The 20th-anniversary Art Film Fest, held from 16 to 23 June in Tren\u010dianske Teplice and Tren\u010d\u00edn, ended successfully with today\u2019s formal closing ceremony, <\/p>\n
Art Film Fest\u2019s premiere prize, the Blue Angel for Best Film, was awarded to Twilight Portrait from director Angelina Nikonova. The five-member jury, chaired by distinguished Serbian director Srdjan Karanovi\u010d, chose the picture for its \u201ccompelling and unusual plot and courageous portrait of the post-Soviet era, as well as its original and atypical approach to feminist themes.\u201d <\/p>\n
The film revolves around Marina, an upper-class professional Muscovite. Despite living with her husband in a beautiful flat in the city centre, her marriage is in a state of crisis. One night she is brutally attacked and raped by three policemen. When she eventually finds the men responsible for the hideous crime, she begins to reassess her own life. Nikonova\u2019s feature debut, Twilight Portrait was premiered at Venice, going on to win Thessaloniki\u2019s Golden Alexander for Best Director and the Grand Prize for Best Film at Cottbus.<\/p>\n
The picture\u2019s star, actress Olga Dihovichnaya, was awarded with the Blue Angel for Best Female Performance \u201cfor her sensitive performance, in which she managed to reveal the contradictory elements of a complex character,\u201d according to Art Film Fest\u2019s Main Jury. <\/p>\n
The Blue Angel for Best Director went to Romanian filmmaker Radu Jude for his Everybody In Our Family. The jury praised the film\u2019s \u201cauthentic depiction of a familial crisis, progressing from tragedy through comedy all the way to the point of absurdity, dealing with a topic of both local and international relevance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aside from his morning hangover, parents, battle with nicotine and car problems, the film\u2019s protagonist is worried most by his imminent visit to his young daughter, who lives with her grandmother, mother and her mother\u2019s new boyfriend. Each rise in blood pressure, every emotion, sarcastic remark, threat, or self-abasement is recorded in meticulous detail, including a good deal of dirty laundry and unfinished business. The family\u2019s strained relationships span a wide range of escalating emotions.
For his starring role in the film, actor Serban Pavlu was awarded the Blue Angel for Best Male Performance. The jury cited his realistic and sophisticated portrayal of a man desperately trying to unify his family.
A Special Mention was given to Danish film Teddy Bear, about a bodybuilder with a rough outward appearance but a gentle heart, whose fruitless search for love takes him as far as Thailand. <\/p>\n
Another Special Mention was granted to Austrian director Umut Dag\u2019s Kuma, the story of a traditional Turkish Muslim family living in Vienna. With a great deal of insight and sensitivity, the film explores the relationship between the old and the new, between loyalty and freedom.<\/p>\n
A total of 12 films contended in the International Competition of Feature Films, many of which came bearing awards from other prestigious festivals.<\/p>\n
A hard-won Blue Angel for Best Short Film went to The Swedish Job from Polish director Pawe\u0142 Ziemilski. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe picture fulfilled all the criteria of a professional film, impeccable in its precise script, unforgettable performances and restrained mise en sc\u00e8ne. It brilliantly treated a difficult and sensitive topic by means of a lightly comic temperament. And most importantly, it was great fun and we laughed ourselves silly!\u201d stated the three-member International Jury of Short Films. <\/p>\n
A Special Mention was awarded to Italian short The Chief, from director Yuri Ancarani. \u201cWe were enormously impressed by the programme\u2019s experimental entries, and this film was the best of them, from both technical and artistic points of view. It is a portrait of an anonymous hero in confrontation with nature, as well as an epic and magnificent depiction of human toil,\u201d commented the jury. The picture also won the Grand Prix at Clermont-Ferrand, the world\u2019s most prestigious short film festival.<\/p>\n
All in all, the International Competition of Short Films included 37 films from around the world. <\/p>\n
The Tren\u010dianske Teplice Mayor\u2019s Award was presented to Australian director Justin Kurzel\u2019s Snowtown, a retelling of one of his country\u2019s most horrifying crimes. The dark exploration of social dependence, drug addiction, domestic violence, brutality and sexual abuse was personally introduced at Art Film Fest by its star Lucas Pittaway.<\/p>\n
The Tren\u010d\u00edn Mayor\u2019s Award went to Indonesia\u2019s Postcards from the Zoo from director Edwin, who attended Art Film Fest to present his film in person. The picture focuses on a young woman who grows up among giraffes, elephants and hippos in a zoo.<\/p>\n
The multimedia company Film Europe in cooperation with Art Film Fest presented the Film Europe award to Slovak animators Ivana Lau\u010d\u00edkova and Martin Snopek, creators of the film The Last Bus, \u201cfor the young Slovak filmmakers\u2019 extraordinary creative effort, earning acclaim both at home and abroad."
Art Film Fest 2012 \u2013 the 20th International Tren\u010dianske Teplice\/Tren\u010d\u00edn Film Festival
The festival is held under the auspices of Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic Robert Fico.<\/p>\n
Organizers: ART FILM, n.o., FORZA, a.s.<\/p>\n
Co-organizers: The Town of Tren\u010dianske Teplice, the City of Tren\u010d\u00edn, K\u00fapele Tren\u010dianske Teplice
Financial Support: The Audiovisual Fund<\/p>\n
General Sponsors: KOOPERATIVA pois\u0165ov\u0148a Vienna Insurance Group, Privatbanka<\/p>\n
Main Sponsors: Omnia Holding SE, Slovnaft, AquaCity Poprad, Hydrotour Travel Agency<\/p>\n
Official Transport Provider: Lancia <\/p>\n
Logistics Sponsor: DHL
Student cinepasses for only \u20ac5 provided by Prv\u00e1 stavebn\u00e1 sporite\u013e\u0148a, a. s. <\/p>\n
Sponsors: TIPOS, Slovak Telekom, Penzi\u00f3n Baske, Cinemax, Forza CZ, Omnia Motors, Omnia 2000, DOMO Omnia, Omnia KLF<\/p>\n
Official Suppliers: zna\u010dka Mo\u00ebt, Hotel Pax \u2013 the festival spa hotel, NAY Elektrodom, Esterle&Esterle, MF team, LampART, Stredn\u00e1 odborn\u00e1 \u0161kola polygrafick\u00e1<\/p>\n
Main Media Sponsors: Slovak Radio and Television, Pravda, R\u00e1dio FM, zoznam.sk<\/p>\n
Media Sponsors: TA 3, TV JOJ, Film Europe
Channel, Central Europe Television, R\u00e1dio Europa 2, .t\u00fd\u017ede\u0148, Eurotelev\u00edzia, Pardon, OK!, Kine\u010dko, Kam do mesta, Focus, GONG SK, Boomerang Media, SITA News Agency, Pay-Per Vision Media, euroAWK, Bittner-print, moviemania.sk, filmneweurope.com<\/p>\n
Partners: The Tren\u010d\u00edn Self-governing Region, the European Commission Representation in Slovakia, the Slovak Film Institute, the Embassy of Israel in Slovakia, CzechTourism, Celtima SK, Hotel Fl\u00f3ra, KURSALON, versity, the Bratislava Culture and Information Centre, Hollywood Classic Entertainment, Niagara, Magic Box Slovakia, the Italian Cultural Institute in Bratislava, Istituto Luce \u2013 Cinecitt\u00e1, Character \u2013 Film Development Association<\/p>\n
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The 20th-anniversary Art Film Fest, held from 16 to 23 June in Tren\u010dianske Teplice and Tren\u010d\u00edn, ended successfully","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2450","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-highlights","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n