62nd BRNO16 awarded its winners

The international jury gave the main award to Ward's Henna Party by the director and screenwriter Morad Mostaf. „Captivating portrayal of complicated messy relationships of a bachelorette party observed through the eyes of an outsider. The cracks and the cultural differences then come into stark reality in form of a conflict. The film not only shows the events and it’s protagonists but also masterfully unfolds many layers of ties between people and societal structures in a complex and nonobvious way. The cinematographic observation finds an impressive form without forcing the images into tried and true narratives."

The jury also awarded three honourable mentions, to the films ► Community Gardens (Vytautas Katkus) „Ordinary summer day in a community gardens. What does it look like in the neighborhood? What's new with them? The
analog camera gently shows a community which is connected by curiosity and apathy at the same time. With the memory of the film The Firemen's Ball by Miloš Forman, we have another opportunity for self-introspection
and reflection our co-living with others." ► The Golden Legend (Chema Garcia Ibarra, Ion de Sosa) „
During a hot, lazy, summer day by the city swimming pool, a community gathering becomes fairytale, with a certain phantasmagorical aura, all thanks to the power of film reel. Presenting a series of mundane situations, the film stands out through its craft and harmonious frames. While playing with tradition, mysticism and comedy - the filmmakers offer a refreshing look towards the joyfully banal." ► I'll End up in Jail (Alexandre Dostie) „When Maureen's escape from her unhappy life takes her to an even bigger drama, her manifested will to become better and better day by day, will guide her out of the dilemma. In a very sleek and skilled way and without any detour or hesitation this film tells its story and catches us with its blunt series of radical plot points.."

The highschool jury gave their award to the film Maradona's Legs. „We’ve decided to give the award to Maradona’s Legs by the director Firas Khoury. Taking place in Palestine, the film tells the story of two boys who are passionate about the Brazilian football team. They collect football cards. Due to their ambition, they manage to get the last one that’s missing – “Maradona’s legs”. The whole story is surrounded by childlike innocence and naivete which helps immerse the audience. It flows and inspires. We’d also like to pay special attention to the children’s non-acting roles, which also help pull the audience in."

The Czechoslovakian 16 – a competition of 13 films by Czech and Slovak author – was in the hands of a jury from the Department of Film Studies and Audiovisual Culture at Masaryk University. They chose the winner of the Czechoslovakian 16 to be the film Greeting from Nigeria. „We’d like to award the film Greetings from Nigeria, which with its absurdly satirical tone wittily reflects the alienation of today’s world and communication issues. We especially appreciate its well-thought-out form, which demonstrates the author’s ability to adapt current cinematographic trends into his work. The highlights of the film include its surprising point as well as many directorial ideals on the level of staging and image composition.“

The same jury also awarded an honourable mention to the film S P A C E S Nory Štrbové. „We’d like to give a special mention to the animated document S P A C E S. We appreciate especially the way its author reaches the impressiveness of a memory film, which she has constructed in a sophisticated way as a part of her creative concept as well as through personal experience. She isn’t afraid to include an entire spectrum of formal techniques and approaches, which she uses to depict a painful family trauma, making present the feeling of spaces in a fragmented memory, making the audience’s experience that much more intense."

The audience also had an opportunity to award their prize. This year, they chose the film Exam by the director Sonia K. Hadad.