Iranian filmmaker Niki Karimi has received the main award and Newcomer of the Year at the Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film Festival.
The international jury of Adrin Solar, Kaisu Isto and Karoline Eichhorn described Karimis third feature,Final Whistle, as a courageous film, making clear to us that no one can be filled with happiness or enjoy freedom when another life is lost.
The film is a social-realist drama about a film-maker who races against time to save a woman she barely knows from the death penalty
The Rainer Werner Fassbinder Prize for the best unconventionally narrated feature film went to Swedish director Jens SjgransGood Luck and Take Care of Each Other.
The Jurys Special Award to Simn Franco forNot So Modern Times, which opened the festival on Nov 8, as well as a special mention for the Taiwanese omnibus filmWhen Yesterday Comes.
Other prizes included the Firpresci prize for Estonian filmmaker Toomas HussarsMushroomingand the Ecumenical Jurys award for Kadija Lecleres Belgian-Moroccan co-productionThe Bag of Flour.
There was also a Commendation of Polish director Tomasz WasilewskisIn a Bedroomin recognition of his modern film-making style and the performance of main actress Katarzyna Herman.
The Audience Award went to Jason Cortlund and Julia HalperinsNow Forager A Film About Love And Fungi, one of three films recommended for theatrical distribution in Germany by a jury of cinema-owners. The other two titles were David RikersThe Girland Trees AnnasSilent City.
Mannheim-Heidelbergs 61stedition featured 40 films from 27 countries and posted a 5% increase year-on-year in attendance to the festivals screenings and other events.
Bratislava International Film Festival
Israeli and German debuts dominated the 14thBratislava International Film Festival, which closed ahead of Mannheim-Heidelberg with a screening of Ken LoachsTheAngels Shareon Nov 15.
The International Jury headed by Serbian director Goran Paskaljevic awarded the Grand Prix for Best Film toLa Sirgafrom Colombian film-maker William Vegas.
Amir Manor and Jan Ole Gerster were the evenings big winners withEpilogueandOh Boy, respectively.
Manors film picked up four prizes Best Actress (Rivka Gur), Best Actor (Yosef Carmon), Student Jury Award, and the Fedeora Jury Award ex aequo withOh Boy while Gerster also received the Best Director Award and FIPRESCI Prize.
Bulgarian filmmaker Ilian Metev accepted the Documentary Jurys award for his filmSofias Last Ambulance, while Canadian composer Tom Third picked up the Short Films Jurys prize forMalodyby director and long-time collaborator Philip Barker.
Made in Slovakia
This year saw the introduction of a competition and an international jury to judge the feature films in the Made in Slovakia sidebar with a 3,000 award sponsored by Unicredit Bank.
The jury decided unanimously to award its prize to Iveta Grfovs feature debutMade In Ashwhich is Slovakias entry for the Foreign Language Oscar.
In its motivation, the jury said it was impressed by the films adept blending of documentary and fiction and sensitive handling of non-professional actors. The talented young director gives a fresh and personal view of an eternal social problem that has universal relevance. We believe that Iveta Grfov () is a name to watch.
The Iran Project is not responsible for the content of quoted articles.
