Venice Film Week
2019 Awards
After yet another successful edition, the Venice Film Week has announced the award winners for the 2019 edition.
The award for the Best Italian Film and Best Narrative Feature Film went to 'Rwanda' (Italy) by Riccardo Salvetti. On the 6th of April 1994, the small African republic was involved in one of the fastest and most systematic genocides in history: one million deaths in just 100 days. Augustin is Hutu, and he must kill. Cécile is Tutsi, and she must die. However, something gives them the strength to do the right thing and accomplish a very brave act never to be forgotten: Saving many innocent civilian lives. What happened during that bloody spring changed not only Augustin's and Cécile's life, but also the one of two young actors called to interpret them on a stage boards many years later. Based on a true story
The prize for the best feature documentary film was for 'Yvonnes' (Italy) by Tommaso Perfetti. Vincenzo has always led a marginal existence. He is now 42 and has not seen his daughter for a long time. One day, he takes the train to go and see her, not even knowing if he will be welcome. The time of the journey will be like his lifetime. Time without an apparent conclusion, where everything is mixed up in the chaos of his acts, the consequence of a lust for life and poor choices.
Best Narrative Short Film award went to 'The Wind Phone' (United States) by Kristen Gerweck. Inspired by true events, The Wind Phone intimately follows the emotional journeys of seven strangers. Each is drawn to the same remote and eerie phone booth on a Japanese cliffside, although their conversations couldn’t seem more different. Whereas one caller seeks forgiveness for a fatal transgression and another grapples with a twisted betrayal, others’ motivations are not clear at first. It is not until one of the callers extends a consoling hand to another, that we begin to understand that they are all connected by one harrowing reality.
'Tungrus' (India) by Rishi Chandna was awarded as Best Documentary Short Film. Tungrus (pronounced: toongroos) is a short documentary that observes a week in the peculiar lives of a middle-class suburban Mumbai household. What was once a home like a million others in the city, turns topsy-turvy when the eccentric patriarch brings home a baby chick for his cats to play with, much to the exasperation of his family. What follows is an alternatingly absurd, nerve-jangling and heart-warming set of accounts about the latest addition, from each member of the household. The once adorable chick has survived his early days and grown into a hell-raising, willful rooster – forever taking up a touch too much of their space, defecating on their spotless floors, bullying their cats, crowing at ungodly hours, and generally making life in the already-crowded apartment unlivable.
The Best Animated Film award went to 'The Crow and the Squirrel' (United States) by Guillermo Gomez. In this hand-drawn animated film, a crow has an encounter with a squirrel, and learns a valuable lesson in communication and compassion.
'Field of Infinity' (United Kingdom) by Guli Silberstein won Best Experimental Film. Inspired by both Italian Renaissance paintings and contemporary news broadcasts from Gaza protests at the border with Israel - the work processes human gestures and figures in landscape into a dark and colourful scramble. Following Deleuze and Guattari's concept of 'Plane of immanence', the work aims to open up an array of reflections, including concerns about the political image, image of the political, the politics of the image, and the image of image.
Best Music Video award went to 'Behold The Man' (Italy) by Marco Molinelli, Sic Est. Taking inspiration from a science fiction novel from 1969 by Michael Moorcock, the story is about a modern version of the first human being, who appears on earth as an adult child, being enthusiastic for discovering the great inebriation that freedom can give, the liberation of the body using the metaphor of dance. Something that makes you lose the brakes, make you sweat and feel good. Then it happens that when you come into contact with other human beings who are learning like you to manage their freedom, you stumble on the concept of limit.
Running during, but independent from the Venice Film Festival (Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica), the Venice Film Week focuses on the unconventional, the unusual, the underground, the intuitive, the innovative, the minimalistic and the true artists of our time.
During this edition the festival was happy to welcome special guests Luca d'Onofrio, Drew Hoffman, Emanuele Mengotti, Marco Tomaselli, Gaia Vianello and Aida Hadzibegovic.
The 2019 edition marks the most successful edition to date with a record number of attendees and the generous support by the Città di Venezia, Circuito Cinema, Casa Del Cinema and media partners such as Evenice, VeneziaToday and Venezia360.
See you all next year.