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James Longley’s “Mohabat” won the Opus Bonum section at Ji.hlava Documentary Film Festival on Saturday.
Produced by Mohammad Sharif Hotak, Longley and Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney, it follows a 12-year-old boy
Mohabat, whose father dies in a drone strike. Left without parental care, he’s taken to a city orphanage.
“By patiently observing the boy’s interactions with his two older brothers and the routines and rhythms of life in his village school, the film creates a complex and sympathetic portrait of an individual, a family and a community, stripping away the customary clichés,” argued the jury, calling it “meticulously researched and exquisitely crafted.”
Elvis A-Liang Lu’s “Songs From Within” received a special mention and an award for editing, while Nona Giunashvili’s “Sacred Songs” was named Best Central and Eastern European Documentary. Filip Remunda’s “Love Exposed,” Ishtar Yasin Gutiérrez’s “Life Is There,” Ania Winiarska’s “Good Girls” and Diana Martínez’s “19th Floor” were also awarded.
Brydie O’Connor’s “Barbara Forever,” about late artist and activist Barbara Hammer, was the winner of Testimonies.
The jury called it a “compelling cinematic study that breaks several taboos simultaneously: lesbian and female emancipation, aging and terminal illness. This exceptionally empathetic film incorporates experimental footage – shot by the protagonist herself over the span of five decades – in a highly creative manner.”
“Connecting with others through art was really at the core of her practice. It’s also why she loved teaching. I definitely try to take at least a page out of Barbara’s book in that regard,” said O’Connor.
“After one screening, a woman came up to me. She said: ‘I’ve never heard of Barbara Hammer. I’m from Texas and I’m not queer. But I was so moved because my father is at the very end of his life, and he keeps telling our family that he’s at peace. After seeing this movie, I finally understand what he’s saying.’”
In the First Lights section, Philipp Fröhlich picked up the main award for “After the Rehearsal.” Dominika Kováčová triumphed with “Elusiveness of Today” for the film’s “gentle ability to take the viewer from the confines of the physical space in which an elderly woman is bound, to the boundless jam of her mental universe, and for the eloquent play of light and accomplished camera work.”
Finally, Martin Páv picked up Czech Joy’s main award for “Glowing,” while Klára Trsková and Anežka Horová were the winners of Exprmntl.cz with “On the Peaks of All the Beech Mountains.”
Their film was praised for “the political courage in recalling one of the many dark chapters in our contemporary history, the relevance in denouncing ethnic cleansing during complex and painful historical moments, and the sophisticated and stirring filmmaking.”
Vietnamese-American filmmaker Trinh T. Minh-ha was given the Contribution to World Cinema Award.
Currently preparing her upcoming film “The Undying Desert,” her first set in the US,she told Variety about her philosophy.
“You set up the rules for yourself. I’m very glad that I was able to stick with the path I chose and not be intimidated by all these oppressive regulations.”
She added: “Cinema is not just an experience for the eyes. It’s an experience for the whole body. When I was first showing ‘Reassemblage,’ someone told me: ‘I’m hearing this film with my eyes and seeing it with my ears.’ I replied: ‘Perfect,’” she said.
“In East Asia, the senses are not that separate. They overlap. A painter is also a musician and a poet. I think it’s the same with film. It’s better to come with an open mind and see how it speaks to you, rather than focusing on what constitutes a ‘good documentary,’ or what its story or message is.”
You can find the full list of awards here:
Opus Bonum
Main Award: James Longley, “Mohabat”
Special Mention: Elvis A-Liang Lu, “Songs From Within”
Best Central and Eastern European Documentary: Nona Giunashvili, “Sacred Songs”
Best Documentary Film in the Visegrad Region: Filip Remunda, “Love Exposed”
Award for Original Approach: Ishtar Yasin Gutiérrez, “Life Is There”
Best Editing: Yi-ling Huang, “Songs From Within”
Best Cinematography: Ania Winiarska, “Good Girls”
Award for the Best Sound Design: Diana Martínez, “19th Floor”
Student Jury Award: Éric Baudelaire, “For the Moon”
First Lights
Main Award: Philipp Fröhlich, “After the Rehearsal”
Special Mention: Eli Maene, “Journey”
Best Cinematography: Emma Boccanfuso, “Saudades Eternas”
Award for the Best Sound Design: Leinad Pájaro De la Hoz, Manuel Escorihuela, “Voices From Neptune”
Award for Original Approach: Jihyeon Oh, “Erotic Blossoms in a Dream”
FIPRESCI Prize: Eli Maene, “Journey”
Testimonies
Main Award: Brydie O’Connor, “Barbara Forever”
Special Mention for Best Film on Nature: Markéta Ekrt Válková, “Light It Before It Burns”
Special Mention for Best Film on Politics: Zainab Entezar, “771 Days”
Special Mention for Best Film on Knowledge: Sien Versteyhe, “The Sessions Fascinations”
Main Award: Dominika Kováčová, “Elusiveness of Today”
Special mention: Rocío Salima, “Identity and Transit Document No. 4”
Exprmntl.cz
Main Award: Klára Trsková, Anežka Horová, “On the Peaks of All the Beech Mountains”
Audience Award: Aleš Pojar, “Mushroom Seconds”
Czech Joy
Main Award: Martin Páv, “Glowing”
Main Award: Nikola Klinger, “Land of Fire”
Best Editing: Sebastian Kučkovský, “Anatomy of a Crash”
Best Sound Design: Jakub Jurásek, Marek Buranovský, “Wasteland Chronicles”
Best Cinematography: Matěj Piňos, “Light It Before It Burns”
Award for Original Approach: Karolína Hovězáková, “Love Video Letter”
Student Jury Award: Georgij Mežujev, “My Father From the Island Russia”
Award for the Best Czech Short Documentary Film: Dariia Kovalchuk, “Donbas Within Reach”
Short Joy
Joseph Vitali, “Never Been There, Never”
Contribution to World Cinema Award
Trinh T. Minh-ha
