On Saturday evening, the International Competition took place in Pushkin House, where three prizes were awarded. A total of ten films were shown in the competition. The first prize, endowed with 1000.00 euros, went to the animated film “The Gap” by Patrick Vandebroeck. The jury’s reasoning: “The round comes into the square and does not only leave chaos behind”. The second prize of 800.00 euros went to “Hors Piste” by Léo Brunel, Loris Cavalier, Camille Jalabert and Oscar Malet. The jury justified the choice as follows: “The film has achieved its goal of entertaining the audience with virtuosity and slapstick”. The third prize, endowed with 600.00 euros, also went to France for the film “Grand Bassin” by Héloïse Courtois, Chloé Plat, Victori Jalabert and Adèle Raigneau. The jury on this: A film that captures the delicate and funny moments in a swimming pool in a very light way”.
The 600.00 Euro jury prize went to “Carlotta ́s Face” by Valentin Riedl, who portrays in his animadok a woman who has a congenital facial blindness and can neither recognize herself nor her counterpart. The jury’s reasoning: “A woman who struggles for her identity every day. Precisely and cleverly assembled, Valentin Riedl tells an everyday story in five minutes, but it remains hidden from most of us. The choice of cinematic means, the use of animated images and spoken text are always convincing and open our eyes in the truest sense of the word. To the surprising, hopeful final point, which makes you want more.”
The audience award (400,00 Euro) went to “So hell die Nacht” by Julius Schmitt (Germany, 2018), a documentary that takes the audience on a journey through the horizons of different night workers. For the first time in the history of the festival, a special mention was given to the film: “The living, the dead, and the seaman” by Marion Jhöaner (Great Britain 2017). The reason in detail: A venture. Marion Jhöaner enters a strange world and approaches it curiously and openly. She doesn’t need much for her story. She trusts the pictures completely. The result is a poetic contemplation of an ancient profession. When the ship moors at the port again, we have many new thoughts and perspectives. Above all, we want to get out again.
In the children’s film competition, the 500.00 Euro jury prize of the children’s jury went to “Event Horizon” by Joséfa Celestin. The film portrays Julianne, who knows that childhood doesn’t last forever, but refuses to grow up too quickly and to break away from her alienated childhood friend. The audience prize (300.00 euros) went to “Sloth” by Julia Ocker, who describes the difficulties of a sloth eating ice cream.