DokuFest 2017 Awards
Back from Sarajevo, now here comes important info that waited some days to be brought. Namely the information about who were the winners at the DokuFest in Prizren. I bring some of the categories with the jury motivations – always appreciate when festivals publish them. This is not that often I am afraid. But the great people down there in Kosovo do:
INT’L DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION/FEATURE DOX – WINNER
EL MAR LA MAR by Joshua Bonnetta, J.P. Sniadecki.
Jury: Carmen Gray, Cíntia Gli, Melody Gilbert, Rodolfo Castillo-Morales, Wood LIN.
Statement: With 16mm film, the filmmakers gaze into time and the desert landscape at the border between U.S. and Mexico. Signs of human life are barely visible, but the empty desert along with the soundscape serves as a vivid metaphor of everything invisible, yet influential, to our daily lives. The geographical, ideological and political aspects are also illuminated through the narrative structure as the journey unfolds. El Mar La Mar is a beautiful poem and a highly political statement in the contemporary context with sincerity.
The same jury gave the “Special Mention” to 69 MINUTES OF 86 DAYS by Egil Håskjold Larsen.
Statement: A sensitive film that depicts the journey of a family through innocent eyes, in difficult and uncertain times of both political and social unrest, where many approaches towards the core of this film, proper or problematic could be interpreted.
HUMAN RIGHTS – WINNER:
THE WAR SHOW by Andreas Dalsgaard, Obaidah Zytoon
Jury: Laura Limani, Mante Valiunaite, Miranda Pennel
Statement: The jury was impressed by the film’s well-crafted form, intimacy of its camera and reflective quality of its narration. The film manages to provide a close view of the resistance in Syria; it is a beautiful homage to political activism and ultimately, an intimate story of friendships lost too soon. What begins as a personal story transforms into a tale of journalistic courage and a commitment to document the brutal impacts of war on human lives from up-close.
The same jury gave the “Special Mention” for the HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD to A FEELING GREATER THAN LOVE by Mary Jirmanus Saba.
Statement: An important and timely investigation of labor histories and working class solidarity in Lebanon in the period shortly before the civil wars.
BALKAN DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION – WINNER:
BUFFET ELJEZARA by Goran Dević
Jury: Karen Cirillo, Mimi Brody, Ognjen Glavonić,
Statement: We award BUFFET ELJEZARA (Steel Mill Café) as an expertly crafted portrait of a community grappling with the economic realities of a dwindling population. It deftly captures the café’s owners and visitors with subtle humor and an intimacy that conveys how difficult it is to say goodbye to one’s home.
The same jury gave the “Special Mention” to ONI SAMO DOLAZE I ODLAZE by Boris Poljak.
Statement: ONI SAMO DOLAZE I ODLAZE /THEY JUST COME AND GO is a visually playful and jaw-dropping allegory, dedicated to subtly painting a world in which, from dawn to dusk, human life in different stages of desire and uncertainty is captured in all its directionless interweaving.
The same jury gave the BEST BALKAN NEWCOMER AWARD to MY LIFE WITHOUT AIR by Bojana Burnać.
Statement: We award MY LIFE WITHOUT AIR for its fresh and original visual approach and striking cinematography. With an assurance not often seen in a debut film, Bojana Burnac trusts her subject and audience and lets the story slowly unfold to reveal the personality and reality of a very private world-record holder.
The same jury gave the “Special Mention” to Gora by Stefan Malešević.
Statement: A special mention goes to Stefan Malešević’s visually striking and effortlessly rich meditation on a community of mountains and nature, animals and men. The time, tradition, rhythm and rules of life at GORA are, with the author’s curiosity and observation, brought closer and more familiar to those who might never have a chance to visit this part of the world.
More winners on:
