Feature & Medium Length Films
TheFeature & Medium Length Films jury, composed of Alexandra Kaufmann and Paolo Chirumbolo, awarded the first prize to Talien by Elia Mouatamid, and gave special mentions to Il monte delle formiche by Riccardo Palladino and to Saule Marceau by Juliette Achard.
First Prize
Talien, for being able to tell, with a touching honesty, the story of a family of immigrants, the story of their success and of their failures, of their difficult family relationships and of the complex, and deep, relationship between father and son; for reflecting with simplicity and formal clear-mindedness about crucial themes such as immigration, multiculturalism, the relationship with Italy and Italians, and the issue of work.
Special mentions
Il Monte delle formiche for providing the opportunity to reflect on humanity as a construction and as a society, and also on the contribution given by each individual; for managing to combine two elements that may seem opposed: humility as a founding theme, and the aspiration to completeness; for an attention to detail that leads the audience to a wider view; for its delicate approach, and a sound design that not only accompanies, but also leads us into a world where ants become the real narrators and we are the listeners.
Saule marceau for a courageous authorial choice, blending the language of documentary film with a style that reminds us of Westerns; for getting us back in contact with the land, precisely in a moment when the relationship with nature seems to be getting lost; for the eye of a director who has taken us into the world of her brother as a farmer, whose journey is only seemingly different from the one of the author, but can be recognised as similar in the authenticity of her choices.
A comment sent by the director Juliette Achard:
I am pleased that the film receives this mention and want to thank the jury for his attention and his interest in my work. I regret my absence aside you and also thank the selection committee of the festival for choosing this film among so many. I finally thank the translator, because subtitling this film means some work, and the technical crew who made the screening possible. As I talk enough in the film, I will let you talk now with hope you would have something to discuss by watching Saule Marceau and maybe, some day, I could hear your words.
Short Films
The Short Films jury, composed of Silvia Jop and Corrado Ceron, awarded the first prize to Death of the Sound Man by Sorayos Prapapan, and gave special mentions to The Glass Horizon by Denis Pavlovic and to East Shore by Quinten Wyns.
First prize
Death of the Sound Man, for its ability to give back a visible body to an invisible job, with an impeccable, very precise approach that is never didactic, and is always ironical, capable to intertwine time, waiting, sounds, bodies, and dialogue into an expression that is just as precise and impeccable.
A video sent by the director Sorayos Prapapan:
Special mentions
The Glass Horizon, for the originality of its theme and its staging. The courage and the mastery in the director’s choices turn what could have been a classic, didactic work, into a surreal experience that reminds of David Lynch and of film noir, absorbing the audience thanks to the intense pace of a skillful editing, and leading them into a claustrophobic, eerie forest, just as the condition of the workers it talks about.
A video sent by the director Denis Pavlovic:
Oosteroever / East Shore, for its ability to keep a wide approach while creating a specific narrative. Oosteroever is a rough gem that shows that telling a story does not simply mean picking one thread, but also weaving a plot that takes many different threads into account.
Extraworks
The Extraworks jury, composed of Raffaella Rivi and Guglielmo Trupia, awarded the first prize to Employee of the Month by Caroline Schwarz and gave a special mention to Home Exercises by Sarah Friedland.
First prize
Employee of the Month for the capability to analyze with acuity and perspicacity the regulation mechanisms of contemporary work, ironically deconstructing the lifelong learning and individual performance rhetorics.
The video sent by the director Caroline Schwarz:
Special mention
Home Exercises for the courage to break up and reinvent a genre, the dance film, and to use it for a in-depth analysis of everyday activities of those who, for “work” purpose, finally can take care of themselves, of their time and health.