FNE at Black Nights 2014: Lucifer Takes Grand Prix, but Estonian Crosswind Blows away the Competition

01-12-2014

FNE at Black Nights 2014: Lucifer Takes Grand Prix, but Estonian Crosswind Blows away the Competition

By Cathy Meils

In the Crosswind by Martti Helde

TALLINN: With less than three months to put together an international competition programme, after FIAPF accredited the Black Nights Film Festival, held 18-30 november 2014, as the 15th member of its most select category (non-specialized competitive), festival director Tiina Lokk was under the gun to expand the festival’s traditional EurAsia competition.

“It was a lot of work,” Lokk told FNE. But at least one competition spot was an easy fill. The Estonian masterpiece In the Crosswind directed by Martti Helde, a monumental undertaking that breaks boundaries in film storytelling, won three awards: Best Cinematographer for Erik Põllumaa, the Estonian Film Award and the FICC Don Quixote Award.

The Grand Prix went to Lucifer by the Belgian director Gust van den Berghe and the Lifetime Achievement Award was bestowed on Polish actress Maja Komorowska. Other awards were distributed across a wide selection of films, including a Best Actor award to British wunderkind Eddie Redmayne for The Theory of Everything, and the Best Director prize to Marat Sarulu for the Kyrgyzstan film Move.

The festival continues to be a growing meeting point for the Northern European film industry, but there were numerous examples of its future intentions, including a large North American presence at the festival’s industry section. South America will get a boost in the coming years. Lokk told FNE she had just met with her newest hire, festival consultant and Latin American specialist Tom Davia. “We will see the results in two or three years,” she added.

Here is the list of winners:

Grand Prix

Lucifer (Belgium)
Directed by Gust van den Berghe

Best Cinematographer

Erik Põllumaa
In the Crosswind (Estonia)
Directed by Martti Helde
Production: Allfilm

Best Director

Marat Sarulu
Move (Kyrgyzstan)

Special Mention

Angels of Revolution (Russia)
Directed by Alexey Fedorchenko

Best Actor

Eddie Redmayne
The Theory of Everything (UK)
Directed byJames Marsh

Best Actress