The Silence of Others wins Sheffield Doc/Fest
by Kaleem Aftab
- Spanish-US co-production takes home the Grand Jury Award, as European films dominate the list of awards
The Sheffield Doc/Fest Grand Jury Award, supported by Screen International and Broadcast, pays tribute to films displaying excellence in style, in substance and in their approach to documentary filmmaking. This year’s Grand Jury Award, offering £2,000 in prize money, was awarded to Almudena Carracedo and Robert Bahar for The Silence of Others [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Almudena Carracedo, Esther …
film profile] (Spain/USA), a film which sheds light on the epic struggle of those who suffered under the Spanish, 40-year dictatorship of General Franco, and who continue to seek justice today. The film world-premiered at of the Berlinale, where it won the Panorama Audience Award.
Co-director Bahar said, “In the Peace Gardens, here in Sheffield, there’s a plaque honouring the people of South Yorkshire who went out to Spain and died fighting fascism. There are a number of fascist crimes which we still need to seek justice for and that’s what this film is about.”
A Special Mention from Grand Jury Award jurors Mark Cousins, Liv Wynter and Gaika went out to Bernadett Tuza-Ritter’s A Woman Captured [+see also:
film review
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film profile] (Hungary), described as a “troubling but astonishing insight into the under-documented issue of modern slavery.”
The Environment Award, which honours documentaries best addressing or raising awareness of the environmental challenges faced by the world, was given to Wild Relatives [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (Lebanon/Norway/Germany), directed by Jumana Manna, and the Tim Hetherington Award, recognising films and filmmakers who pay tribute to the legacy of its namesake journalist and supported by Dogwoof, was presented to Dieudo Hamadi for Kinshasa Makambo [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (DRC/France/Switzerland/Germany/Norway).
Next, the Illuminate Award, rewarding films which successfully combine a vibrant narrative with an original filmmaking approach inspired by science, was this year awarded to América (USA), directed by Erick Stoll and Chase Whiteside. The Art Doc award, supported by MUBI, champions bold, new and creative forms of non-fiction cinema, as well as artistic films, and its winner, Music When The Lights Go Out (Brazil), was directed by Ismael Caneppele.
Bing Liu’s Minding the Gap took two prizes home: the New Talent Award and the Sheffield Doc/Fest Audience Award, the latter supported by Curzon Home Cinema. The 2018 Sheffield Doc/Fest Youth Jury Award was won by Mohamed Siam for his intimate and unflinching portrayal of a politicised teenager in contemporary Egypt in his film, Amal [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (Denmark/Egypt/France/Germany), and the 2018 Sheffield Doc/Fest Short Documentary Award went to Black Sheep, directed by Ed Perkins (UK).
Michelle Gabel and Michaela Holland’s Face to Face nabbed the Sheffield Doc/Fest 2018 Alternate Realities VR Awardfor their compelling installation based on the life of Michelle Fox, who wears a facial prosthetic following on from a near-fatal gun injury, and the Alternative Realities Interactive Award was won by The Voice of the Unicorn (Japan/UK, 2018), created by Richard Butchins.
Last but not least, Mirror Mirror On the Wall, directed by Sascha Schöberl, will be awarded financial support of £80,000 to be put towards the completion of the film, walking away with the biggest prize of this particular pitch session, the Whickers World Film & TV Funding Award, while the runner-up, Disappearing Village, directed by Megumi Inman, will receive total funds of £15,000.
Full list of awards:
Sheffield Doc/Fest 2018 winners
Grand Jury Award
The Silence of Others [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Almudena Carracedo, Esther …
film profile] - Almudena Carracedo, Robert Bahar (Spain/USA)
Special Mention
A Woman Captured [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Bernadett Tuza-Ritter (Hungary)
Environmental Award
Wild Relatives [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Jumana Manna (Lebanon/Norway/Germany)
Tim Hetherington Award
Kinshasa Makambo [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Dieudo Hamadi (DRC/France/Switzerland/Germany/Norway)
Illuminate Award
América - Erick Stoll, Chase Whiteside (USA)
Special Mention
Young Solitude [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Claire Simon
film profile] - Claire Simon (France)
Art Doc Award
Music When The Lights Go Out - Ismael Caneppele (Brazil)
New Talent Award
Minding The Gap - Bing Liu (USA)
Special Mention
The Proposal [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Jill Magid (USA/Mexico/Switzerland)
Youth Jury Award
Amal [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (Denmark/Egypt/France/Germany)
Short Doc Award
Black Sheep - Ed Perkins (UK)
Special Mention
Weltschmerz - Jesper Dalgaard (Denmark)
Audience Award
Minding The Gap - Bing Liu
Doc/Dispatch Award
Notes From Dunblane: Lessons From A School Shooting - Kim A. Snyder (USA) (short film)
Alternate Realities
Virtual Reality Award
Face To Face - Michelle Gabel, Michaela Holland (USA)
Special Mention
Vestige - Aaron Bradbury, Paul Mowbray (UK/France/USA)
Interactive Award
The Voice Of The Unicorn - Richard Butchins (Japan/UK)
Special Mention
Terminal 3 - Asad J. Malik (USA/Pakistan)
Audience Award
Grenfell: Our Home - Jonathan Rudd (UK)
Industry Pitch winners
Whickers World Film & TV Funding Award
Mirror Mirror On The Wall
Runner-up
Disappearing Village
BBC Northern Docs Pitch
Knife Crime: The Final Chapter
Real Stories Relationship Pitch
The Truffle Trip
Joseph Rowntree Foundation X Guardian Pitch
Dom Bush - The Hope That Kills You
Anna Hall - The Poverty Project
May Leng Wei - Five Days At The Food Bank
Channel 4 First Cut Pitch
Moving On
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