66th BRNO16 awarded its winners
The International Jury, consisting of Ben Aston, Malvína Balvínová a Yasar Buğra Dedeoğlu, decided to award the film from Slovak director Matúš Vizár Free the Chickens. The reasons were "A film that masterfully dives into a complex subject matter with grace, style and good humour. At its beating heart is a story about freedom of thought that invites you into its world before dismantling every expectation you have coming in. A joyful, chaotic and wonderful piece of art that made us love all its characters as much as the filmmaker clearly does."
They also awarded four honorable mentions to the films: S the Wolf, 400 Cassettes, ECHO and Between the Lines.
The International competition was judged by The Student Jury, which was composed of Samuel Bacigál, Danylo Kostenko a Anna Závodská. They gave Učit Brno Award to the film Between the Lines. "It was a film that impressed us with its incredible acting, which managed to transport us right into the centre of action. The exceptional writing made us feel like we knew the characters, even though we never learn their names. We also just couldn’t keep our eyes away from the way the camera would move through the space with great mastery."
Their honorable mention was awarded to the film Water Sports.
MSI Award for the best Czech or Slovak film won a film Confession. The jury, consisting of Amrei Keul, Veronika Krejčová and Petr Veinhauer, gave this statement: "The winning film is an intimate and tender, yet brutal confrontation. Through various techniques, such us home video footage, installation, conversations and hidden recording, the director attempts to understand. For standing up against sexual abuse: not only of the protagonist, but also of what was meant to be a safe space; for the courage to change the concept of the word confession, we honor Rebeka Bizubová for her Film Confession."
They also gave a special mention to the film From Play to Play.
The festival audience also awarded their prize, voting with ballots after each competition screening. It went to the intense Dutch film Barlebas, which (like this year’s festival theme) explores the subject of witchcraft.
CONGRATULATIONS!
