02/05/2023 - The Swiss-Canadian director’s movie While the Green Grass Grows triumphed in the International Competition while French film Knit’s Island bagged the Burning Lights’ main award

Director Peter Mettler with his Grand Prize for While the Green Grass Grows (© Nikita Thevoz/Visions du Réel)

Swiss-Canadian filmmaker Peter Mettler has scooped the Grand Prize in the Visions du Réel’s International Feature Film Competition with his movie While the Green Grass Grows [+see also:
film review
film profile], a monumental work marked by exceptional artistic sensibility. Mettler’s latest feature is an ongoing project set to consist of seven instalments, two of which were unveiled in Nyon. Despite its work in progress feel and its totally elusive nature, While the Green Grass Grows is a poetic work whose characters lose themselves before eventually finding their way. In 2002, his super-length movie Gambling, Gods and LSD likewise left its mark on Nyon audiences, walking away with the very same award.

The jury of the International Feature Film Competition, composed of American programmer Florence Almozini, Swiss producer David Epiney and filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho, also decided to honour Defector, a Korean-American co-production by Hyun Kyung Kim, with the Special Jury Prize, and In Ukraine [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Piotr Pawlus, Tomasz Wolski
film profile] by Piotr Pawlus and Tomasz Wolski - the latter a regular at the festival - with a Special Mention.

In the Burning Lights Competition, the French film Knit’s Island [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by the directorial trio Ekiem Barbier, Guilhem Causse and Quentin L’helgoualc’h - a movie wholly set within a video game - was singled out for an award, while Chinese director Alan Zhang’s debut film This Woman, which paints a captivating portrait of a modern female "warrior" probing the role of women in contemporary Chinese society, won the Special Jury Prize. Nicole Chi Amén’s Canadian production Guiàn, meanwhile, a poignant work depicting the protagonist’s journey in search of her roots, was awarded a Special Mention.

As for the National Competition, the jury placed Nathalie Berger’s Chagrin Valley on the highest step of the podium, a staggering first feature film inviting the audience to dive into daily life within the disconcerting establishment of the same name welcoming people suffering from dementia. In second place came the majestic winner of the Special Jury Prize, The Wonder Way [+see also:
film review
film profile], by artist and filmmaker Emmanuelle Antille, which depicts a real-come-imaginary voyage through remote areas of the world where mysticism and ancestral rituals transform into visual poetry, while Sophie Ballmet’s medium-length movie La Maison scooped a Jury Special Mention.

Emilie Bujès, the festival’s Artistic Director, declared herself thrilled with an edition which was "especially joyous on account of its incredible artistic richness". She also stressed in the press release that the winners "include numerous films directed by women (11 out of 18)" and that this “resolutely female” edition was further marked by the presence of two exceptional guests: Lucrecia Martel and Alice Rohrwacher.

The full list of winners is as follows:

International Feature Film Competition

Grand Prize
While the Green Grass Grows [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Peter Mettler (Switzerland/Canada)

Special Jury Prize
Defectors - Hyun Kyung Kim (South Korea/USA)

Special Mention
In Ukraine [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Piotr Pawlus, Tomasz Wolski
film profile] - Piotr Pawlus, Tomasz Wolski (Poland/Germany)

Burning Lights Competition

Burning Lights Competition Prize
Knit’s Island [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Ekiem Barbier, Guilhem Causse, Quentin L’helgoualc’h (France)

Special Jury Prize
This Woman - Alan Zhang (China)

Special Mention
Guiàn - Nicole Chi Amén (Canada)

National Competition

National Competition Prize
Chagrin Valley - Nathalie Berger (Switzerland)

Special Jury Prize
The Wonder Way [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Emmanuelle Antille (Switzerland)

Special Mention
La Maison - Sophie Ballman (Switzerland) (medium-length film)

International Medium-Length and Short Films Competition

Best Medium-Length Film
Self-Portrait Along the Borderline - Anna Dziapshipa (Georgia)

Best Short Film
Losing Ground (Myanmar)

Special Mention (Medium-length film)
Vampire, It’s Nothing to Laugh at - Kinga Michalska (Canada)

Special Mention (Short film)
Souvenir d’une journée parfait - Davina Maria (Belgium/Lebanon/Hungary/Portugal)

Other awards

Interreligious Prize
Pure Unknown [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Valentina Cicogna, Mattia Colombo (Italy/Switzerland/Sweden)

Zonta Prize
This Woman - Alan Zhang

FIPRESCI International Critics’ Prize
Knit’s Island - Ekiem Barbier, Guilhem Causse, Quentin L’helgoualc’h

Perception Change Award
Against the Tide – Sarvnik Kaur (India/France)

(Translated from French)