The Mexican film Perpetual Sadness directed by Jorge Perez Solano, took the top prize Best Feature Film Award – Golden Alexander Theo Angelopoulos at the 55th Thessaloniki International Film Festival. Perpetual Sadness tells the story of women in a remote Mexican village in the desert, where they experience solitude and the sorrow of being abandoned. The film “Next to Her,” directed by Israeli Asaf Korman, won the “Silver Alexander.”
THE AWARDS
Best Feature Film Award – Golden Alexander Theo Angelopoulos
LA TIRISIA (PERPETUAL SADNESS) By JORGE PEREZ SOLANO, Producer César Gutiérrez Miranda, Screenwriter Jorge Pérez Solano, Mexico, 2014
Special Jury Award – Silver Alexander
AT LI LAYLA (NEXT TO HER) By ASAF KORMAN, Producers Haim Mecklberg, Estee Yacov-Mecklberg, Screenwriter Liron Ben Shlush, Israel, 2014
Special Jury Award for Originality and Innovation – Bronze Alexander
UROK (THE LESSON) By KRISTINA GROZEVA, PETAR VALCHANOV, Producers Magdalena Ilieva, Kristina Grozeva, Petar Valchanov, Konstantina Stavrianou, Rena Vougioukalou, Screenwriter Kristina Grozeva, Petar Valchanov, Bulgaria-Greece, 2014
Best Director Award
MYROSLAV SLABOSHPYTSKIY For PLEMYA (THE TRIBE), Producers Valentyn Vasyanovych, Iya Myslytska Screenwriter Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy, Ukraine, 2014
Best Screenplay Award
KRISTINA GROZEVA, PETAR VALCHANOV For UROK (THE LESSON), Directors Kristina Grozeva, Petar Valchanov, Producers Magdalena Ilieva, Kristina Grozeva, Petar Valchanov, Konstantina Stavrianou, Rena Vougioukalou, Bulgaria-Greece, 2014
Best Actress Award
BROOKE BLOOM For SHE’S LOST CONTROL, Director & Screenwriter Anja Marquardt, Producers Kiara C. Jones, Mollye Asher, Anja Marquardt, USA, 2014
Best Actor Award
SVERRIR GUDNASON For FLUGPARKEN (BLOWFLY PARK), Director & screenwriter Jens Östberg, Producers Rebecka Lafrenz, Mimmi Späng, Sweden, 2014
Artistic Achievement Award
RISTTUULES (IN THE CROSSWIND) By MARTTI HELDE Producers Pille Rünk, Piret Tibbo-Hudgins, Screenwriter Martti Helde Estonia, 2014
FIPRESCI AWARDS
For a film in the International Competition to:
ICH SEH, ICH SEH (GOODNIGHT MOMMY) By VERONIKA FRANZ & SEVERIN FIALA, Producer Ulrich Seidl, Screenwriter Veronika Franz, Severin Fiala, Austria, 2014
For a film in the Greek Films 2014 section to:
NORVIYIA (NORWAY) By YIANNIS VESLEMES, Producers Yorgos Tsourgiannis, Christos V. Konstantakopoulos, Screenwriter Yiannis Veslemes, Greece, 2014
Special mention to:
POLK By NIKOS NIKOLOPOULOS, VLADIMIROS NIKOLOUZOS, Producers & Screenwriters Nikos Nikolopoulos, Vladimiros Nikolouzos, Greece, 2014
HUMAN VALUES AWARD
The Hellenic Parliament TV Channel bestows its award to the film:
KLASS KORREKZII (CORRECTIONS CLASS) By IVAN I. TVERDOVSKY, Producers Natasha Mokritskaya, Uliana Savelieva, Mila Rozanova, Michael Kaczmarek, Markus Boehm Screenwriters Dmitry Lanchikhin, Ivan I. Tverdovsky, Russia-Germany, 2014
FISCHER AUDIENCE AWARDS
For a film in the International Competition section
KLASS KORREKZII (CORRECTIONS CLASS) By IVAN I. TVERDOVSKY, Producers Natasha Mokritskaya, Uliana Savelieva, Mila Rozanova, Michael Kaczmarek, Markus Boehm Screenwriters Dmitry Lanchikhin, Ivan I. Tverdovsky, Russia-Germany, 2014
For a film in the Greek Films section – MICHAEL CACOYANNIS AWARD
DARK ILLUSION By MANOS KARYSTINOS, Producer Maria Paschalidou (President of Thessaloniki European Youth Capital 2014), Screenwriter Anastasia Kozimba, Greece, 2014
For a film in the Balkan Survey section
TRI DRITARE DHE NJË VARJE (THREE WINDOWS AND A HANGING) By ISA QOSJA, Producer Shkumbin Istrefi, Mentor Shala, Screenwriter Zymber Kelmendi, UNMI Kosovo – Germany, 2013
For a film in the Open Horizons section
THE LITTLE DEATH By JOSH LAWSON, Producers Jamie Hilton, Matt Reeder, Michael Petroni, Screenwriter Josh Lawson, Australia, 2014
AGORA AWARDS
I. The jury of the 10th Crossroads Co-production Forum, consisted of Ewa Puszczynska, (producer, Opus Film, Poland), Elise Jalladeau, (producer/Audiovisual Attachée of the Embassy of France in Greece, France), Thania Dimitrakopoulou, (sales agent, Match Factory, Germany) grants the Two Thirty Five co-production award (full post production image and sound) to the project: KIDS FROM THE EAST, Directed by: Aramisova, Produced by: Michal Kračmer, Cinedix, Czech Republic/Slovak Republic
The producer of the winning project will also be granted a free accreditation for the PRODUCERS NETWORK, Cannes Film Festival 2015 edition.
II. The jury also grants the French CNC (CENTRE NATIONAL DU CINEMA ET DE L’ IMAGE ANIMÉE) Development award of 7.000 euro to the project: TAILOR, Directed by: Sonia Liza Kenterman, Produced by: Fenia Cossovitsa, Greece
III. Annamaria Lodato grants the ARTE International Prize to the project of 6.000 euro to the project: TRAMONTANE, Directed by: Vatche Boulghourjian, Produced by: Georges Schoucair, Abbout Productions, Lebanon
IV. SCRIPT 2 FILM WORKSHOPS of the Mediterranean Film Institute (MFI) awards a scholarship to the film project KIDS FROM THE EAST, Director: Aramisova, Producer: Michal Kračmer, Cinedix, Czech Republic/Slovak Republic
V. For the fourth year, the consulting company in audiovisual development Initiative Film represented by Isabelle Fauvel will offer its services to a Greek project. The selected project is: ARK, Director: Aristotelis Marangos, Production: Vasilis Chrysanthopoulos, plays2place productions, Greece.
In addition she will offer one consultancy session to the Greek project: PACK OF SHEEP, Director: Dimitris Kanellopoulos, Production: Elina Psykou, Konstantina Stavrianou, Graal Films, Greece
VI. The AGORA WORKS IN PROGRESS jury consisted of Arnaud Gourmelen, (Festival Programmer – Directors’ Fortnight, France), Gabor Greiner, (Sales Agent – Films Boutique, Germany), Konstantina Vonorta, (Producer – Graal, Greece) grants the GRAAL co-production award with in kind services in image post-production up to 70.000 euro to the film: SUNTAN, Directed by Argyris Papadimitropoulos, Produced by Phaedra Vokali, Marni Films, Argyris Papadimitropoulos Greece
THE GREEK FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION (PEKK) AWARD
TO MIKRO PSARI (STRATOS) By YANNIS ECONOMIDES, Producers Christos V. Konstantakopoulos, Panos Papachatzis, Michael Weber, Yannis Economides Screenwriters Yannis Economides, Thanos Xiros, Vangelis Mourikis, Christos V. Konstantakopoulos, Haris Lagousis, Greece-Germany-Cyprus, 2014