11/07/2005

Polish director Krysztof Krauze was the big winner of the 40th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. His film Moj Nikifor (“My Nikifor”), a biography of famed Polish painter Nikifor Krynicki, is going back home with the best picture award. Krauze himself was given best director while actress Krystyna Feldman, an 85-year-old actress who plays the main male character in the film, was given the best actress prize.
“Not bad” tried to joke an evidently emotional Krauze when on stage to receive the top award of the night, that of best film, accompanied by a cheque for $ 20,000. The jury, headed by British director and producer Michael Radford, unanimously picked the Polish entry among 13 others for “the originality of the story and the execution of the film”. Krauze’s film had earlier won a special mention by the International Association of Film Societies.

Italian Luca Zingaretti, who was praised for his depiction of mafia-fighting priest Giuseppe Puglisi in Roberto Faenza’s Alla luce del sole (“Come into the light”), shared the best actor’s award with Israel’s Uri Gavriel.
The Austrian-Russian co-production Ragin, directed by Kiril Serebrennikov, won the top award in the East of the West section. Wojtek Smarzowski’s highly entertaining Wesele (“The wedding”) received a special mention in the section which turned competitive for the first time this year.

From the non-statutory awards, the international film critics’ FIPRESCI prize went to Danish-Chinese co-production Kinamand (“Chinaman”) directed by Henrik Ruben Genz. Czech Television’s Independent Camera for the best work in the Forum of Independents was reserved for Argentinean Lisandro Alonso and his film Los Muertos (“The dead”).
More than 142,000 people watched the festival’s 517 screenings, almost 20,000 up on last year. The 41st edition of the festival will be held June 30 – July 8, 2006.

The main awards list:

GRAND PRIX – Crystal Globe
Moj Nikifor, Poland, 2004, by Krysztof Krauze

SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
Eize makom nifla (“What a wonderful place”), Israel 2005, by Eyal Halfon

SPECIAL MENTION
Noriko no shokutaku (“Noriko’s dinner table”), Japan 2005, by Sion Sono

BEST DIRECTOR
Krysztof Krauze, Poland, for the film Moj Nikifor, Poland, 2004

BEST ACTOR
Luca Zingaretti, Italy, for the film Alla luce del sole, Italy 2005, and Uri Gavriel, Israel, for the film Eize makom nifla (“What a wonderful place”), Israel 2005

BEST ACTRESS
Krystyna Feldman, Poland, for the film Moj Nikifor, Poland, 2004

EAST OF THE WEST AWARDS
Best film
Ragin, Russia, Austria, 2004, by Kiril Serebrennikov

Special mention
Wesele (“The wedding”), Poland, 2004, by Wojtek Smarzowski

PRAVO AUDIENCE AWARD
La vie avec mon père (“Life with my father”), Canada, 2005, by Sebastien Rose

FIPRESCI AWARD
Kinamand, Denmark, China, 2004, by Henrik Ruben Genz