I've just returned from the Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival in Greece (just a few more days for me in Italy and then home again, home again--at least for a bit). I will have lots more coverage to share on the IDA e-zine, as well as film reviews here and on Hammer to Nail in the next week before the tidal wave of my hometown fest, Tribeca, hits the airwaves.
Thessaloniki has just announced the award winners for this year, and here they are:
The Hellenic Red Cross Audience Award for a film over 45 minutes in the International Selection with a prize of 4,000 euros went to Anders Østergaard's Burma VJ, Reporting From a Closed Country from Denmark.
The Hellenic Red Cross Audience Award for a film under 45 minutes in the International Selection with a prize of 2,000 euros went to Flowers of Rwanda by David Munoz from Spain.
The Hellenic Red Cross Audience Award for a Greek film over 45 minutes with an (astounding) prize of 30,000 euros (and no, that's not a misprint) went to National Garden (Ethnikos Kipos) by Apostolos Karakasis. (These massive prizes for Greek filmmakers are to "upgrade the documentary film genre in Greece." Right on.)
The Hellenic Red Cross Audience Award for a Greek film under 45 minutes with a prize of 20,000 euros went to The World Naked Bike Ride Project in Thessaloniki (Vgikame Apo Ta Rouha Mas) by Elli Zerbini.
Now for the FIPRESCI Awards (International Federation of Film Critics):
The Greek selection was Eva Stefani's Bathers (Louomeni) and the International selection recognition went to US filmmaker Kimberly Reed's Prodigal Sons (yay!). Reed's film will also be part of the traveling festival selections that play in local theaters throughout Greece, including Athens, this week.
The Amnesty International Award for the best film in the Human Rights section went to Burma VJ.
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Award for best film in the Habitat section went to Joe Berlinger's Crude (USA, Ecuador, UK).
The ERT3 (Greek public television) Broadcasting Award with a prize of one broadcast on the channel, equivalent to the sum of 3,000 euros, recognizing the best film in the Habitat section, went to Ferenc Moldoyanyi's Another Planet: Masik Bolygo from Hungary.
And last, but certainly not least, the ERT channel inaugurated the Doc on Air Award this year, given to the best Pitching Forum project by the tutors who participated in the '09 forum called Docs in Thessaloniki, run collaboratively with the EDN. The award of 7,000 euros went to director Kate McNaughton's Rush for Life (Takas Films, UK). Oddly, this was the last pitch I saw today before leaving for the airport and she did one hell of a job, receiving extremely enthusiastic responses from all of the international commissioning editors, one of them going so far as to say that he had fallen madly in love with her subject just by watching the three minute extract. Impressive.
Congratulations to McNaughton and all of the award recipients.
I would like to express a very special thanks to filmmaker Heddy Honigmann, who, even though exhausted, an interview the last thing she wanted to do, sat with me last night in her hotel room for a wonderful conversation smack between flying in from Amsterdam and the evening screening of her latest (and quite beautiful) nonfiction piece, El Olvido (Oblivion) (still from film, pictured). It was a privilege. Our conversation will be posted here very soon.
Efcharisto poli to Lilly Papagianni, the Foreign Press liaison (who made said interview possible) and to Stella Stavrinodaki for her warmth, hospitality, humor and efficiency--what a combo! And a very big thank you to Dimitri Eipides, an extraordinary spirit who is helping to, indeed, upgrade the documentary film genre, not only in his native Greece, but all over the world.
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