Perspektive Deutsches Kino

The prize winners of the section Perspektive Deutsches Kino are:

• Compass-Perspektive-Award: Janna Ji Wonders for Walchensee Forever
• Kompagnon-Fellowships: Hristiana Raykova (Perspektive Deutsches Kino 2019) and Ian Purnell (Berlinale Talents 2020)
• Heiner-Carow-Prize: Natalija Yefimkina for Garagenvolk

Award winner Janna Ji Wonders © Daniel Seiffert

The Compass-Perspektive-Award for the best film of the programme goes to Janna Ji Wonders for the film Walchensee Forever.

On the closing evening of the Perspektive Deutsches Kino, jury members Melanie Andernach, Bernd Lange and Mia Spengler awarded the prize, which is endowed with 5,000 Euros. As a trophy, the director received a real compass, which is intended to serve as symbolic orientation and show her the direction to take going into the future.

Statement of the Jury:

This film is a crystal. The longer you look at it, the more you discover new facets. It portrays women of a family in Bavaria over five generations. Supplemented by extraordinary material obtained from the family's private archive, the protagonists report honestly, cleverly and directly to the camera. Accordingly, an overall picture of private life in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries emerges from these individual stories. Everything that is told remains personal and individual and, not least because of the modest attitude of the filmmaker and her protagonists, it develops an overwhelming strength.  Cleverly assembled, clearly filmed and narrated and produced with warm-heartedness, we listen to and watch Apa, Norma, Anna, Frauke and Janna. The silent chronicler of it all is the Walchensee, which connects all their lives.

The two Kompagnon-Fellowships Perspektive Deutsches Kino and Berlinale Talents go to Hristiana Raykova (Perspektive Deutsches Kino 2019) and to Ian Purnell (Berlinale Talents 2020) respectively.

Since 2017, the Kompagnon-Fellowship has been awarded for a new film project to an author and/or director from Berlinale Talents as well as to a director of Perspektive Deutsches Kino. With the Kompagnon-Fellowship, the Berlinale Talents and the Perspektive Deutsches Kino wish to sustainably support directors and screenwriters living in Germany in their work. In addition to the scholarship endowment of 5,000 Euros (short films: 2,500 Euros), the award also offers a mentoring programme with extra-occupational coaching aimed at strengthening one's personal hallmarks and at networking within the industry. The jury members Melanie Andernach, Bernd Lange and Mia Spengler awarded the prizes.

111 von Hristiana Rykova — Statement of the Jury:  

What are we ready to give up for our freedoms? The Bulgarian journalist Miroluba Benatova could no longer accept the new conditions of her news channel. She refused to have the questions prescribed and the answers dictated to her. Voluntarily, she went into the precarious situation of working as a taxi driver so that she could continue telling the stories of the people in her country. The director Hristiana Raykova accompanies Miroluba Benatova on her journeys. Passengers become the reflection of a society, in a country that ranks 111th in the world and last in the EU in terms of freedom of the press. In order to give form to the courage and determination of this clever rebellion, we would like to award the Kompagnon-Fellowship to Hristiana Raykova's film 111.

Arctic Link von Ian Purnell — Statement of the Jury: 

Arctic Link by Ian Purnell is a hybrid documentary and a visual essay. There is a ship in the Arctic. It will lay the longest fiber optic cable under the eternal ice to provide the world with faster internet connections. This is only possible due to climate change. The hybrid documentary Arctic Link by Ian Purnell combines the stories of the people on the ship with the reality of life in the Arctic village and in virtual love stories. Moreover, it relates human desires to the irreversible effects of our actions on the planet. We are looking forward to an impressive visual journey into the heart of the darkness of our present age.

The Heiner-Carow-Prize 2020 for the promotion of German cinematic arts goes to Natalija Yefimkina for Garagenvolk.

The prize, worth 5,000 Euros and sponsored by the DEFA Foundation, is awarded for the first time in the section Perspektive Deutsches Kino. The prize honours documentaries, feature or essay films that address the social and political issues of today and in history with extraordinary aesthetic means. A three-person jury consisting of Annekatrin Hendel, Anne Möller and Jan Speckenbach selected the winning film.
The award ceremony is barrier-free.

Statement of the Jury: 

“The manhole cover is my door, but I'm happy. My life is beautiful”, says one of the characters in the film. Reaching a decision was very difficult for us in this strong year of the Perspektive Deutsches Kino. We chose Natalija Yefimkina's Garagenvolk. Cinema at its best.

The director allows us to peer into a microcosm that seems like a parallel world to us. The complex world of a morbid garage complex in a mining town in northern Russia is reminiscent of an allotment garden colony. In each of these small garages, as the film increasingly takes its time in observing, a universe of its own begins to unfold. Characters that seem bizarre at first become reflectors of society. Love, friendship and alcohol, dreams of prosperity and the future as well as inklings of joy all find a home here.

The future of all these people is NOW. And if the restless action, whether it is the search for scrap expansion of the basement, the crooked tones of the punk band rehearsal, the beating or the carved icons, if this action comes to a standstill, then the flow of life also stops, for there is no future then. While one of the protagonists digs five floors beneath his garage, a Sisyphean task without a goal, other than the delight of the moment, the film unearths images of a metaphorical dimension that go beyond mere observation. The absurdity of the actions in the characters' general hopelessness transforms the garage world more and more into reality. It's not the characters in the film who live in a parallel world, it's we who do.

Learn more about the Heiner-Carow-Prize here.
 

The audience has voted: The 22nd Panorama Audience Award for the best feature film goes to Otac (Father) by Srdan Golubović. Welcome to Chechnya by David France wins in the category Panorama Dokumente. The prizes are awarded by the Berlinale section Panorama together with radioeins and rbb television (Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg).

Goran Bogdan in Otac (Father) by Srdan Golubović © Maja Medic/Film House Baš Čelik

Otac (Father) shows Nikola fighting for his children. After they have been taken away from him by social services, he sets off on foot to lodge a complaint in Belgrade. Srdan Golubović delivers a moving tale about inequality.

 
Welcome to Chechnya by David France © Public Square Films

Welcome to Chechnya is the first documentary about the activists who join forces to save other people’s and their own lives in the face of the systematic persecution of the LGBTQI* community carried out by the Chechen authorities. David France’s film is a tour de force charged with resilience and courage.

The official awards ceremony will take place on Berlinale Publikumstag, Sunday, March 1, at 5 pm in CinemaxX 7 at Potsdamer Platz. Martina Zöllner, rbb programme manager for documentation and fiction, and Robert Skuppin, radioeins programme director, will present the prizes. Knut Elstermann, radioeins film expert, will moderate the event together with head of Panorama Michael Stütz. The award-winning feature film will be shown immediately after the award ceremony, the winner of the Panorama Dokumente will be shown at 8 pm, also in CinemaxX 7.

The Panorama Audience Award has been bestowed since 1999. As of 2011, both the best feature film and the best documentary have been honoured. During the Berlinale, all cinema-goers are invited to rate the films in the Panorama section on a voting card. In total around 20,000 votes were cast and evaluated.
This year, Panorama presented a total of 36 feature films from 30 production countries, 13 of them were in Panorama Dokumente.

Panorama Audience Award Winner – Feature Film 2020:
Otac (Father)
Serbia / France / Germany / Croatia / Slovenia / Bosnia and Herzegovina
by Srdan Golubović

2nd Place Panorama Audience Award Winner – Feature Film 2020:
Futur Drei (No Hard Feelings)
Germany
by Faraz Shariat

3rd Place Panorama Audience Award Winner – Feature Film 2020:
Håp (Hope)
Norway / Sweden
by Maria Sødahl

Panorama Audience Award Winner – Panorama Dokumente 2020:
Welcome to Chechnya
USA
by David France

2nd Place Panorama Audience Award Winner – Panorama Dokumente 2020:
Saudi Runaway
Switzerland
by Susanne Regina Meures
 
3rd Place Panorama Audience Award Winner – Panorama Dokumente 2020:
Petite fille (Little Girl)
France
by Sébastien Lifshitz

Press Office 
February 29, 2020

Press contact: press@berlinale.de

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19^th Annual Transmedia Gujarati Screen & Stage Awards

Started in 2002, the Annual Transmedia Gujarati Screen (film and television) & Stage Awards held its 19^th edition on 29^th February 2020 at the V Hotel, Juhu, Mumbai. On the occasion, the best of Gujarati film and drama talent on display in the calendar year 2019 was awarded. Special awards and lifetime achievement awards were also distributed to a host of luminaries present at the open air venue. The event was sponsored by Gujarat Tourism, ISCON, Platinum Corp, KAVIT, PARI, Colors Gujarati, Colors Gujarati Cinema, Soham, Red FM 93.5, Chitralekha, TALK, Maahadev Digital and blowhorn. Hundreds of awards were distributed that evening, when a crowd of 5,000-8,000 turned-up, and the proceedings lasted around four hours. From the film industry, attendees included actors Kiran Kumar, Bindu, Firoz Irani and Kurush Deboo.

It was noted that while Gujarati drama has always been extremely popular, both in Gujarat and in Mumbai, Gujarati film industry is witnessing a resurgence, with production at a big high. The days when a mere 8-10 films were produced in a year and the films found it difficult to find theatrical release were gone. Nowadays, with the success of films like Hellaro, Gujjubhai the Great, Chhelo Divas and Bey Yaar, production has reached around 80 movies a year, box-office collections have increased substantially, and theatre-owners eagerly await the arrival of new Gujarati films.

Transmedia is an events and promotions company. Transmedia Software Ltd are event organisers of Fashion Shows, Bollywood Film Awards, and Beauty Pageants (Miss India Worldwide India Pageant, 2002). Mr. Jasmin Shah, Managing Director, Transmedia, started his career dealing in S.S. scrap in 1978, in the name of Jasmin Metals and Steel Ex, both proprietary firms. Around the same time, he established Jasmin Estate Developers Pvt. Ltd. Entering the media industry in 1995, by establishing Transmedia Software Ltd., he ventured into producing dramas and serials for various television channels. In 2007, he applied to the Information and Broadcasting ministry for permission to set-up a satellite channel, and received permission in 2010. He started operations of a 24x7 religious satellite channel, Soham, in 2012.

Seen in the picture are the team of the play Safarjan, Amardip Production, consisting of Aanand Goradia (actor), Dharmendra Gohil (actor), Sneha Desai (writer), Yogesh Sanghvi (organising team, centre), Bharat N. Thakkar (producer), Rajesh Joshi (director) and Parag Shah (actor). The team was honoured with a Special Award.

WINNERS LIST

GUJARAT DRAMA CATEGORY– 2019

1 BEST WRITER - GUJARAT DRAMA

RISHIT ZAVERI

(NIMITT COME BACK SOON)

2 BEST CHILD ARTIST - GUJARAT DRAMA

HEM DESAI

(NIMITT COME BACK SOON)

3 BEST ACTRESS IN SUPPORTING ROLE - GUJARAT DRAMA

DEVANGI BHATT JOSHI

(EKLA CHAALO RE)

4 BEST ACTOR IN SUPPORTING ROLE – GUJARAT DRAMA

MEHUL VAISHNAV

TAMARA BHAI FULL TO FATAK

5 BEST ACTRESS - GUJARAT DRAMA

PURVI BHATT

(SHUBH MANGAL SAVDHAN)

6 BEST ACTOR – GUJARAT DRAMA

SALIL UPADHYAY

(ADALAT 24 X 7)

7 BEST DIRECTOR – GUJARAT DRAMA

VAIBHAV DESAI

(MULRAJ MANSION)

8 CHITRALEKHA BEST DRAMA – GUJARAT

MULRAJ MANSION

(FORAM ARTS & PRODUCTION)

TV SERIAL CATEGORY – 2019

9 BEST WRITER (SCREENPLAY – DIALOGUES) - TV SERIAL

VARSHA ADALJA - HARSHA JAGDISH

(ABHILASHA EK ASTITVA NI)

10 BEST ACTRESS IN SUPPORTING ROLE – TV SERIAL

NADIYA HIMANI

(SAVAJ - EK PREM GARJNA)

11 BEST ACTOR IN SUPPORTING ROLE – TV SERIAL

HITESH DAVE

(DIKRI VAHAL NO DARIYO)

12 BEST ACTRESS – TV SERIAL

MAHENK BHATT

(SAVAJ - EK PREM GARJNA)

13 BEST ACTOR – TV SERIAL

HITENKUMAR

(ABHILASHA EK ASTITVA NI)

14 BEST DIRECTOR – TV SERIAL

DHARMIK HEMUKUMAR

(MAHENK – MOTA GHAR NI VAHU)

15 BEST SERIAL - TV SERIAL

ABHILASHA EK ASTITVA NI

(A.S.P. PRODUCTION)

MUMBAI DRAMA CATEGORY – 2019

16 BEST WRITER – MUMBAI DRAMA

VINOD SARVAIYA

(TAME GHANU JIVO)

17 BEST ACTRESS IN SUPPORTING ROLE - MUMBAI DRAMA

PALLAVI PATHAK

(CHAKARDI BHAMARDI)

18 BEST ACTOR IN SUPPORTING ROLE - MUMBAI DRAMA

RAJENDRA BUTALA

(CHAKARDI BHAMARDI)

19 BEST ACTRESS - MUMBAI DRAMA

AMI TRIVEDI

(JANTA - AJANTA)

20 BEST ACTOR - MUMBAI DRAMA

LINESH FANSE

(DHUMMAS)

21 BEST DIRECTOR - MUMBAI DRAMA

KAMLESH MOTA

(DHUMMAS)

22 CHITRALEKHA BEST DRAMA - MUMBAI

DHUMMAS

(MARVEL ARTS - MAYANK MEHTA)

SPECIAL AWARD CATEGORY – 2019

23 TRANSMEDIA SPECIAL AWARD

GUJARATI FILM "HELLARO"

(SARTHI PRODUCTIONS)

24 TRANSMEDIA SPECIAL AWARD

DRAMA "SAFARJAN" TEAM

(AMARDIP RODUCTION)

25 TRANSMEDIA SPECIAL AWARD

DRAMA "BHARAT BHAGYA VIDHATA"

(SHRIMAD RAJCHANDRA MISSION, DHARAMPUR)

26 SHRI MAHESH-NARESH SPECIAL AWARD

KEDAR- BHARGAV

(MUSIC DIRECTOR)

27 HEMU GADHVI AWARD

SHRI PRAFULL DAVE

(FOLK SINGER)

28 LATE GOVINDBHAI PATEL MAHARATHI AWARD

SHRI ANAND PANDIT

(BOLLYWOOD PRODUCER)

29 DHIRUBHAI AMBANI MEMORIAL AWARD

SHRI PRAVINKUMAR SHANTILAL GOSALIA

(MD, THE GOSALIA GROUP)

30 LATE MANOHAR KANUNGO JAIN RATNA AWARD

SHRI KAMALKUMAR SACHETEE

(PRESIDENT, JAIN SOCIAL GROUPS INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION, MUMBAI)

31 LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD - FEMALE

SMT. MEENAL PATEL

32 LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD - MALE

SHRI FIROZ IRANI (Actor-director)

FILM CATEGORY – 2019

33 BEST WRITER – GUJARATI FILM

DR. VIKRAM PANCHAL - SHAUNAK VYAS

(TEACHER OF THE YEAR)

34 BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – GUJARATI FILM

VISHAL SANGWAI - RAJA FADTARE

(GUJARAT ELEVEN)

35 BEST EDITOR – GUJARATI FILM

PANKAJ SAPKALE

(GUJARAT ELEVEN)

36 BEST DANCE DIRECTOR – GUJARATI FILM

KRUNAL SONI

(24 CARAT PITTAL)

37 BEST ART DIRECTION – GUJARATI FILM

JAY SHIHORA

 (MONTU NI BITTU)

38 BEST LYRICS – GUJARATI FILM

DILIP DAVE

(MONTU NI BITTU)

39 BEST MUSIC DIRECTOR – GUJARATI FILM

MEHUL SURTI

(MONTU NI BITTU)

40 BEST SINGER ( FEMALE ) - GUJARATI FILM

BHOOMI TRIVEDI

(47 DHANSUKH BHAVAN)

41 BEST SINGER ( MALE ) – GUJARATI FILM

SIDHDHARTH AMIT BHAVSAR

(DHUNKI)

42 BEST CHILD ACTOR - GUJARATI FILM

DIYA PATEL

(DIYA THE WONDER GIRL)

43 BEST ACTOR IN COMIC ROLE – GUJARATI FILM

JITU PANDYA

(SAJAN PRIT NI JAG MA THASHE JIT)

44 BEST ACTOR IN NEGATIVE ROLE – GUJARATI FILM

RAGI JANI

(TEACHER OF THE YEAR)

45 BEST ACTRESS IN SUPPORTING ROLE – GUJARATI FILM

YAMINI JOSHI

(JALSAGHAR)

46 BEST ACTOR IN SUPPORTING ROLE – GUJARATI FILM

CHETAN DAIYA

(HANGAMA HOUSE)

47 BEST DEBUT ACTRESS – GUJARATI FILM

POOJA JHAVERI

(MISTER KALAKAR)

48 BEST DEBUT ACTOR – GUJARATI FILM

SOHAM SHAH

(FAKE BOOK DHAMAL)

49 COLORS GUJARATI BEST ACTRESS – GUJARATI FILM

DAISY SHAH

(GUJARAT ELEVEN)

50 COLORS GUJARATI BEST ACTOR – GUJARATI FILM

MAULIK NAYAK

(MONTU NI BITTU)

51 BEST DIRECTOR – GUJARATI FILM

VIJAYGIRI BAWA

(MONTU NI BITTU)

52 RED FM BAJATE RAHO LISTENERS CHOICE – BEST GUJARATI FILM

MONTU NI BITTU

(VIJAYGIRI FILMOS – TWINKLE BAWA)

53 BEST GUJARATI FILM

GUJARAT ELEVEN

(J J CREATION – YASH SHAH, HARESH PATEL, M S JOLLY, JAYANT GILATAR)

Left: Adrien Mérigeau - winner Audi Short Film Award
In the middle: Rafael Manuel - winner Silver Bear Jury Prize (Short Film)
Right: Keisha Rae Witherspoon - winner Golden Bear for Best Short Film

In the course of the International Short Film Competition of the 70th International Film Festival Berlin on Saturday, February 29 2020 four prizes were awarded: the Golden Bear for Best Short Film, the Silver Bear Jury Prize (Short Film), the Audi Short Film Award and the Berlin Short Film Candidate for the European Film Awards. 
The prizes were awarded by this year's International Short Film Jury: Hungarian animation filmmaker Réka Bucsi, Turkish curator Fatma Çolakoğlu and filmmaker Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese from Lesotho.

18^th Third Eye Asian Film Festival, II

Six films were short-listed for the Best Asian Woman Film-maker Award at the 18^th Third Eye Asian Film Festival (TEAFF): An Unfairy Tale/Maadathi, 2019, Tamil, 90 min, Director: Leena Manimekalai; Mystic Memoir, 2019, Bengali, 77 minutes, Director: Aparajita Ghosh; The Taste from Happy Island, 2019, China, 90 min, Director: Lai Xueyi; Stories@8/Kathaah@8, 2019, multilingual, Singapore, 90 mins, Director: Shilpa Krishnan Shukla; Dithee, 2019, Marathi, 86 mins, Director: Sumitra Bhave; Flows Forever/Bohoman, 2019, Bengali, 105 mins, Director: Anumita Dasgupta.

Of these six, I had occasion to see five and a small part of the sixth (Bohoman). I would rank Stories@8 as the best of the lot, with Dithee and The Taste of Happy Island each a lap behind. And guess what? The jury chose Shilpa Krishnan for her 8-part anthology Stories@8, made in eight Indian languages. A stickler for full rehearsals (each story was 10-13 minutes long), Shukla got her stories about high and low points, in the lives of mainly married women and of couples, near perfect. Eight stories were shot over a period of just nine days!

She was not present at the screening or to collect her award, but several actors, the co-producer-cinematographer-editor Mathew Jenif Joseph, and the music director, were present at the screening. Sadly, all had to leave for Thrissur that very night, to participate in the International Film Festival there, so her award was collected by a member of her team, the day after the screening, at the closing ceremony.

Though all the segments provided compelling viewing, there were some minor issues with cinematography, and the segment in Marathi language suffered by comparison, as it dragged a bit, with a relatively thinner premise, which was repeated several times in the dialogue. All said and done, this fourth feature of the Singapore-based senior marketing professional, Shilpa Krishnan Shukla, who writes all her films, is a notch higher than her last effort, Tashi. For someone who is a part-time film-maker, working with amateur teams, and with actors most of who are debuting on the big screen, the future looks bright.

Dithee was too dark and uni-dimensional while The Taste from Happy Island serves as an example of a Chinese Mills and Boon romance. Maadathi failed to engage me. Mystic Memoir was experimental but lacked coherence. It had some fine candid acting, in the monologue format, plus a spontaneous portrayal by the school-boy. With actors like Soumitra Chatterjee and Aparna Sen in its cast, Bohoman will need catching up. In the end, I am, obviously, glad that I managed to see Stories@8, and it bagged the coveted honour.

FANTASPORTO  2020 / 40^th OPORTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

AWARDS

FANTASY INTERNATIONAL JURY

The International Jury of the Fantasy Section of the 40 th Oporto International Film Festival - Fantasporto  has decided to grant the following awards:

Best Film Award Fantasporto

Ghostmaster - Paul Young- 91’ (Jap)

Jury’s Special Award

Dancing Mary- Sabu – 106’ (Jap)

Best Direction

Clarita – Roderick Cabrido- 87’ (Filipinas)

Best Actor

Leif Edlund- Koko-Di Koko-Da – Johannes Nyholm- 86’ (Suécia/Dinamarca)

Best Actress

Christine Reyes-  Untrue – Sigrid Andrea Bernardo – 105’ (Filipinas)- ANTESTREIA EUROPEIA

Best Screenplay

Dead Dicks- Chris Bavota, Lee Paula Springer - 83’ (Can)

Best Visual Effects

The Soul Conductor- Ilya Maximov- 90’ (Russia)

Best Short Film

Breaking and Entering/ Moros en la Costa – Damiá Serra Cauchetiez -16’50 (Esp)

Special Mention of the Fantasy Jury:

Fallen: Director’s Cut - Lee Jung-Sub – 113’ (Coreia do Sul)- Cut- ANTESTREIA MUNDIAL

OFFICIAL DIRECTORS WEEK AWARDS

Manoel de Oliveira Award

The International Jury of the 30th Directors Week –Fantasporto has decided to grant the following awards:

Directors Week Best Film  Award

Willow- Milcho Manchevski – 91’ (República da Macedonia/Hung/Belg)

Directors Week Jury’s Special Award

Una Chica Invisible – Francisco Bendomir- 80’ (Argentina)

Directors Week Best Director Award

Béla Bagota- Valan: Valley of the Angels- Béla Bagota- 113’ (Hun)

Directors Week Best Screenplay Award

Béla Bagota- - Valan: Valley of the Angels- Béla Bagota- 113’ (Hun)

Directors Week Best Actor Award

Cem Bender - Omar and Us – Mehmet Bahadir Er, Maryna Er Gorbach - 103’ (Turq)

Directors Week Best Actress Award

Yeong-ae Lee - Bring Me Home- Seung-Woo Kim- 109’ (Coreia do Sul) - ANTESTREIA EUROPEIA

OFFICIAL COMPETITIVE SECTION ORIENT EXPRESS 2020

Best Film Orient Express

Bring Me Home- Seung-Woo Kim- 109’ (Coreia do Sul) - ANTESTREIA EUROPEIA

Special Award of the Jury Orient Express

Detention-John Hsu- 102’ (Taiwan)

PORTUGUESE FILM AWARD 2020

Best Portuguese Film Award
 

Bunker ou Contos que Ouvi depois do Mundo Acabar- João Estrada- 38’ (Port)

JURY SPECIAL MENTION

Detrás da Moeda- Luís Moya- 93’(Port) - ANTESTREIA MUNDIAL

Best Film School Award

ETIC/EPI (Lisboa)

Special Mention for Creativity

 Leo- Maria Eduarda Rodrigues -15’ 17’’ (Port)-  ESAP

Critics Award

EX- AEQUO

Precarious- Weston Terray- 106’ (EUA)

Gone - Arttu Haglund-91’ (Finlandia) – INTERNATIONAL PREMIÈRE

Audience Award

Por Detrás da Moeda- Luís Moya- 93’(Port) - ANTESTREIA MUNDIAL

Career Award

Director and Distributor Julian Richards

FANTASPORTO 40 YEARS  THE AWARDS

ASIAN CINEMA DOMINATES

 FANTASPORTO OPENS TO THE BIG ISSUES OF TODAY 

PORTUGUESE FILM AWARDS GO TO BUNKER, ETIC FILM SCHOOL AND BEHIND THE COIN

“Ghostmaster” by Paul Young, a fantasy comedy with heavy touches of gore, won the Fantasy Section in the 40th Porto Film Festival- Fantasporto. A film crew in action. The assistant director, called Akira Kurosawa, is frequently humiliated by all. But what nobody knows is that in a script he wrote, called “Ghostmaster”, there are malefic forces that are going to kill them all one by one.  With constant film references, this feature is a “splatter film” in which the highquality special effects match the litres of fake blood used. Lots of humour, manga influences and a super crazy atmosphere reminds us of the early Peter Jackson movies.

Sabu, a past winner of Fantasporto, goes home to japan with another award, the Special Award of the Fantasy Jury for his “Dancing Mary”. When the City Hall wants to clear some land for new housing, an old theatre with a ghost dancer named Mary stands in the way. After many wounded, they need to find a medium to solve the problem. They ask a clumsy civil servant to find her. He discovers a girl who can see ghosts. Sabu, a Japanese diretor whose real name is Hiroyuki Tanaka, was several times selected for the Berlin Film Festival with films such as “Ryu San”, “Chasuke´s Journey” or “Monday”.  Better known for “Dangan Runner” which was screened in Fantasporto 1999.  He won the Fantasporto Best Film Award – Fantasy in 2014 with “Miss Zombie”. He was also awarded 15 international prizes.

Best Actor Award in the Fantasy section went to Leif Edlund in a Danish/ Swedish production, “Koko-Di, Koko-Da” and Phillipino actress Christine Reyes won with “ Untrue”. But that was not the only award for this emergent cinema. Well-known director Roderick Cabrido, won Best Director with his exorcism story “Clarita”

Chris Bavota and Lee Paula Springer from Canada, won Best Screenplay with “Dead Dicks” and the Best Visual Effects  Award went to Russian feature “The Soul Conductor”  by Ilya Maximov. The Best Fantasy Short Award went the Spanish “ Breaking and Entering/ Moros en la Costa” by  Damiá Serra Cauchetiez.

Also in the Fantasy Jury’s list of awards,  a Korean film, “Fallen”, by Lee Jung Sub, with a Special Mention, with part of the crew coming to Porto to celebrate  the anniversary of the festival.

TAIWAN AND SOUTH KOREA WIN THE ORIENT EXPRESS AWARD

The first feature from Taiwan in competition, “Detention” by John Hsu, and “Bring me Home” by  Seung- Woo Kim, from South Korea, won this section dedicated to Asian Films.

“Bring Me Home”, a powerful drama about a mother looking for her missing son, got the Best Orient Express Film Award and “Detention”, about a monster in a school during the last days of China’s power over the island, won the Special Award of this jury.

PORTUGUESE CINEMA AWARDS WENT TO “BUNKER” AND ETIC FILM SCHOOL

 The Jury of this Portuguese Cinema section devoted its time to watching 38 features and shorts, granting its top prize to “Bunker” by João Estrada. ETIC Film School from Lisbon was chosen as the best school of the year. A Special Mention also went to the documentary “Behind The Coin” by Luís Moya, about  the street musicians of Porto, and the Creativity Mention  in a School Short went  to “Leo” by  Maria Eduarda Rodrigues.

DIRECTORS WEEK AWARD/ MANOEL DE OLIVEIRA AWARD

MANCHEVSKI  DOES IT AGAIN WITH WILLOW

Director Milcho Manchevski  and  his feature “Willow”  came to Porto and won the top award of this generalist section of Fantasporto. Three Macedonian women have to contend with control over their bodies, tradition, loyalty, pregnancy and adoption. They have not set out to change the world or society, but their struggle to become mothers makes them unlikely heroines. The three bittersweet stories, one medieval, two contemporary, mirror and contrast one another, exploring themes of love, trust and motherhood. Stories of the heart and sensitivity, an unexpected twist in Manchevski’s films, he who came to Fantasporto and was a Career Award in 2017.

The International Jury of the Directors Week, Anton BItel, Nigel Floyd, film critics (Rotten Tomatoes, Film Total, Sight And Sound )  from UK and Portuguese director Luís Diogo who directed the most internationally awarded feature, “A Sublime Life”, chose Hungarian Béla Bagota, who came to Porto, for two awards, Best Direction and Best Screenplay for his “Valan – Valley Of The Angels”, a story about one of the most heart-breaking dramas of today. Peti returns to his home village, Valan, to discover the fate of his little sister whose body seemed to be found in the forest. At the same time, he investigates a group of child sex traffickers in Brazov. Beyond facing his own devils, Peti is also going to fight the silence and secrets of the villagers. This is the first feature of the director.

The Best Actor award went to Turkish Cem Bender  in “Omar And Us” by Mehmet Bahadir Er, Maryna Gorbach,  and  the Best Actress of the Directors Week went to Korean Yeong- Ae Lee in “Bring Me Home”. The Special Award of the jury primed Argentinean Francisco Bendomir’s “Una Chica Invisibile”, about the use of technology.

Fantasporto celebrated its 40^th anniversary in 2020, still with its founding directors, having presented in this edition around 150 features and shorts from 37 countries (from the 68 which sent films for selection).

Among the discoveries of the festival, now famous people who presented their first films in Porto, mostly in competition, are such names as David Lynch, James Cameron, Luc Besson, Peter Greenaway, Joel Coen, Lars von Trier, Roland Emmerich,  Pedro Almodovar, Stephen King, Clive Barker, Sam Raimi, Peter Jackson, Kathryn Bigelow, John McNaughton, Barry Sonnenfeld, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Anthony Minghella, Todd Haines, Nick Park,  Quentin Tarantino, Baz Luhrman, Julia Reichert, Tim Robbins, Bryan Singer, Roberto Rodriguez, Guillermo del Toro, Danny Boyle, Lee Tamahori, David Fincher, os Wachowski  Brothers, Don McKellar, Darren Aronofsky, Vincenzo Natali, Alejandro Iñarritu, J.A. Bayona, Dennis Villeneuve, Kornel Mundruczó, Karen Shaknazarov, Park Chan-Wook, Andrea Arnold, Kim Jee-Woon, Steve McQueen, Kim Ki-Duk, Karoly Ujj Meszáros, Paul Greengrass.

18^th Third Eye Asian Film Festival, III

Iran bagged two of the four prizes in the best short fiction films category at the 18^th Third Eye Asian Film Festival (TEAFF), including the most coveted First Prize. The second prize went to an Indian entry, while the third prize was shared between an Iranian and an Indian film. Over the years, Iranian films have regularly made their mark at TEAFF, and there is always a strong presence of films from Iran, whether features or shorts.

Here are the winners:

1st: I'm Not My Body (Directed by Nima Akbarpour/Iran-UK/25 min)

(Nima Akbarpour works for BBC Persian, presenting the Technology Show).

2nd: Vitha (Avishkar Bharadwaj/Marathi/15 min)

(Avishkar Bharadwaj is only 22. An alumnus of Whistling Woods International, he is also a critic).

3rd (Shared)

A. Cover (Vahid Alvandifar/Iran/15min)

(Vahid Alvandifar is a 41 year-old cinematographer, documentary and short film-maker. Cover is about the situation that arises when the dead body of a worker suddenly comes alive).

B. Written By?  (Kankana Chakraborty/Bengali/15 min)

(Kankana’s work includes Women Prayed and Preyed Upon, and Anurup).

Unfortunately, I could not see any of these four films.

The short films I saw were

Miss Man/India: **

I, Reborn/India: ** ½

My Blossoming Summer/China: **

Monsoon Clips/India: **

(Shot over a period of two years on a Redmi mobile phone)

Land of Ants/Iran: ** ½

The Disguise/UK: ** ½

Smoke/India: **

Balloon Pinch/India: **

Mother/India: **

A recap of the feature films I managed to see and how I rated them:

Paani: ***

Ben’s Biography: ***1/2

Halda: ***

The Taste from Happy Island: ** ½

Screenplay: **

Stories@8: ***

Mystic Memoir: ** ½

Since I had seen the following films earlier, I skipped them at TEAFF:

Sunetra: The Pretty-Eyed Girl, The Last Rituals/Samskara, Wings of Butterfly/Pokhilar Pakhi, An Unfairy Tale/Maadathi, The Two Lovers, Dithi and Mai Ghaat.

On behalf of both the Iranian directors, the prizes were received by Iran’s Consul in Mumbai, Dr. Mohsen Ashouri. Kiran Shantaram, Chairman of Asian Film Foundation, gave away the prizes.

Kankana Chakraborty, director of Written by? was present, and collected her prize along with her editor, Mridul Sen.

Since this edition of TEAFF was scheduled to be held in December 2019, and had to be postponed by nearly three months on account of political changes in the Maharashtra government, the next edition, the 19^th, will be held in December 2020, making it an unusual calendar year that will witness the holding of two TEAFFs. The 18^th edition was held during March 01-06, 2020.

THE KEEPER WINS AUDIENCE CHOICE “BEST OF FEST,” BEST FEATURE DRAMA AT 26^TH SEDONA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

            SEDONA, Ariz. (March 1, 2020): The Keeper, a British-German biographical drama that tells the extraordinary love story between a young English woman and Bert Trautmann, German footballer and prisoner of war, who together overcome prejudice, public hostility and personal tragedy during World War II, was voted Audience Choice “Best of Fest” at the 26^th annual Sedona International Film Festival.

            The 2020 Sedona International Film Festival featured 177 films over nine days from Feb. 22 through March 1.

            Among other Audience Choice award winners were Babysplitters, Best Feature Comedy; The Silent Revolution, Best International Film; Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound, Best Documentary; and Liberation Heroes: The Last Eyewitnesses, Best Short Documentary.

            People’s Choice Awards were presented to Chuck Leavell: The Tree Man and The Lessons Shorts Program.

            Actor/director Rob Reiner received the Sedona International Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award.

            In the Special Category Director’s Choice Awards, Sanctuary was named Best Environmental Film; The Great 14^th: Tenzin Gyatso, the 14^th Dalai Lama in His Own Words was named Best Humanitarian Film, Documentary; and She’s in Portland earned the award for Excellence in Screenwriting.  The Marion Herrman Excellence in Filmmaking Award went to New York Rhapsody.

            The 27^th Sedona International Film Festival is scheduled from Feb. 20-28. 

For more information about the Sedona International Film Festival, visit www.SedonaFilmFest.org.

26^TH ANNUAL SEDONA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 

AWARD WINNERS

Directors Choice Awards

Best Feature Drama: Foster Boy

Best Feature Comedy: How About Adolf?

Best International Film: Balloon

Best Documentary: For Sama

Best International Documentary: Grit

Best Short Documentary: The Last Harvest

Best Short Drama: TIE: Acuitzeramo and Extra Innings

Best Short Comedy: Demand Curve

Best Student Short: All Boys Die

Best Animation: Preheated

Special Category Directors’ Choice:

Best Environmental Film: Sanctuary

Best Indie Spirit (Documentary): A Home Called Nebraska

Best Indie Spirit (Narrative Feature): Into Invisible Light

Best Indie Spirit (Short): Baby Kate

Best Humanitarian Film (Documentary): The Great 14^th: Tenzin Gyatso, the 14^th Dalai Lama in His Own Words

Best Humanitarian Film (Narrative Feature): The Wall Between Us

Best Humanitarian Film (Short): The Prisoner’s Song

Best Family Film: Team Marco

Most Innovative Film: TIE: Osuba and Ring

Best Alumni Film: The Lessons Shorts Program

Excellence in Screenwriting: She’s In Portland

Marion Herrman Excellence in Filmmaking Award: New York Rhapsody

Audience Choice Awards

Best Feature Drama: The Keeper

Best Feature Comedy: Babysplitters

Best International Film: The Silent Revolution

Best Documentary: Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound

Best Environmental Films: TIE: Sea of Shadows and The Pollinators

Best Short Documentary: Liberation Heroes: The Last Eyewitnesses

Best Short Drama: TIE: Portraitist and Today You, Tomorrow Me

Best Short Comedy: Ms. Rossi

Best Student Short: Tree #3

Best Animation: Preheated

People's Choice Awards

People’s Choice Award: Chuck Leavell: The Tree Man

People’s Choice Award: The Lessons Shorts Program

BEST OF FEST: The Keeper

Special Awards

Lifetime Achievement: Rob Reiner

Lifetime Achievement: Marc Shaiman

Heart of the Festival: Connie Levinson

We would like to invite all the dedicated  film makers to join and participate with their short films in different categories .We are coming with all the details soon.

Hollywood Just4Shorts provides industry exposure for independent short films and short screenplays, with awards that qualify for IMDb award listings.

Submissions of independently produced short films and unproduced short scripts are now accepted for the current round.

Submit now at:

https://filmfreeway.com/Just4ShortsFilmScreenplayCompetition

The closing ceremony of the Festival took place online on Sunday night, unveiling the awardees of this one-of-a-kind edition, a first for the whole team, guests and the various audiences. Launched a little over a month ago, the ambitious challenge proved to be a success with a number of 60,500 online viewings. Discover the awardees!

The Sesterce d’or la Mobilière was awarded this year to the film Punta Sacra by Francesca Mazzoleni to celebrate an emblematic work of non-fiction cinema. The Other One by Francisco Bermejo won the Sesterce d’or of the Canton de Vaud and Sapelo by Nick Brandestini was awarded the Sesterce d’or SRG SSR. The Sesterce d’argent Prix du Public Ville de Nyon – Audience Award has been given to Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, by Sascha Schöberl.

Image: Francesca Mazzoleni, director of Punta Sacra.
 

A Peloton of One follows a Survivor of Childhood Sexual Abuse, Dave Ohlmuller, as he conducts a solo bicycle ride from Chicago to New York to raise awareness of this scourge. Along this 700-mile journey, Dave meets other Survivors abused by coaches, teachers, family members, and like Dave himself, Catholic priests. Through these interactions and common stories, Dave tries to find a way to connect and heal, mile by mile, as he heads east towards his hometown. Dave also meets high-profile advocates like Senator Joe Vitale of New Jersey, Kathryn Robb of New York, and Marci Hamilton of Pennsylvania, who each scored major victories in 2019 by reforming their states’ long-standing Statute of Limitations laws that favored the abusers. Dave Ohlmuller begins this trek as a lone Survivor. Today, he realizes he is part of a movement bigger than just the sum of its victims. Co-Produced by Greenwich filmmaker and fellow Survivor, Joe Capozzi, this film aims to inspire others to tell their stories and to educate the masses on the personal and legal obstacles victims often face alone during their long road to recovery.

Directors: Steven E. Mallorca, John Bernardo

Producers: Joe Capozzi, John Bernardo

Editor: Steven E. Mallorca

Dir. of Photography: Steven E. Mallorca

Key Subjects: Dave Ohlmuller, Joe Capozzi

THE DOCU/WORLD COMPETITION  

DOCU/WORLD JURY:

• Claire Simon
• Daria Badior
• Xose-Ramon Mon Rivas

MAIN PRIZE

THE EARTH IS BLUE AS AN ORANGE /  IRYNA TSILYK / UKRAINE, LITHUANIA / 2020

We have decided to give the DOCU/WORLD Competition Jury award to a film that strikes with its creativity in the filmmaking choices and the positivity of the characters and shows us that making a film under harsh circumstances can also be an act of resilience that can have a positive impact on the family and the community.  

SPECIAL MENTION

THE CAUSE / ANDRES FIGUEREDO / VENEZUELA / 2019

Firstly, we would like to give a special mention to a film that puts in the spotlight a world where human rights are continuously violated and gives a voice to the forgotten. For his bravery, making a necessary film in a country where filmmaking is social activism.

THE DOCU/UKRAINE COMPETITION  

DOCU/UKRAINE JURY:

• Vladan Petkovic
• Mikael Opstrup
• Anthelme Vidaud

MAIN PRIZE

THE EARTH IS BLUE AS AN ORANGE /  IRYNA TSILYK / UKRAINE, LITHUANIA / 2020

We were happy to watch the very interesting programme of Ukrainian documentary feature films. It represents a wide and varied picture of the Ukrainian society, and does it with only five movies. The award in the DOCU/UKRAINE category goes to a unique narrative about a family that seems to consist mostly of creative and sensitive women. Standing their ground in face of the war, they are able to transform their experience into a fulfilling, self-reflective and meaningful action. Similarly, the director translates their story into a complex and multi-layered work with a remarkable meta-aspect that both questions and celebrates the documentary form.

THE DOCU/SHORT COMPETITION

DOCU/SHORT JURY:

• Vladan Petkovic
• Mikael Opstrup 
• Anthelme Vidaud 

MAIN PRIZE

GREYKEY / ENRIC RIBES / SPAIN / 2019

It’s an achievement to have a construction come together as an emotional experience. This is what happens in this film. The voiceover is like listening to a woman in the twilight at a French café. The archive is like sitting in a woman’s memory watching the screen on the inside of her forehead. The reconstruction widens the spoken words. In other words: A film that unfolds before your eyes here and now, despite the fact there is not a single shot from life here and now.

A beautiful story of a child struggling to understand the incomprehensible and traumatic world of her beloved father. With an unexpected turn when the grown-up woman takes over from the little girl. A turn which we will not disclose here. You have to watch Greykey yourself. Preferably, before you yourself become a parent.

SPECIAL MENTION 

CIRCULATION / OLEKSIY RADYNSKI / UKRAINE / 2020

The DOCU/SHORT programme was remarkably diverse in terms of formats, themes and visions among the 12 short documentaries that composed it.   We decided to award the Special Mention to a film that distinguishes itself by its non-narrative character, whose simplicity, clarity and concision allows to capture in a small lapse of time the landscape of a city, Kyiv. A tracking shot from a train’s windows becomes a moving mirror of the city’s mutations, of the physical traces from its present and its past.  And as trains always come back to their starting point, making landscapes scroll back and forth, the past is continually replaced by the present, in a circular movement.  

THE RIGHTS NOW! AWARD 

RIGHTS NOW! JURY:

• Enver Djuliman
• Olena Rozvadovska
• Oleg Sentsov

MAIN PRIZE

MIDNIGHT TRAVELER / HASSAN FAZILI / USA, QATAR, CANADA, UK / 2019

The jury has come to a unanimous decision that the prize shall be awarded to the director of the remarkable film Midnight Traveler, Mr Hassan Fazili. Fazili, firsthand, shows the dangers that refugees seeking asylum are facing, and the love shared inside one family on the run. The prize is for the excellent combination of perspectives that paints a vivid and hopeful portrait of a family, as well as a condemnation of the refugee crisis. For the strong and credible characters, and for the director's ability to  cinematically convey a relevant and universal topic in a way that engages and motivates the viewer to get involved in the development/solution of the issue depicted in the film.

SPECIAL MENTION

BUDDHA IN AFRICA / NICOLE SCHAFER / SOUTH AFRICA, SWEDEN / 2019 

The film raises the topic about the identity, place of an individual in society, the freedom of choice and the place of the religion in the school system through a story of an interesting character, a Malawian teenager who finds himself torn between his African roots and Chinese upbringing. It also gives us, the viewers, a new angle on the conditions in which teenagers are growing up in Africa nowadays.

SPECIAL MENTION

WAR NOTE / ROMAN LIUBYI / UKRAINE / 2020

The decision of the Jury was not to evaluate this film in the competition and to set it apart, since any film about the war in Ukraine is very important, the most important, and it is beyond discussion.

TEENAGE JURY AWARD

TEENAGE JURY:

• Alisa Pashchenko
• Leo Dzhishiashvili
• Ragneda Kostian
• Danylo Yermakov
• Maria Fedorchenko

MAIN PRIZE

IMMORTAL / KSENIA OKHAPKINA / ESTONIA, LATVIA / 2019

We, the Teens’ Jury, have chosen the film Immortal as the winner.

The film touches upon the problems of thousands of lives and many generations. The film’s protagonists are children, and the city is the background and a symbol of the system’s hopelessness which generations have been unable to escape. In addition to the striking dramaturgy, one can also note the gorgeous visuals: the cinematography, editing and color correction look whole and organic, conveying the atmosphere and the mood. The film is built on rhythms, visual and audial, which add to the power of the metaphorical in which everyone can see something of their own. The film doesn’t show anything for no reason, every shot is connected to dozens of others, and this is what produces the impression of wholeness and completeness. Immortal is the case when visual connections produce connections of meanings. One of the key problems in the film is the process of children’s initiation into war.

The issue of bringing children up under conditions of endless militarization is very important in the present world, in which this problem seemingly should not exist. As we watched the film, we got completely immersed in the atmosphere of an industrial city, and felt like we were its parts. We looked in a new way at what adults and children can face in the 21st century.

SPECIAL MENTION

PUNKS / MAASJA OOMS / NETHERLANDS /  2019

We believe that the film Punks is noteworthy primarily due to its exceptional and augmented story composition: it is a proof that complex conflict and visible changes in characters are not the “prerogatives” of feature film. Punks have a certain multilayeredness: we can see dramaturgy at the level of specific characters, at the level of interaction between the characters, and at the level of these characters’ relations with society and, finally, the enormous “outside” world. Visually, the film is also very successful: at many points, we watch the characters through portrait shots, which is very appropriate for the film’s topic; it is as if we can see what is happening inside the characters, and that is what interests and concerns representatives of another level, society, that is what they interact with closely and in a rather particular way.

CURRENT TIME AWARD 

MIDNIGHT TRAVELER / HASSAN FAZILI / USA, QATAR, CANADA, UK / 2019

It is always a big challenge to select the best film in the human rights section of festivals. First, because the festivals where the film is having its regional premiere, not international one, have the opportunity to make a very strong selection, sort of crème de la crème of films. Second, because a human rights section includes such a wide variety of subjects, all of them very important, which makes the choice almost impossible.

So this year, we decided that the Current Time Award will go not only to the film that makes a significant contribution to the discussion of human dignity, freedom and equality, but also to the film that, with the fact of being made, accomplishes the task of applying the human rights principles to the benefit of the protagonists of the film.

With this award, we honor the bravery of the film director, and we acknowledge and wish to support his long path to salvation and freedom.

ANDRIY MATROSOV AWARD

WAR NOTE / ROMAN LIUBYI / UKRAINE / 2020

For tender, boundless love for people and life. For desperate honesty in opening new unexpected features of the world which seemed understandable until now.

AUDIENCE AWARD

WAR NOTE / ROMAN LIUBYI / UKRAINE / 2020

Docuspace.org has offered (untill may10) over 40 films from the 17th Docudays UA competition and non-competition programmes to watch online!

The 15th edition of the Haapsalu Horror and Fantasy Film Festival crowns Even Husby Grødahl’s Downs of the Dead as the Méliés Short Film Competition winner and Mart Sander’s Eerie Fairy Tales as the best Estonian genre film.

The Silver Méliés went to Downs of the Dead by director Even Husby Grødahl (Norway), that tells a humorous tale of zombies attacking a nursery for the intellectually disabled. The jury lauded the film: „We were enchanted by the film’s powerful and comic performances, strong dialogues and amusing song lyrics. The film has a boundaryless punk spirit that seems to resurrect the soul of Peter Jackson. We believe these filmmakers have one hell of a bright future ahead of them, should they survive life’s obstacle titled „zombies high corona“.“
 
The jury consisted of Magnus Paulsson, Miguel Llansó and Helen Lõhmus.
 
The Silver Méliés will grant the film a chance to compete for the Golden Méliés and become Europe’s best short film. The competition’s winners are announced at the annual ceremony that is usually held in November by the European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation, of which HÕFF is a member.
 
The first-ever Estonian Genre Film Competition was overseen by a jury made up of five students from the Läänemaa High School: Katarina Sits, Pia Margaret Reinberg, Rasmus Valdmann, Mattias Metsalu and Robin Pae. They decided to award Eerie Fairy Tales, an anthology of fantastic tales  by director Mart Sander with the Best Estonian Genre Film award. 

They commented: “Eerie Fairy Tales was easy to follow and the film made clear sense. The tales were original and caught our interest. The acting was good and believable. The transitions between the films also caught our interest. The film was an exciting whole.“
 
The jury also gave the comedy Chasing Unicorns, directed by Rain Rannu, a special mention, saying: „The film was unique and very funny, and also served a strong motivational purpose: if you really want something, then act and don’t give up!“
 
The festival will announce the statistics, including the size of the viewership of films and virtual events as well as the audience's favourite film tomorrow.
 

FILMS

 
Méliès Short Film Festival Competition 

Downs of the Dead, Norway, director: Even Husby Grødahl 
Two Bodies on a Beach, Finland, director: Anna Paavilainen 
The Burden, Netherlands, director: Nico van den Brink 
The Rave, Estonia, director: Johannes Magnus Aule 
Snowflakes, United Kingdom, director: Faye Jackson 
Smiles, Spain, director: Javier Chavanel 
 
Estonian Genre Film Competition 

Dora Who Came From the Highway, 2019 director: Urmas E. Liiv 
Eerie Fairy Tales, 2019, director: Mart Sander 
The Old Man Movie, 2019, directors: Oskar Lehemaa, Mikk Mägi 
Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway, 2019, director: Miguel Llansó 
Justice, 2019, director: Toomas Aria 
Chasing Unicorns, 2019, director: Rain Rannu 

All Q&A’s can be watched at https://hoff.elisastage.ee/festival
 

The Academy Foundation of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today the 96 recipients of its 2020 FilmCraft and FilmWatch grants, including recipients of the emergency grant funds announced last month in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. All of the grants, which total a combined $2.5 million in funds, are awarded based on current need to organizations that support filmmakers and reach audiences from underserved communities.

“The Academy’s first priority remains to help those in our film community most impacted by the current global crisis. Our contribution of $2 million in emergency funds to the Academy Foundation, along with the grants we bestow on an annual basis, will surely benefit struggling organizations so they may continue to encourage diverse storytelling and enrich cinema and its artists,” said Academy governor and Education Committee chair Nancy Utley.

“The Academy’s Grants committee is honored to continue to provide much-needed support to these 96 worthy organizations – their impact on the world of film is truly immeasurable,” said Marcus Hu, chair of the Grants committee.

Grants range from $5,000-$200,000. Recipient institutions and programs are as follows:

African Diaspora Film Festival, Inc. (New York, NY)

African Film Festival (New York, NY)

American Museum of Natural History/Margaret Mead Film Festival (New York, NY)

American Film Institute (Los Angeles, CA)

Arabian Sights Film Festival/Filmfest DC (Washington, DC)

Art-House America Campaign (Ann Arbor, MI)

Asian CineVision/43rd Asian American International Film Festival (Brooklyn, NY)

Asian Culture and Media Alliance (San Diego, CA)

Atlanta Jewish Film Festival (AJFF) (Atlanta, GA)

Austin Film Society (Austin, TX)

Barnard College/Athena Film Festival (New York, NY)

Berklee College of Music (Boston, MA)

Berkshire International Film Festival (Great Barrington, MA)

Big Sky Film Institute/Big Sky Documentary Film Festival (Missoula, MT)

BlackStar Film Festival (Philadelphia, PA)

California Institute of the Arts (Santa Clarita, CA)

Center for Asian American Media/CAAMFest (San Francisco, CA)

Center for Documentary Studies/Full Frame Documentary Film Festival (Durham, NC)

Chicago Filmmakers (Chicago, IL)

Chicago International Film Festival/Cinema/Chicago (Chicago, IL)

Chicago Latino Film Festival (Chicago, IL)

Chicken & Egg Pictures (Brooklyn, NY & San Francisco, CA)

Cinema Tropical (New York, NY)

Cine Qua Non Lab (Morelia, Mexico)

Columbia Film Society (Columbia, SC)

Dance Theatre Etcetera (Brooklyn, NY)

Diamond in the Raw (Culver City, CA)

Documental Ambulante AC (Mexico City, Mexico)

Dreaming Tree Foundation (Rock Island, IL)

Echo Park Film Center (Los Angeles, CA)

Educational Video Center (New York, NY)

Exceptional Minds (Sherman Oaks, CA)

Facets/Chicago International Children’s Film Festival (Chicago, IL)

Film Independent (Los Angeles, CA)

Film Society of Lincoln Center (New York, NY)

The Film Society of Minneapolis-St. Paul (Minneapolis, MN)

Firelight Media (New York, NY)

The Flaherty Film Seminar/International Film Seminars Inc. (Brooklyn, NY)

Frameline (San Francisco, CA)

GALA Inc. (Grupo de Artistas LatinoAmericanos) (Washington, DC)

George Eastman Museum (Rochester, NY)

Ghetto Film School (Bronx, NY & Los Angeles, CA)

GLAS Animation/GLAS Animation Festival (Berkeley, CA)

Hamilton College (Clinton, NY)

Independent Feature Project (Brooklyn, NY)

Indie Memphis (Memphis, TN)

Indigenous Showcase (Seattle, WA)

Inner-City Arts (Los Angeles, CA)

Inner-City Filmmakers (Santa Monica, CA)

International Documentary Association (Los Angeles, CA)

International Institute for Indigenous Resource Management/Indigenous Film & Arts Festival (Denver, CO)

Internews Network/FilmAid (Arcata, CA; Washington, DC; London & Paris)

Jacob Burns Film Center (Pleasantville, NY)

Jewish Film Institute/San Francisco Jewish Film Festival (San Francisco, CA)

Kartemquin Films (Chicago, IL)

Los Angeles Filmforum (Los Angeles, CA)

Maysles Institute (New York, NY)

Media Arts Center San Diego (San Diego, CA)

Media City Film Festival (Windsor, Ontario)

Mizna’s Twin Cities Arab Film Festival (St. Paul, MN)

Montclair State University Foundation (Montclair, NJ)

Museum of the Moving Image (Astoria, NY)

Muslim Public Affairs Council (Washington, DC)

National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP) (Culver City, CA)

New Orleans Film Society (New Orleans, LA)

New York Asian Film Foundation/New York Asian Film Festival (New York, NY)

New York Women in Film & Television (New York, NY)

Newfest (New York, NY)

Northwest Film Forum (Seattle, WA)

Outfest (Los Angeles, CA)

Pan African Film Festival (Los Angeles, CA)

Points North Institute/Camden International Film Festival (Camden, ME)

Portland Community Media (Portland, OR)

Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project (San Francisco, CA)

Ragtag Film Society/True/False Film Fest (Columbia, MO)

Raw Art Works’ Real to Reel (R2R) Film School (Lynn, MA)

Reel Abilities NY (New York, NY)

Reel Works (Brooklyn, NY)

Rosendale Theatre Collective: Women in Experiment Schneemann/Hammer (Rosendale, NY)

SFFILM (San Francisco, CA)

SIFF (Seattle, WA)

San Francisco Cinematheque (San Francisco, CA)

San Francisco Silent Film Festival (San Francisco, CA)

Scribe Video Center (Philadelphia, PA)

Sedona International Film Festival (Sedona, AZ)

Silver Bullet Productions (Santa Fe, NM)

Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian/Native Cinema Showcase (New York, NY & Santa Fe, NM)

Streetlights (Los Angeles, CA)

Sundance Institute (Los Angeles, CA & Park City, Utah)

Toronto International Film Festival (Toronto, ON)

UnionDocs Center for Documentary Art (Brooklyn, NY)

Utah Film Center/Damn These Heels Queer Film Festival (Salt Lake City, UT)

Venice Arts (Marina del Rey, CA)

Visual Communications Media/Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (Los Angeles, CA)

Women In Film (Los Angeles, CA)

Women Make Movies (New York, NY)

The Academy’s FilmCraft and FilmWatch grants were established to identify and empower future filmmakers from nontraditional backgrounds, cultivate new and diverse talent, promote motion pictures as an art form, and provide a platform for underrepresented artists.

The Academy Grants program provides financial support to qualifying film festivals, educational institutions and film scholars and has awarded more than $15 million since 1968.

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