Best Film

From among the 11 films in the International Competition of Feature Films, Art Film Fest’s grand prize, the Blue Angel for Best Film, went to Guatemalan Ixcanul. It is the story of a 17-year-old Kaqchikel Maya girl who lives with her parents on a coffee plantation at the foot of an active volcano. She is supposed to follow local tradition, but longs to discover the unknown world on the other side of the mountains and escape to the USA. In addition, actress María Telón won Art Film Fest’s Blue Angel for Best Female Performance for her portrayal of the girl’s mother.

Best Director

New Zealand director James Napier Robertson earned the Blue Angel for Best Director with his film The Dark Horse, a touching true story of an extraordinary man who struggled to improve the future of socially disadvantaged children and taught them to play chess.

Best Male Performance

The Blue Angel for Best Male Performance was awarded to Kristyan Ferrer for his role as Arnulfo in the Mexican film 600 Miles directed by Gabriel Ripstein. Arnulfo is a teenager who smuggles weapons for a drug cartel, unaware that a dangerous agent from a special US police unit is hot on his heels.

Special Mention for Sound Design

The jury also decided to grant a Special Mention. It went to Marek Poledna, Michal Holubec and Ivo Špalj for their work on the sound design of the Czech film Little from the Fish Shop.

Short films

Besting the other 36 films in its category, the Romanian short Art earned its director Adrian Sitaru the Blue Angel for Best Short Film. Aside from the grand prize, the three jurors also conferred three Special Mentions. The first was awarded to the Polish short The Object from director Paulina Skibińska, number two went to French film The Man with a Dog from director Kamal Lazraq, and the third was for the Estonian House of Unconsciousness from director Priit Tender.

Actor’s Mission Award

The Actor’s Mission Award for outstanding contribution to the art of film acting was bestowed upon Czech diva and five-time Czech Lion winner Anna Geislerová, as well as one of the best known Slovak actors to make a name for himself both at home and abroad: Juraj Kukura.

Golden Camera

At the opening ceremony, the Golden Camera for significant contribution to the filmmaking craft was accepted by eminent Slovak cinematographer Ján Ďuriš. During the closing ceremony, festival director Peter Nágel surprised director and Art Film Fest founder Peter Hledík with a Golden Camera of his own.