War on Screen crowns Natural Light its champion
- Hungarian director Dénes Nagy’s movie scoops the Grand Prize, the audience favours Mohamed Diab’s Amira, while Karim Aïnouz’s Mariner of the Mountains wins two distinctions
The only event dedicated to depictions of conflict, which is sadly in step with the times given the international wars that are currently raging, the War on Screen Festival held its 10th edition in Châlons-en-Champagne between 3rd and 9th October, and ultimately awarded its Grand Prize to Hungarian director Dénes Nagy’s Natural Light [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Dénes Nagy
film profile], which won Berlin’s Silver Bear for Best Director last year and which is due for release in French cinemas on 7 December via Nour Films.
The International Competition jury (composed of producer Catherine Dussart, filmmakers Louise Narboni and Dieudo Hamadi, Arte France’s Editorial Director Boriz Razon and actor Niels Schneider) also awarded a Special Mention to Mariner of the Mountains [+see also:
film review
film profile] by Brazil’s Karim Aïnouz (discovered last year in a Cannes special screening), which likewise curried favour with the press jury.
Worth similar mention is the Student Jury Award won by Ukrainian director Maksym Nakonechnyi’s movie Butterfly Vision [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Maksym Nakonechnyi
film profile] (to be released in France on 12 October) and the Audience Award bagged by Amira, courtesy of Egyptian helmer Mohamed Diab. Boasting Jean-Jacques Annaud as its guest of honour and paying tribute to Jacques Perrin, this year’s edition of War on Screen was closed by Mathieu Vadepied’s Father & Soldier [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (scheduled for release in France on 3 January 2023).
The European writing programme WoS Fabrique, which supports the production and direction of fiction films dedicated to the representation of conflict, also enjoyed its moment in the sun. Involving five film schools located on the Old Continent (France’s La Fémis, Germany’s Filmuniversität Babelsberg Konrad Wolf, Poland’s Lodz Film School, Spain’s ECAM and Romania’s UNATC), this writing residency unfolds across two sessions (supervised by director Manele Labibi), and its five winners (whose identity will be revealed in January next year) will receive financial aid to help them direct their own films.
The list of winners is as follows:
Grand Jury Prize
Natural Light [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Dénes Nagy
film profile] - Dénes Nagy (Hungary/Latvia/Germany/France)
Special Mention
Mariner of the Mountains [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Karim Aïnouz (Brazil/France/Germany)
Other awards
French Red Cross Audience Award
Amira - Mohamed Diab (Jordan/UAE/Egypt/Saudi Arabia)
Student Jury Prize
Butterfly Vision [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Maksym Nakonechnyi
film profile] - Maksym Nakonechnyi (Ukraine/Czech Republic/Croatia/Sweden)
Press Jury Prize
Mariner of the Mountains - Karim Aïnouz
Grand Prize for Best Short Film
Airbone - Andrzej Jobczyk (Poland)
Audience Award for Best Short
Little Berlin - Kate McMullen (France)
(Translated from French)
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