Press Release No. 6
After a successful eight-day run, the curtain fell on the International Short Film Festival of Cyprus on Saturday, October 22, at Rialto Theatre. The Festival hosted films and filmmakers from around the world and attracted the interest of short film lovers.
The first International Short Film Festival of Cyprus was dedicated to our fellow countryman and great director Michael Cacoyiannis and included 57 films from 37 countries in its competitive program, 5 parallel events, workshops, students participating as filmmakers and audience, and live music at both the Opening and Closing Ceremony.
The Jury notes that the Festival has offered a rich and fascinating program.
“The development of the program by the Festival’s Artistic Directors, Alexia Roider and Ioakim Mylonas, was extremely interesting. In addition to fiction films and documentaries, we had the opportunity to watch films with important content. We also value our acquaintance with the work of filmmakers who opt to narrate personal themes in a particularly poetic manner.”
The Jury successfully concludes with a brief, yet critical, report of the aims that a good international festival should have and which completely match those of the organizers’ vision for the 1st International Short Film Festival of Cyprus.
“We believe that it is very important for filmmakers to showcase their films in festivals and to have the opportunity to watch the work of others, as well as to exchange ideas and experiences with filmmakers of different nationalities and cultures. This should be the purpose of a good international festival.”
The 1st Prize for the Best Short Film was awarded to Garagouz by Abdenour Zahzah from Algeria, “...an excellent story of life in contemporary Algeria, told through the journey of a father and son. Social issues are subtly addressed combined with a persistence of creative vision. All elements, performance, cinematography, sound, directing beautifully serve this story. Full of emotional truth, it has strong moments of lightness, jeopardy and hope”. (Jury Rationale)
The 2nd Prize for Best Short Film was awarded to Conversation Piece by Joe Tummer from the United Kingdom. The film was described by the Jury as “…original, with great sense of humour, good performance and pace - it made us laugh...”.
The Best Director Award was given to Bread for Bird by Aleksandra Strelyanaya from Russia. The Jury in their announcement spoke of “…a beautiful and unusual way to make a family history film with finely judged images and colors...” Mr. Thodoris Papadoulakis, the member of the Jury who announced the winner, said that the film was “ ...Full of warmth and layers of meaning”.
Mr. Fabrizio Ferrari presented the Documentary Award to Machine Man by Alfonso Mome & Roser Corella from Spain, explaining that “this documentary uses moving and poetic images to talk about the working conditions of manual labor in Bangladesh... - an important subject simply and effectively told...”.
The 1st Best Cypriot Film Award of the Ministry of Education and Culture was given to Stahia by Simon Farmakas. According to the Jury, it is “…a film in which form and content work harmoniously. A strong cinematic approach of a story well expressed. A work that shows potential and a film mind at work...”.
The 2nd Best Cypriot Film Award of the Ministry of Education and Culture was given to 11.50 by Stylianos Konstantinou. The Jury describes the film as “…a good example of an intriguing short film that successfully manages without dialogue in a minimal setting to hold our attention. With a strong central performance, good lighting, camera work and sound”.
In addition to the 6 main awards, the awards included 13 special mentions for Best Animation, Best Male Actor and Female Actress, Best Production, Best Sound Design, Best Music, Best Cinematography, Best Screenplay, Best Poetic Film, as well as a Students’ Prize, the Dinos Katsouridis Best Direction Award and the KODAK Cinelabs Best Cinematography Award.
During the Festival’s Closing Ceremony, there was a screening a video of the highlights of the Festival, which illustrated the celebratory atmosphere that marked the festival week. After the screening of the winning film, the official Festival ended with a closing party, with James Adams Quartet in jazzed up funk music.
Photos and videos at www.isffc.com.cy / www.rialto.com.cy
Facebook Page:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pag
RIALTO THEATRE ΘΕΑΤΡΟ ΡΙΑΛΤΟ
Anastazia Anastassiou Αναστάζια Αναστασίου
Τ: (+357) 25 34 39 00 Τ: (+357) 25 34 39 00
F:(+357) 25 74 96 63 Φ: (+357) 25 74 96 63
www.rialto.com.cy www.rialto.com.cy
