RIFF's Golden Puffin winner was the film The Orphanage by Shahrbanoo Sadat
- Reykjavik International Film Festival, RIFF, presented its awards on Saturday.
Awards were handed out this weekend at RIFF's Award Ceremony at the Nordic House in Reykjavík Iceland, where the sixteenth Reykjavík International Film Festival was formally closed.
The winner of the New Vision section was The Orphanage by Shahrbanoo Sadat and with Katja Adomeit as a producer who attended the ceremony and received the prize at the closing ceremony in the Nordic House in Reykjavík on Saturday evening.
In New Visions nine up and coming directors presented their first or second feature films and competed for our main prize, the Golden Puffin. These films challenged cinematic conventions and pave the way for tromorrow´s cinema.
Never before has the jury had three special mentions of other films in the competition but this year the jury did so.
NEW VISIONS AWARDS
Nick Davis started on behalf of the jury and talked about the quality of work and the necessity of the number of awards. The other two in the jury were Jakub Duszynski and Steinunn Ólína Þorsteinsdóttir.
Afghanistan in the 1980s, though for better and for worse, the storytelling resonates powerfully all across our contemporary world.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgsjbrAurGg
A DIFFERENT TOMORROW AWARDS
A Different Tomorrow is an ambitious section in RIFF´s festival were films that question the future are screened. Can we sustain our way of living indefinitely or must we change our lifestyles? Can our planet handle the prolonged maltreatment? Do we behave ethically towards one another? The films in A Different Tomorrow shed light on environmental and humanitarian topics because sometimes the right film can change the world.
All three jurors were present, Gabor Greiner, Hanna Björk Valsdóttir and Hrafnhildur Gunnarsdóttir, and announced the awards.
GODS OF MOLENBEEK by Reetta Huhtanen
The special mention went to "a debut feature documentary that films children with great respect and in which we are carried away shot by shot by the charm of the children's minds. It shows the beauty of friendship in an increasingly divided world."
A DIFFERENT TOMORROW AWARD
MIDNIGHT TRAVELER by Hassan Fazili
The Different Tomorrow award went to "a film that gives us an insight into an experience one can not imagine unless it is upon one self. With ones life on the line we see a regular family courageously dealing with an impossible and dangerous situation that gives human face to the refugee crisis in the world."
A special mention went to "GODS OF MOLENBEEK" by Reetta Huhtanen
The special mention went to "a debut feature documentary that films children with great respect and in which we are carried away shot by shot by the charm of the children's minds. It shows the beauty of friendship in an increasingly divided world."
SHORTS AWARDS
Adam Baldwin and Zeina Aby Assy from the jury were present and announced the awards. The third member of the jury was Heather Millard.
SPECIAL MENTION ICELANDIC SHORTS
CARROTS by Bergur Árnason "The filmmaker deftly parlays the simple conceit into a story that is continually surprising, imaginative and entertaining. This was a close contender, and it pleasantly surprised us all."
BEST ICELANDIC SHORT
PAPERBOY by Ninna Pálmadóttir
"Paperboy is a tender and beautiful reflection on a child's realization and reaction to abuse and pain. The filmmaker was able to subtly communicate a softness that was both ordinary and yet a stark contrast to the reality of the female character."
THE GOLDEN EGG
Ása Helga Hjörleifsdóttir and Hlin Johannesdottir from the jury were present to announce the winners. The third member of the jury was Árni Ólafur Ásgeirsson.
The Golden Egg competition is a selection of films from up and coming directors participating in the 2019 RIFF Talent Lab. Reykjavík Talent Lab is for talents who want to meet up with other like minded individuals and passionate film makers. The films submitted for the Golden Egg award competition could not be longer than 30 minutes and should not be made before 1st January 2018. It is an award given to young and inspiring talent. Participants in The Talent Lab this year were 40 young film makers, accepted from over 200 applicants.
THE GOLDEN EGG:
MUERO POR VOLVER by Javier Marco.
SPECIAL MENTION:
LES HOMARDS IMMORTELS (Night Song) by Kate Voet
BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT:
INVISIBLE HERO by Cristèle Alves Meira
Invisible Hero is a beautiful film that succeeds at blending the duality of a double life, seeing and unseeing, and fiction and documentary. The character is absolutely charming, and we were with him, routing for him on his quest. The filmmaker does a remarkable job at combining reality and imagination.