26/11/2008

The 19th Ljubljana International Film Festival ended on November 23 with Steve McQueen’s Hunger [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Laura Hastings-Smith Rob…
interview: Steve McQueen
film profile] winning the Best Film Award.

The competition consisted of first or second films, and included the European titles Ain't Scared [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (France) by Audrey Estrougo, Duane Hopkins’s Better Things [+see also:
film review
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film profile] (UK), Philippe Ramos’ Captain Ahab [+see also:
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film profile] (France/Spain), Thanos Anastopoulos’ Correction (Greece), Koen Mortier’s Ex-Drummer [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (Belgium) and Faro, Goddess of the Waters (Mali/Burkina Faso/France/Germany/Canada).

Lance Hammer’s Ballast (US) won the FIPRESCI Award.

The main competition jury comprised Kieron Corless, deputy editor of Sight and Sound; Nuno Sena, director of the IndieLisboa festival; and Slovenian filmmaker Petra Seliskar.

The short film jury – made up of German film critic Olaf Mueller, Slovenian actress Manca Dorrer, and Nerina Kocjanic, deputy director of the Slovenian Film Fund – awarded Mexican Carlos Armelia’s Land and Bread while a special mention went to Slovenian Matevz Luzar’s Wolfy.

Andrzej Wajda’s Katyn [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Andrzej Wajda
interview: Michal Kwiecinski
film profile] won the Audience Award.

Side programmes included retrospectives on Terrence Davies and Adoor Golapakrishnan; Serbian director Zelimir Zilnik enjoyed a tribute; and the Focus On was dedicated to contemporary Catalan film.

All the screenings were well attended, even sold out for programmes such as Avantpremieres, which included Vicky Cristina Barcelona [+see also:
trailer
film profile], The Art of Negative Thinking [+see also:
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film profile], Waltz with Bashir [+see also:
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film profile], Shine a Light and The Orphanage [+see also:
trailer
film profile]; and Extravaganza, with REC [+see also:
film review
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interview: Jaume Balagueró, Paco Plaza
interview: Julio Fernández
film profile], Otto; Or Up With Dead People [+see also:
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film profile], Silent Light [+see also:
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film profile] and Inside.

The festival closed with Eran Kolirin’s The Band’s Visit [+see also:
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film profile].