“Dom (Home in Russian),” “Quir” and “Iceman” look like potential standouts at Swiss Films Previews, the only spread of national movies at Switzerland’s Visions du Réel, the country’s leading doc festival.
Presented via excerpts at a two-hour showcase on Wednesday, three further titles – “Kalari – the Martial Art of Female Power,” “The Boy from the River Drina” and “Spheres” – underscored the strength in depth of documentary filmmaking in Switzerland and at least in this year’s Previews, a leitmotif. In an era of adverse circumstance, the doc features highlight figures who rebel, whether against Russia’s war on the Ukraine (“Dom”), climate change (“Iceman”), homophobia in Palermo, gender violence (“Kalari”), the Srebrenica massacre (“Boy”) or, in the case of Daniel Zimmermann, director of “Spheres,” stock narrative.
The films’ protagonists rebel, moreover, with courage, good humor, imagination, and above all resilience. “Quir,” for example, captures footage of gay couple Massimo Milani...
Presented via excerpts at a two-hour showcase on Wednesday, three further titles – “Kalari – the Martial Art of Female Power,” “The Boy from the River Drina” and “Spheres” – underscored the strength in depth of documentary filmmaking in Switzerland and at least in this year’s Previews, a leitmotif. In an era of adverse circumstance, the doc features highlight figures who rebel, whether against Russia’s war on the Ukraine (“Dom”), climate change (“Iceman”), homophobia in Palermo, gender violence (“Kalari”), the Srebrenica massacre (“Boy”) or, in the case of Daniel Zimmermann, director of “Spheres,” stock narrative.
The films’ protagonists rebel, moreover, with courage, good humor, imagination, and above all resilience. “Quir,” for example, captures footage of gay couple Massimo Milani...
- 4/17/2024
- by John Hopewell and Lise Pedersen
- Variety Film + TV
In other prizes Mounia Akl’s Costa Brava, Lebanon clinches Fipresci prize and inaugural Green Award.
Finnish director Teemu Nikki’s dark comedy-drama The Blind Man Who Did Not Want To See Titanic scooped the El Gouna Film Festival’s $50,000 Golden Star award for best narrative film over the weekend.
Its star Petri Poikolainen also won best actor for his performance as a blind man who ventures out of his small apartment and onto the streets to travel by train to spend time with his long-distance girlfriend.
The film world premiered in Venice’s new Horizon Extras where it won the audience award.
Finnish director Teemu Nikki’s dark comedy-drama The Blind Man Who Did Not Want To See Titanic scooped the El Gouna Film Festival’s $50,000 Golden Star award for best narrative film over the weekend.
Its star Petri Poikolainen also won best actor for his performance as a blind man who ventures out of his small apartment and onto the streets to travel by train to spend time with his long-distance girlfriend.
The film world premiered in Venice’s new Horizon Extras where it won the audience award.
- 10/25/2021
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Teemu Nikki’s Venice and Antalya winner “The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic” won the Golden star for best film at the 5th El Gouna Film Festival in Egypt, which wrapped Friday. The award carries a cash prize of $50,000.
The film’s lead Petri Poikolainen won best actor, while Maya Vanderbeque, the young star of “Playground,” won best actress.
Egyptian filmmaker Omar El Zohairy’s Cannes winner “Feathers,” which also won the Variety award at El Gouna earlier, won best Arab narrative film.
Directors Aleksey Chupov and Natasha Merkulova’s “Captain Volkonogov Escaped” won the Netpac award and bronze in the narrative category.
Michel Franco’s “Sundown” won silver in the narrative competition, while Aditya Vikram Sengupta’s “Once Upon a Time in Calcutta” scored a special mention from Netpac.
Mounia Akl’s “Costa Brava, Lebanon” won the Fipresci award and the Green Star award for tackling environmental issues.
The film’s lead Petri Poikolainen won best actor, while Maya Vanderbeque, the young star of “Playground,” won best actress.
Egyptian filmmaker Omar El Zohairy’s Cannes winner “Feathers,” which also won the Variety award at El Gouna earlier, won best Arab narrative film.
Directors Aleksey Chupov and Natasha Merkulova’s “Captain Volkonogov Escaped” won the Netpac award and bronze in the narrative category.
Michel Franco’s “Sundown” won silver in the narrative competition, while Aditya Vikram Sengupta’s “Once Upon a Time in Calcutta” scored a special mention from Netpac.
Mounia Akl’s “Costa Brava, Lebanon” won the Fipresci award and the Green Star award for tackling environmental issues.
- 10/22/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Kimmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning Of Empathy among Rogers Audience Award winners.
Hot Docs 2021 top brass on Monday (May 10) announced audience and competition winners as well as prize recipients in Hot Docs Forum, where Cécile Embleton and Alys Tomlinson were among those selected for their UK project Mother Vera.
In the Rogers Audience Award, five Canadian filmmakers each received a cash prize of $10,000 Cad. They are: Fanny: The Right To Rock (dir. Bobbi Jo Hart ); Kimmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning Of Empathy; Someone Like Me: Still Max (dir. Katherine Knight); and Hell Or Clean Water (dir. Cody Westman).
In the first look pitch prizes at Hot Docs Forum,...
Hot Docs 2021 top brass on Monday (May 10) announced audience and competition winners as well as prize recipients in Hot Docs Forum, where Cécile Embleton and Alys Tomlinson were among those selected for their UK project Mother Vera.
In the Rogers Audience Award, five Canadian filmmakers each received a cash prize of $10,000 Cad. They are: Fanny: The Right To Rock (dir. Bobbi Jo Hart ); Kimmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning Of Empathy; Someone Like Me: Still Max (dir. Katherine Knight); and Hell Or Clean Water (dir. Cody Westman).
In the first look pitch prizes at Hot Docs Forum,...
- 5/10/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Svetlana Rodina and Laurent Stoop’s “Ostrov — Lost Island” and Emanuel Licha’s “Zo Reken” took the top Hot Docs jury awards at a special online ceremony webcast from Toronto Friday night.
Eleven awards and $67,000 Cad in cash and prizes were presented to emerging and established Canadian and international filmmakers.
Best International Feature Documentary Award-winner “Ostrov — Lost Island” chronicles a fishing community in the Caspian Sea, where elders cling to tradition and youth look to a new kind of future. The award comes with a $10,000 Cad cash prize courtesy of the Panicaro Foundation.
In its statement, the international feature jury — MTV Networks executive producer Sheila Nevins, filmmaker Kazuhiro Soda, and producer Toni Kama — called the film “a truly powerful cinematic experience which shows the everyday reality of people in Russia.”
With this award, “Ostrov” now qualifies for consideration in the Best Documentary Feature category of the Academy Awards without the standard theatrical run,...
Eleven awards and $67,000 Cad in cash and prizes were presented to emerging and established Canadian and international filmmakers.
Best International Feature Documentary Award-winner “Ostrov — Lost Island” chronicles a fishing community in the Caspian Sea, where elders cling to tradition and youth look to a new kind of future. The award comes with a $10,000 Cad cash prize courtesy of the Panicaro Foundation.
In its statement, the international feature jury — MTV Networks executive producer Sheila Nevins, filmmaker Kazuhiro Soda, and producer Toni Kama — called the film “a truly powerful cinematic experience which shows the everyday reality of people in Russia.”
With this award, “Ostrov” now qualifies for consideration in the Best Documentary Feature category of the Academy Awards without the standard theatrical run,...
- 5/7/2021
- by Jennie Punter
- Variety Film + TV
Set on a forgotten Russian island in the Caspian Sea and playing out like a window to another world, doc feature “Ostrov – Lost Island” has been acquired for world sales by London-based Taskovski Films.
Premiering at Swiss doc fest Visions du Reél in its main International Feature Film Competition, the documentary chronicles a community forced to fish illegally to feed their families, and the traditions which endure.
In “Ostrov” directors Svetlana Rodina and Laurent Stoop are expertly invisible. Ivan, a quiet fisherman, and his wife Anna are given enough screen time to live and, spaced out among the creaking boats and sagging wallpaper, the island comes to life.
“‘Ostrov – Lost Island’ is a visually stunning, lyrical film made with a clear passion for its characters and the vast landscape they inhabit. With an exquisite sense for detail the film takes the viewer on a journey to create a wider picture...
Premiering at Swiss doc fest Visions du Reél in its main International Feature Film Competition, the documentary chronicles a community forced to fish illegally to feed their families, and the traditions which endure.
In “Ostrov” directors Svetlana Rodina and Laurent Stoop are expertly invisible. Ivan, a quiet fisherman, and his wife Anna are given enough screen time to live and, spaced out among the creaking boats and sagging wallpaper, the island comes to life.
“‘Ostrov – Lost Island’ is a visually stunning, lyrical film made with a clear passion for its characters and the vast landscape they inhabit. With an exquisite sense for detail the film takes the viewer on a journey to create a wider picture...
- 4/23/2021
- by JD Linville
- Variety Film + TV
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.