Spanish filmmaker Carlos Saiz took residence the highest prize Saturday on the Transilvania Intl. Movie Competition, because the jury awarded the first-time director the Transilvania Trophy for “Lionel,” a drama a couple of younger man who embarks on a journey together with his father, trying to restore a relationship marked by years of absence and misunderstanding.
Accepting the award on stage on the historic Nationwide Theater in Cluj, Saiz mentioned: “This is a film about family and second chances, but above all, it is a film that brings to the forefront people whose stories rarely make it to the screen. Thank you for helping us give them visibility and for honoring them with this award.”
The principle competitors jury was comprised of veteran Irish actor Aidan Gillen (“Game of Thrones”); Romanian filmmaker Noaz Deshe (“Xoftex”); Polish distributor, producer and competition founder Roman Gutek; Netherlands Movie Fund CEO Sandra den Hamer; and Serbian Romanian filmmaker Ivana Mladenović (“Sorella di Clausura”).
In different awards, the prize for greatest director went to Greek filmmaker Konstantina Kotzamani for “Titanic Ocean,” a fantastical pop odyssey about adolescence, love and the liberty to think about different worlds that premiered within the Un Sure Regard part of this 12 months’s Cannes Movie Competition. The Particular Jury Award went to “Our Father,” by Serbia’s Goran Stanković, a couple of drug addict who falls beneath the cruel steering of an abusive priest at a distant monastery commune.
The greatest efficiency award went to your entire forged of Muriel d’Ansembourg’s “Truly Naked” — Caolán O’Gorman, Andrew Howard, Alessa Savage and Safiya Benaddi — for a movie that explores vulnerability, intimacy and the methods individuals attempt to reconnect with each other.
Within the Romanian Days competitors, the award for greatest function movie went to “Y,” directed by Maria Popistașu and Alex Baciu, which delves right into a darkish and largely unexplored chapter in Romania’s latest previous. The award for greatest debut went to Cristian Bota’s “Back and Forth,” a couple of younger actor who’s compelled to confront the previous whereas touring together with his authoritarian father.
A particular point out from the Romanian Days jury went to Valeriu Andriuță’s “The Circle,” whereas the part’s award for greatest quick movie went to “County Captain,” by director Dan Panaet.
Within the What’s Up, Doc? part, the highest prize went to “Memory,” by Vladlena Sandu, a deeply private hybrid documentary by which the filmmaker revisits her childhood experiences throughout the Chechen Conflict and the traces they’ve left on the current. The movie, which gained the Folks’s Selection Award within the Venice Days sidebar of final 12 months’s Venice Movie Competition, continues a torrid streak that features a jury prize on the Marrakech Movie Competition and the very best function award at SXSW London.
A particular point out from the What’s Up, Doc? jury went to “Variations on a Theme,” from South African directing duo Jason Jacobs and Devon Delmar, a docuficton a couple of rural neighborhood burdened by historical past which gained the Tiger Competitors at Rotterdam this 12 months.
Lastly, Hungarian filmmaker Gábor Holtai gained the viewers award for the dramatic thriller “Feels Like Home,” whereas “Wild Delta,” from director Dan Dinu, was named the most well-liked Romanian movie within the competition.
In different highlights from Saturday’s closing ceremony, the TIFF.25 Trophy — a particular award handed out in honor of the competition’s twenty fifth anniversary — was given to Corneliu Porumboiu, one of many main figures of the Romanian New Wave.
The Transilvania Intl. Movie Competition runs June 12 – 21.
