17/10/2022 - Other prizes went to a variety of feature films and shorts from Poland, Germany, Romania and France

Romanian-Hungarian director Botond Püsök’s debut feature, Too Close [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], has won the Astra Trophy at the 29^th edition of the Astra Film Festival (9-16 October), Romania’s longest-running film gathering. The Romanian-Hungarian co-production staged by Luna Film and Spot Productions explores the challenges in the life of a mother who suffers a backlash from her small community after accusing her former partner of abusing her daughter. Too Close competed with another nine films, all of them first, second or third features, in the festival’s New Voices of Documentary Cinema Competition.

The top award in the Central and Eastern Europe Competition went to Lukasz Kowalski’s The Pawnshop [+see also:
film review
film profile] (Poland), a film about the colourful family behind the biggest pawnshop in Poland. Alexandra Gulea’s Flying Sheep (Germany/Romania), a documentary essay on the history of the Aromanian communities, received a Special Mention.

After its world premiere at the Sarajevo Film Festival, Cătălina Tesăr and Dana Bunescu’s The Chalice. Of Sons and Daughters [+see also:
film review
film profile] (Romania), a film exploring the traditions of the Cortorari Roma communities, was crowned Best Documentary in the Romanian Competition. The Best Directing Award went to Iulian Manuel Ghervas and Adina Popescu’s Eagles from Ţaga [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Romania/Slovakia), a film about the worst-performing team participating in the Romanian football championship, while a Special Mention was handed to Raluca David’s Waves on Dry Soil (Romania), a movie about a young surfer who dreams of representing his country, Moldova, at the Olympics.

Finally, the top award in the Docschool Competition went to Emilie Beyssac Cywińska’s short film A Place in This World (France). The only feature in this competition, Eric Esser’s Family Love – My Grandpa, National Socialism and Me [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Germany), which investigates the connection that the director’s grandfather might have had with the Nazis, won the Best Directing Award, while Valentin-Rareș Fogoroș’s Arsencik’s First Birthday (Romania), a short film about a young Ukrainian mother who fled the war with her newborn child, received a Special Mention.

Here is the complete list of awards handed out at Astra 2022:

New Voices of Documentary Cinema Competition

Best Documentary
Too Close [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Botond Püsök (Romania/Hungary)

Central and Eastern European Competition

Best Documentary
The Pawnshop [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Lukasz Kowalski (Poland)
Special Mention
Flying Sheep - Alexandra Gulea (Germany/Romania)

Romanian Competition

Best Documentary
The Chalice. Of Sons and Daughters [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Cătălina Tesăr, Dana Bunescu (Romania)

Best Directing
Iulian Manuel Ghervas, Adina Popescu - Eagles from Ţaga [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Romania/Slovakia)
Special Mention
Waves on Dry Soil - Raluca David (Romania)

Docschool

Best Documentary
A Place in This World - Emilie Beyssac Cywińska (France, short)

Best Directing
Eric Esser - Family Love – My Grandpa, National Socialism and Me [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Germany)
Special Mention
Arsencik’s First Birthday - Valentin-Rareș Fogoroș (Romania, short)