By Ray Pride Pride@moviecitynews.com
Reykjavik International Film Festival Presents Its Awards
“Godless” winner of the Golden Puffin 2016
Awards were handed out last night at RIFF’s Award Ceremony at the Whale Museum in Reykjavík, Iceland where the thirteenth Reykjavík International Film Festival was formally closed.
The film Bezbog / Godless (BUL/DEN/FRA) directed by Ralitza Petrova took home the main award, the Golden Puffin. Eleven films competed in the category “New Visions”, all debut or sophomore efforts from director. The films challenge cinematic conventions and pave the way for tomorrow’s cinema.
Special mention in the category got Jätten / The Giant (SWE/DEN) directed by Johannes Nyholm.
The film The Islands and the Whales (FRO/SCO) directed by Mike Day was awarded RIFF’s Environmental award. The film competed in the Different Tomorrow category of the festival, the films in that category shed light on environmental and humanitarian topics.
Ungar / Cubs (ICE/USA) directed by Nanna Kristín Magnúsdóttir was awarded as the Best Icelandic Short and the film Home / Heima (UK/KOS) directed by Daniel Mulloy was awarded as the Best International Short
Documentary Mr. Gaga (ISR/SWE/GER/NED) directed by Tomer Heyman won the Audience Award that was voted for on Mbl.is from the Documentary and Open Seas categories.
Finally the film The Duke (USA) directed by Max Barbakow was awarded the Golden Egg.
RIFF’s Honorary prizes this year went to Darren Aronofsky and Deepa Mehta, who accepted their awards in Reykjavík last week.
Further information and jury’s statements:
THE GOLDEN PUFFIN
Bezbog / Godless / Guðleysi directed by Ralitza Petrova (BUL/DEN/FRA)
Jury’s statement:
The Golden Puffin goes to a bleak but beautiful film with poignant acting and atmospheric cinematography. The film combines the downbeat suspense of an medicalized crime story with a subtle portrayal of the agony in a post communist society where redemption is only glimpsed in the sacral world of music. The Golden Puffin goes to GODLESS by Ralitza Petrova.
Jury: Jonas Holmberg, Artistic director of Göteborg Film Festival, Grímur Hákonarson, film director, and Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, writer.
SPECIAL MENTION
Jätten / The Giant / Risinn directed by Johannes Nyholm (SWE/DEN)
Jury’s statement:
The special mention goes to a imaginative film about friendship, alienation and yearning. With spectacular imagery and heartfelt character portrayals it shows us the importance of loyalty, the joy of sports championships and the ambiguity of size. The special mention goes to THE GIANT by Johannes Nyholm.
Jury: Jonas Holmberg, Artistic director of Göteborg Film Festival, Grímur Hákonarson director an Yrsa Sigurðardóttir writer.
ENVIRONMENTAL AWARD
RIFF’s Environmental Award is presented for the seventh time to a film from the category “A Different Tomorrow”.
The Islands and the Whales / Eyjarnar og hvalirnir directed by Mike Day (FRO/SCO)
Jury’s statement:
For its breathtaking cinematography, its intimate and unflinching portrayal of a hunting tradition that threatens both predator and prey, and its refusal to reduce complex issues to simple sentiments or easy solutions, the jury award its prize to THE ISLANDS AND THE WHALES — a profound, harsh and moving portrait of the Faroe islanders by
Scottish director and cinematographer Mike Day.
Jury: Brian D. Johnson, President of the Toronto Film Critics Association, Lilja Snorradóttir, Producer at Pegasus, and Þóra Tómasdóttir, Editor of Fréttatíminn and a documentary filmmaker.
BEST ICELANDIC SHORT
Ungar / Cubs directed by Nanna Kristín Magnúsdóttir (ICE/USA)
Jury’s statement:
Exhibiting all the new challenges of being a single dad in our modern day society, cubs manages to keep us in suspense from the first minute, as it explores taboos in father/daughter relationships. Per played by Ólafur Darri Ólafsson is planning a sleepover at his home for his daughter and although he is a great dad, we somehow expect him to fail at each decision. A well crafted film in all aspects with great performances, Cubs creates a perspective that is simultanously shocking and thought provoking.
Jury: Tota Lee, filmmaker, Kate Hide from the distribution company Hanway Films in London, and Ragnar Hansson, director and producer.
BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT
Home / Heima directed by Daniel Mulloy (UK/KOS)
Jury’s statement:
This short film previously released on World Refuge Day 20 June 2016 has Stella performances from both Jack O’CONNELL and Holliday Grainger, and the two children appealed to all of us and was a strong and clear contender to be nominated for the best short form in the International Shorts category.
Mulloy’s 20 minute short film, using classic British Social Realism, highlights the refugee crisis as thousands of refugees struggle to get into Europe, is about a comfortable English family setting out on what appears to be a family holiday. However they are in fact fleeing England heading to Kosovo! The director’s powerful unexpected and novel reversal of this harrowing trip with the children being smuggled across the border in the boot of a car, is incredibly well directed and puts the audience uncomfortably in the shoes of refugees as they flee war zones and persecution.
The film has been executed brilliantly on all fronts and we the jury proudly nominate this short to win in this category and congratulate Daniel Mulloy.
Jury: Tota Lee, filmmaker, Kate Hide from the distribution company Hanway Films in London, and Ragnar Hansson, director and producer.
GOLDEN EGG
Best short film from the Talent Lab
The Duke / Hertoginn directed by Max Barbakow (USA)
Jury’s statement:
Nine concussions in six years can alter a man’s perception of reality. Such is the case in the story of The Duke, a former rising star in the NFL, who we learn through masterful precision in storytelling that his ship has sailed, even though he doesn’t seem to be aware of it himself. Hilarious, terrifying, exhilarating and heartbreaking. The Duke: Based on the memoir “I’m The Duke” by J.P. Duke is a testiment to the skills of the filmmaking team behind it, who show amazing finesse and craftmanship that we’d be lucky to expect from far more experienced filmmakers.
Jury: Tota Lee, filmmaker, Kate Hide from the distribution company Hanway Films in London, and Ragnar Hansson, director and producer.
RIFF’S AUDIENCE AWARDS 2016
Voted on mbl.is
Mr. Gaga / Herra Gaga directed by Tomer Heymann (ISR/SWE/GER/NED)
Ohad Naharin is an Israeli contemporary dancer and artistic director – and one of the most prominent choreographers in the world. He is behind the innovative movement language Gaga. Using extensive unseen archive materials, the film shows the 64-year-old artist at the most critical point of his personal life. Won in Documentary Spotlight at SXSW.