DocuDays UA 2019 Awards
Look at the photo, the awards which were distributed in Kiev on March 28 – the two last days of the festival, that stops today, are called Audience Days, where films from the festival will go to locations i.e. ”cinemas in different Kiev neighbourhoods”.
Tomorrow is also an Audience Day – Presidential election, first round, in Ukraine!
Here follows a copy/paste of the list of winners from a festival that I visited for the seventh time this year and which stays close to my heart because of the program, the atmosphere, the dedication of the staff and their ability to surprise its audience:
DOCU/WORLD
Main Prize
Voices of the Sea by Kim Hopkins, UK
The main prize goes to “The Voices of the Sea”, for the powerful and touchy and warm characters, for the love that wins above everything, for the sensitive camera that brings harmony of characters within the environment.
Special Mention
White Mama by Zosya Rodkevich, Evgeniya Ostanina, Russia
For the protagonist that gives us hope and believe that we have enough strength to deal with the hard issues in life.
DOCU/UKRAINE
The Winter Garden’s Tale by Simon Mozgovyi, Ukraine
A woman’s life work flowers into a portrait of the cycle of nature and inevitable change.
DOCU/SHORT
Main Prize
A Friendship in Tow/Toe by Atsushi Kuwayama, Portugal
Mounting the stairs becomes a story of love, friendship and a promising dinner executed with charm, style, heart and humor.
Special Mention
Above the Styx by Maria Stoianova, Yulia Danylchuk, Maria Terebus (story editor), Liudmyla Paraskiva, Kateryna Rybachuk, Anastasiya Feshchuk, Ivan Bershadskyi, Alla Onopchenko, Ukraine
For a fine example of how a collective of emerging filmmakers come together and manage to create one whole story from multiple viewpoints of society.
RIGHTS NOW! AWARD
Main Prize
The Cleaners by Hans Block, Moritz Riesewieck, Brazil, Germany
For encouraging discussion about privacy, freedom of choice and human rights protection in the world where the internet and social media take up ever more of our private space, and we ourselves become a part of the global network. Where is the balance between the desire to protect the society from cruel content which incited hate and the freedom of choice and self-expression? Will the internet of the future be an instrument in the hands of dictators and global corporations, or a territory of boundless democracy and individual freedoms? Who has the right to define what should be “ignored” and what should be “deleted”? The film raises many questions to which the humanity has yet to find the answers.
Special Mention
Still Recording by Ghiath Ayoub, Saeed Al Batal, Syria, Lebanon, Qatar, France, Germany
For the human stories hidden behind military news reports. For the courage of the people who did not flee from armed conflict, but picked up a camera instead of weapons and showed the real events happening in Syria to the entire world. Despite all the horrors of the war, they still have strength, not just to live and maintain their dignity, but also to give others the feeling of peacetime life. It’s a reminder to every one of us: nobody can be sure that they are safe from war – we have to take the responsibility for preserving peace.
When Lambs Become Lions by Jon Kasbe, USA
The director has succeeded in combining the personal dramas of ordinary people and the global environmental disasters which concern everyone. Corruption, the violation of socio-economic rights, the damaging effects on the planet’s environment are all intertwined in the storyline and paint a whole picture – not just of Kenya, but also of the whole modern world, where states sometimes leave people no choice and force them to face difficult moral dilemmas.
ANDRIY MATROSOV AWARD
I Grew Up As You Slept by Marcin Sauter, Poland
For boundless love and tenderness between worlds and generations!
STUDENTS’ JURY AWARD
Reserve Askania by Andriy Lytvynenko, Ukraine
Fresh reminder about our nature. The rhythmical and sensual narrative of the film can fascinate and move the audiences with any background, and the protagonists win you over with their sincerity and dedication to their work.
AUDIENCE AWARD
White Mama by Zosya Rodkevich, Evgeniya Ostanina, Russia
And go to the website and see trailers, interviews, statements, etc.
