutal beauty.”

The award for Best European Short went to ‘My Second Eye’, a German animation short by Ahmad Saleh, “for its poetic qualities, telling an animated tale of two brothers whose closeness and hope survived the brutalities of war”. Juraj Primorac’s ‘Mary’ received a Special Mention.

Elke Vanoost’s ‘Croisé, about an encounter between strangers in different stages in their lives, won the National Lottery Award for Best Belgian Student Film“because we could feel the vision of the director and could identify ourselves with the fragility of the characters”, explains the Belgian short film jury. A Special Mention was also presented to Michiel Dhont’s ‘Poor Kids’.

Earlier this week, Hans Vannetelbosch’s short ‘Sons of No One’ was already revealed as the winner of the ACE Image Factory + The Fridge Public Choice Award, while Film Fest Gent’s six-headed youth jury awarded the Explore Award to Luca Guadagnino’s coming-of-age story ‘Call Me by Your Name’.

Finally, Italian-Australian actress Greta Scacchi, known for her roles in such films as ‘White Mischief’, ‘Presumed Innocent’ and ‘La tenerezza’ was given a Joseph Plateau Honorary Award for extraordinary achievements in film. Scacchi was part of Film Fest Gent’s international jury this year, together with Eytan Fox, Juliane Lorenz, Arnaud Valois, Gust Van den Berghe and jury president Aurelio Grimaldi.

Following the Official Awards Ceremony, the 44th edition of Film Fest Gent came to a close with the world première of Bert Scholiers mumblecore comedy 'Charlie and Hannah's Grand Night Out', starring Daphne Wellens and Evelien Bosmans.

In 2018, Film Fest Gent celebrates its 45th anniversary and will take place from 9 til 19 October.

At the Awards Ceremony of the 10^th edition of CinEast (Central and Eastern European Film Festival in Luxembourg, 5-22 October 2017, www.cineast.lu), held at the Cinémathèque of Luxembourg on Friday 20 October, the International Jury awarded the Grand Prix to the Polish film Birds Are Singing In Kigali by Joanna Kos-Krauze & Krzysztof Krauze, and the Special Jury Prize to the Romanian film Soldiers. A Story From Ferentari by Serbian director Ivana Mladenović. The Critics’ Prize, awarded by the Press Jury, went to the film Directions by the Bulgarian director Stephan Komandarev. The Audience Award’s winner is the film The Constitution by the Croatian director Rajko Grlić. The International Jury of CinEast 2017 was composed of Anne Fontaine (French film director born in Luxembourg, President of the Jury), Adrian Titieni (Romanian actor), Bady Minck (Luxembourgish director and producer), Philippe Carcassone (French producer) and Oliver Baumgarten (programme director of the Max Ophüls Preis Film Festival in Saarbrücken).

Anne Fontaine, the president of the International Jury, commented the jury’s decision regarding the Grand Prix winner Birds Are Singing In Kigali as follows: “The CinEast 2017 Grand Prix has been unanimously awarded to the film 'Birds Are Singing In Kigali' by Joanna Kos-Krauze and Krzysztof Krauze. A moving film whose great mastery never stifles the emotion. The Jury particularly appreciated the exceptional performances of the actresses.”

As regards the Special Jury Prize for Soldiers. A Story From Ferentari, the jury member Oliver Baumgarten said: “It is a truly dazzling achievement how debut director Ivana Mladenovic succeeds in leading her amateur actors to be completely absorbed in their characters and the story. A dynamic hand-held camera and the free-floating cast make this love story a thrilling experience for the audience. Our Special Jury Prize goes to ‘Soldiers. A Story From Ferentari’ by Ivana Mladenovic.”

The Press Jury justified their verdict – Critics’ Prize for Directions - with these words: “For the interesting and rich variety of topics that it addresses, for its geographical focus, and for the sheer intelligence and originality of its narrative, the 2017 Critics‘ Prize is bestowed upon Stephan Komandarev, for his film ‘Directions’.” (Matthew Boas)

The film The Constitution by Rajko Grlić received the best results in the votes given by the audience and is, therefore, the winner of the Audience Award. Finally, the Audience Awards for the Best Short Films were awarded to:  Into The Blue by Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović (fiction, Croatia), Gamer Girl by Irena Jukić Pranjić (animation, Croatia) and Close Ties by Zofia Kowalewska (documentary, Poland).

The Awards Ceremony was followed by a screening of the film Agnus Dei / Les innocentes directed by the President of the Jury, the French director Anne Fontaine.

The 10^th CinEast film festival, presenting 60 feature and 40 short films from 19 countries of Central and Eastern Europe, runs until 22 October.

The photos from the ceremony are available here and stills from the winning films here.

Press site with all details [link], programme in PDF [link], logo [link], poster [link], festival presentation [link], film stills [link]

Details about films are available on the official website www.cineast.lu

CinEast on Facebook: www.facebook.com/cineastfestival

The CinEast 2017 festival is organised by CinEast asbl in collaboration with Cinémathèque, Neimënster, the Kinepolis Group, Ancien Cinéma and others. Main partners: City of Luxembourg, Ministry of Culture of Luxembourg, Film Fund Luxembourg and Kulczyk Investments.

Website: www.cineast.lu