Docudays UA: The Winners

13th International documentary films about human rights festival has ended in Kyiv. The awards ceremony was held on March 31th in Cinema House. Hosts of the ceremony: festival moderators Marina Stepanska and Oleksandr Vynogradov.

Films were competing for prizes in categories: DOCU/LIFE, DOCU/RIGHT, DOCU/SHORT, DOCU/UKRAINE and for theSpecial Prize from Students’ Jury. The festivals’ Orzanizing Committee favorite is awarded with the Andriy Matrosov Award. After the ceremony was the Ukrainian premiere of the documentary film Mariupolis the Lithuanian director Mantas Kvedaravicius.

During the closing ceremony the results of “The Guardian Goes

Ukraine” national contest were announced as well. The final pitching included six documentary projects, three of which were awarded by the jury. The £5,000 grant from the British publication The Guardian has won the Match of Her Life project by Alisa Kovalenko. The British Council in Ukraine and Docudays UA have also chosen the winners. Docudays UA has granted £3,000 to Semen Mozhovy and his project The Story of the Winter Garden. The British Council gave the grant (£3,000) to the Lenin-Fall project by Svitlana Shymko.

Docudays UA 2015 Winners:

DOCU/LIFE

Main Prize

THY FATHER’S CHAIR

dir. Àlex Lora, Antonio Tibaldi

Italy-USA-Spain

2015, 74’

For its superb and precise depiction of a hidden and claustrophobic world full of memory and pain, the directors beautifully realize a work of cinematic accomplishment that makes for one of the most expansively human portraits we’ve ever had the privilege to see . It is, simply put, a big film.

Honourable mention

VARTA1, LVIV, UKRAINE

dir. Yuriy Hrytsyna

Ukraine

2015, 63’

This thoroughly original vision introduced us to an incredibly exciting cinematic voice in the Ukrainian landscape. Displaying artistic courage, the director dared to choose an off-road narrative of an epic event whilst completely exploding the documentary form in a thrilling way.

DOCU/RIGHT

Main Prize

CALL ME MARIANNA

dir. Karolina Bielawska

Poland

2015, 75’

For the humanity and the capacity to stand for your rights despite internal and external obstacles in spite of physical pain and everyone’s rejection.

Honourable mention

CENSORED VOICES

dir. Mor Loushy

Israel-Germany

2015, 87’ (diploma)

For the powerful and important archival work. For the musings over the difficult questions through the soldiers’ doubts that unveil the ugly face of war.

Honourable mention

AMONG THE BELIEVERS

dir. Hemal Trivedi, Mohammed Ali Naqvi

USA-Pakistan

2015, 84’

For showing the difficult contradictions inside the Muslim world and the ability of civic society to resist the inextricable circle of violence. For giving the word to each of the sides when it seems that the dialogue is impossible.

DOCU/SHORT

Main prize

END OF THE WORLD

dir. Monika Pawluczuk

Poland

2015, 40’

A film of natural insight, this emotional, balanced, well structured film discusses loneliness, and longing, caring, affection, and courage in everyday city life, making a strong statement about making a difference through humanity and the art of listening. 

Special mention

SALAMANCA

dir. Ruslan Fedotow, Aleksandra Kulak

Russia

2015, 41’

A film built around powerful visual compositions that truly stay with you. This harmonical, poetical film contemplates the crucial moments when we reach the most difficult choices in your lives, circling from childhood to old AGE, with a unique view inside an isolated community.

DOCU/UKRAINE

Main Prize

PEOPLE WHO CAME TO POWER

dir. Oleksiy Radynski, Tomáš Rafa

Ukraine

2015, 17’

This film is at the same time raw, controversial, and understanding. It’s powerhouse film making with immediacy you can’t turn your head away from. It offers insights, and allows access into an enormously difficult situation of violence, conflict and illusion.

Special mention

REVE TA STOHNE ON TOUR

dir. Nadia Parfan

Poland-Ukraine

2016, 30’

This bittersweet, tragicomical and universal story about artistic struggle and friendship was our emotional favorite, showing a wonderful chemistry between the two protagonists, and building the atmosphere in a genuine and organic way. 

STUDENTS’ JURY AWARD

PANORAMA

dir. Yuriy Shylov

Ukraine

2015, 27’

For the prosperty of film art.

ANDRIY MATROSOV AWARD FROM THE DOCUDAYS UA ORGANIZING COMMITTEE 

TEN SECONDS

dir. Yuliia Hontaruk

Ukraine

2016, 69’

For creating the convincing sensation of fragility and vulnerability of life. For the ability to hear, love, and accept the people with their contradictions. For the masterful visualization of overwhelming despair and unbreakable optimism combined in the same people at the moment of tragic Mariupol shelling.

AUDIENCE AWARD

David & Me

dir. Ray Klonsky, Mark Lamy

Canada

2014, 79’

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Tue Steen Müller
Tue Steen Müller

Müller, Tue Steen
Documentary Consultant and Critic, DENMARK

Worked with documentary films for more than 20 years at the Danish Film Board, as press officer, festival representative and film consultant/commissioner. Co-founder of Balticum Film and TV Festival, Filmkontakt Nord, Documentary of the EU and EDN (European Documentary Network).
Awards: 2004 the Danish Roos Prize for his contribution to the Danish and European documentary culture. 2006 an award for promoting Portuguese documentaries. 2014 he received the EDN Award “for an outstanding contribution to the development of the European documentary culture”. 2016 The Cross of the Knight of the Order for Merits to Lithuania. 2019 a Big Stamp at the 15th edition of ZagrebDox. 2021 receipt of the highest state decoration, Order of the Three Stars, Fourth Class, for the significant contribution to the development and promotion of Latvian documentary cinema outside Latvia. In 2022 he received an honorary award at DocsBarcelona’s 25th edition having served as organizer and programmer since the start of the festival.
From 1996 until 2005 he was the first director of EDN (European Documentary Network). From 2006 a freelance consultant and teacher in workshops like Ex Oriente, DocsBarcelona, Archidoc, Documentary Campus, Storydoc, Baltic Sea Forum, Black Sea DocStories, Caucadoc, CinéDOC Tbilisi, Docudays Kiev, Dealing With the Past Sarajevo FF as well as programme consultant for the festivals Magnificent7 in Belgrade, DOCSBarcelona, Verzio Budapest, Message2Man in St. Petersburg and DOKLeipzig. Teaches at the Zelig Documentary School in Bolzano Italy.

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