20/06/2016 - Tom Fassaert’s doc was Best Film in the International Competition, Goodbye Darling, I’m off to Fight won the Italian competition, while Best Debut Feature was Sonita

The Best Film Unipol Award at the 12th Bologna Biografilm Festival, which draws to a close today, has been bestowed upon A Family Affair [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Tom Fassaert
film profile]. The jury for the International Competition, chaired by Sundance Film Festival programmer Hussain Currimbhoy, chose the epic family film by Dutch director Tom Fassaert “for its caustic look at the dramas of a family in pieces. Its perspective endeavours to fathom the roots of the problem in an unprejudiced way, leaving more questions than answers in relation to a situation that seems not to have any easy solutions.”

The winner of the Italian Competition (Best Film Yoga Award, the jury for which was chaired by director Andrea Segre) was Goodbye Darling, I’m off to Fight [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Simone Manetti, the story of a former fashion model turned Thai boxing champion, “for the expressive and aesthetic coherence with which it portrays how a sports-related challenge, and also a human one, is overcome, exploring the boundary between reality and the mise-en-scène of a woman who is her own actress”. 

Manetti’s documentary was also crowned with a Special Mention from the Feature Debut jury. This jury, helmed by French producer Daniel Marquet, gave out the “New Talents” HERA Award to Sonita [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami, a film that, according to the jurors, “in addition to the flood of emotions that it was able to make us feel, also brings an implacable testimony along with it, presenting an extra opportunity to fight against obscurantism”.

Standing out among the audience’s favourites were the Italian-Swiss co-production Il fiume ha sempre ragione [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Silvio Soldini, Snow Monkey by George Gittoes (Australia, Norway), The Student by Kirill Serebrennikov for the Europa section, and the Italian title See You in Texas [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Vito Palmieri.

Here is the list of winners:

Jury Prizes

International Competition

Best Film Unipol Award
A Family Affair [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Tom Fassaert
film profile] - Tom Fassaert

Life Tales Award
Presenting Princess Shaw - Ido Haar

Feature Debuts 

“New Talents” HERA Award
Sonita [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami

Special Mention
Goodbye Darling, I’m off to Fight [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Simone Manetti

Biografilm Italia

Best Film Yoga Award
Goodbye Darling, I’m off to Fight - Simone Manetti

Life Tales Award
Ninna nanna prigioniera - Rossella Schillaci

Audience Awards

Audience Award – International Competition
Il fiume ha sempre ragione [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Silvio Soldini

Audience Award - Contemporary Lives
Snow Monkey - George Gittoes

Audience Award - Biografilm Europa
The Student - Kirill Serebrennikov

Audience Award - Biografilm Italia Competition
See You in Texas [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Vito Palmieri

Audience Award - Biografilm Music
The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble - Morgan Neville

Audience Award - Biografilm Arte
Segantini ritorno alla natura - Francesco Fei

(Translated from Italian)