The Winner of the Jury Award for Feature Drama is Steppe Man, a beautifully made film on the life, death and love of Camel herders in Azerbaijan, check it out at https://www.worldfilm.com/films/steppe-man/
ART HOUSE WINNER – The Last Vermouth
The Winner of the Jury Award for Art House Film is The Last Vermouth, a clever French take on how to much drinking can awake the dead, check it out at https://www.worldfilm.com/films/the-last-vermouth/
SHORT DRAMA WINNER – Rreze
The Winner of the Jury Award for Short Drama is Rreze, a gripping piece from Kosovo reflecting on the war that gripped these people and how a young girls deals with it. Check it out at https://www.worldfilm.com/films/rreze/
ANIMATION WINNER – A flash of a second
The Winner of the Jury Award for best Animation goes to A flash of a second, a sweet reflection on the life of a girl and a cat in a classic animation style. Check it out at https://www.worldfilm.com/films/a-flash-of-a-second/
DOCUMENTARY WINNER – John Cousins and The University of the Waves
Winner of the Jury Award for Documentary is John Cousins and The University of the Waves, an intricate look at a musical innovator, whose explorations covered almost anything musical. Check it out at https://www.worldfilm.com/films/john-cousins-university-of-the-waves/
THE LAST VERMOUTH
It’s impossible to provide too much detail without spoiling this quirky, creative comedy with a strong element of a genre you’d never expect. The film is set in the beautifully, mountainous Savoy region of France. It follows the exploits of senior farmers who all love a drink. Hungover, they make their way into town, only to enter a grisly and comically disturbing scenario. We’ll have to stop there, though I can say the acting is exceptional, the scenery stunning and … a priest provides a supremely useful ally to our protagonists. That last hint might help you guess where it all leads.
ARRESTED PRISONERS
This 20-minute mediation on the conditions of female prisoners in Brazil provides a devastatingly candid insight into their reality. It’s no surprise the director, Allisson Sbrana, is a journalist as well as film maker. The film has all the marks of social realism as it tackles the weighty topic: the subdued colour, bleak tone and location provide a sense of claustrophobia, in which this stark human drama unfolds. As if poverty is a crime, having your new born child snatched from you is a drastic punishment. This film is as heavy going as it’s worthwhile. It offers a profoundly humane portrayal of women harshly melded by an inhumane system.
Art House Nominations
The Art House category has revealed some interesting and bizarre gems, where reality and imagination collide. The nominations are:
- Brief Encounter, Greece
- What Remains, Brazil
- Amoled, Spain
- Last Vermouth, France
Animation Nominations
It is always a pleasure to see interesting animation, and this festivals nominations are no exception:
- Feminam, Belgium
- Here, USA
- A Flash of a Second, USA
Documentary Nominations
The Documentary Nominations all have interesting insights into other worlds that we would rarely get access to
- Escape to Costa Rica-Jungle!, a beautifully shot nature documentary
- Where It All Began, an uncanny history of football
- John Cousins and the University of the Waves, an intricate look at a true musical innovator