07/09/2022 - A total of ten awards were given out at the documentary gathering held recently on the island of Castellorizo

The Beyond Borders International Documentary Festival has wrapped its seventh edition, which, as in previous years, took place on the idyllic island of Castellorizo, on the shores of the Aegean Sea. This iteration was the most successful yet for the event, as it was held across three screening venues, where 26 world and national premieres took place.

The five-member international jury for the Official Competition was chaired by Peter Arens, head of the History and Science department at German public television organisation ZDF, and also included Phaedra Vokali, director of the Hellenic Film Academy; director and producer Marco Gastine; director and cinematographer Danae Elon; and professor Uri Cohen. They picked Reconstruction of Occupation [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Jan Šikl (Czech Republic/Slovakia) as the winner of the Best History Documentary Award. The film follows everyday moments shortly before the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Warsaw Pact countries.

The Best Socio-political Documentary Award was given to The Poet's Wife by Helke Misselwitz (Germany), a film of “sudden beauty and unfiltered humanity, a hymn to the female artistic avant-garde”. The Best Greek Documentary Award, courtesy of the Greek Film Centre, was given to Τhe Other Half [+see also:
film review
film profile] by George Moutafis, a movie that delves into inaccessible places and captures stories that exceed human limits and reveal how the titular “other half” lives. The Mediterranean Friendship Award, sponsored by EKOME, was given to Chronis Botsoglou “I Was There Too and I Was Treated With a Plate of Lentil Soup …” by Freddy Vianellis (Greece), a tribute to one of the most important painters in modern history.

A new competition, the μicro section, was inaugurated this year, which aims to highlight and give a boost to short documentaries. The main award, the Golden Phoenix, was given to Mo Mo and Leïla Macaire’s February 1st, a visual journey across Myanmar in search of freedom and democracy, as viewed through an all-female prism. The Silver Phoenix was awarded to the animated documentary iRony by Radheya Jegatheva, while the Bronze Phoenix was bestowed upon Railway Memories by Emilia Buriti, an audiovisual study on the concept of movement as individual and collective memory. An Honourable Mention went to Tanais by the film team from the Nea Kydonia High School in the city of Chania, and Boxer by Aria Saridi.

Finally, the FIPRESCI Prize, which was given out at Beyond Borders for the first time this year, went to Village of Women [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Tamara Stepanyan (Armenia/France), which takes a comparative look at changes in the cycle of time and those in the cycle of human lives.

Here are all of the winners of the seventh Beyond Borders International Documentary Festival:

Official Competition

Best History Documentary
Reconstruction of Occupation [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Jan Šikl (Czech Republic/Slovakia)

Best Socio-political Documentary
The Poet's Wife - Helke Misselwitz (Germany)

Best Greek Documentary
Τhe Other Half [+see also:
film review
film profile] - George Moutafis (Greece)

Best Short-length Documentary
May 1st 2021 - Luis Cuenca Castro (Spain/China)

Odyssey Special Award
Indigenius Loci - Vicky Markolefa (Greece)

Mediterranean Friendship Special Award
Chronis Botsoglou “I Was There Too and I Was Treated With a Plate of Lentil Soup …” - Freddy Vianellis (Greece)

μicro section

Golden Phoenix
February 1^st - Mo Mo, Leïla Macaire (France)

Silver Phoenix
iRony - Radheya Jegatheva (Australia)

Bronze Phoenix
Railway Memories - Emilia Buriti (Greece)

FIPRESCI Award
Village of Women [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Tamara Stepanyan (Armenia/France)