30-06-2013

FESTIVALS: Shanghai Gypsy Wins MECEFF

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    FESTIVALS: Shanghai Gypsy Wins MECEFF Shanghai Gypsy

    MEDIAŞ: The 3rd edition of the Central European Film Festival (meceff.ro) wraped in the cosy Transylvanian town of Mediaş on 28 June 2013 after five days.

    MECEFF is the only Romanian film festival dedicated to Central European films coming from Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Austria, Hungary, Poland and Romania, and it has "7+1" added to its title because there is an invited country each year. This year it was Germany, and a selection of German films made by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Wim Wenders, Edgar Reitz, Werner Herzog, short films from Oberhausen and films made by the president of MECEFF, Radu Gabrea, in Germany (where he lived during the Communist regime) were screened. The German film producer Regina Ziegler was one of the guests and Fassbinder's Lili Marleen opened the festival.

    The following films ran for the festival trophy: Atmen by Karl Markovics (Austria), Čtyři slunce/Five Suns by Bohdan Sláma (Czech Republic), W ciemności/In Darkness by Agnieszka Holland (Poland), Despre oameni şi melci/Of Snails and Men by Tudor Giurgiu (Romania), Šanghaj/Shanghai Gypsy  ( www.shanghaigypsy.com ) by Marko Naberšnik (Slovenia), A vizsga/The Exam by Péter Bergendy (Hungary), and Made in Ash/Až do mesta Aš by Iveta Grofová (Slovakia).

    Moved from September to June, the festival screened 55 features films, short and documentary films. The jury was composed of the American journalist James Ulmer, Anca Mitran (director of Romanian Film Archives), German director &writer Wolf Gremm, the Israeli film critic Costel Safirman and the Romanian film critic Călin Stănculescu.

    Radu Gabrea, the president of the festival, told FNE that „the biggest change compared to 2012 was the two-days rain that cancelled the open air screenings”. All in all the festival’s audience was approximately 5,000 people. Other difference was a smaller budget.

    MECEFF is organised by Ecran Cinema Management, Mediaş City Hall, the National Centre for Cinema ( www.cncinema.abt.ro ), Regiunea Târnavelor, and the Ministry of Culture ( www.cultura.ro)

    The awards:

    Best film - Šanghaj/Shanghai Gypsy by Marko Naberšnik (Slovenia) produced by the Slovenian company Arsmedia (www.arsmedia.si) in coproduction with Jadran film Zagreb (www.jadran-film.com), Radiotelevizija Slovenija  ( www.rtvslo.si ) and Evropska prestolnica kulture, Maribor 2012 ( www.maribor2012.eu )

    Best director - Agnieszka Holland  for W ciemności/In Darkness  (Poland), a coproduction between Poland's Studio Filmowe ZEBRA ( www.zebrafilm.pl ), Canada's The Film Works Ltd. and Germany's Schmidtz Katze Filmkollektiv ( www.schmidtzkatze.eu )

    Best cinematography - Jolanta Dylewska for W ciemności/In Darkness

    Best acting - Dorel Vişan for Despre oameni şi melci/Of Snails and Men by Tudor Giurgiu, produced by the Romanian company Libra Film ( www.librafilm.net ) in coproduction with the French company Agat Films & Cie ( www.agatfilms.com  )

    Audience Award - Despre oameni şi melci/Of Snails and Men

    Excellence Award - Regina Ziegler