LAST OF THE ELEPHANT MEN, directed by Daniel Ferguson and Arnaud Bouquet[/caption]
Before a boisterous crowd packed into The Loft in downtown Missoula last week, the juries of the 2016 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival revealed their selections in the festivals four competition categories.
Winners include LAST OF THE ELEPHANT MEN, directed by Daniel Ferguson and Arnaud Bouquet, FOLLOWING KINA, directed by Sonia Goldenberg, HUNTING IN WARTIME, directed by Samantha Farinella and ZONE BLANCHE, directed by Gaëlle Cintré.
Feature Competition films over 40 minutes in length
Winner: LAST OF THE ELEPHANT MEN, directed by Daniel Ferguson and Arnaud Bouquet – For centuries, the Bunong indigenous people of Eastern Cambodia lived with elephants, depending on them for every aspect of life. Now with the forest around them threatened by logging and mining companies, both the Bunong and the elephant face a desperate struggle to survive.
Jury Statement: We were struck by the film’s sensitive exploration of the mythic relationship between elephants and people among the Bunong people of Cambodia. The film is beautifully and patiently shot. By capturing the interdependency between the Bunong and their elephants, it turns these amazing animals into characters in their own right.
Artistic Vision Award, Feature: FOLLOWING KINA, directed by Sonia Goldenberg – When Kina Malpartida won her title as the first Peruvian World Boxing Champion, the country was struck by a female boxing fever. Inspired by her, two young women fight against all odds to sustain a dream and become the next champion. Without any official support, they are driven by passion and perseverance to succeed in a totally male-dominated sport.
Jury Statement: We were highly impressed with the manner in which the film takes viewers into the real world of womens boxing in Peru, culminating in the insightful depiction of the rural and urban backdrops to two women, Alicia and Anita, both of whom hope to follow in the footsteps of Kina Malpardita.
Big Sky Award – Presented to one film that artistically honors the character, history, tradition and imagination of the American West.
Winner: HUNTING IN WARTIME, directed by Samantha Farinella – Profiles of Tlingit veterans from Hoonah, Alaska who saw combat during the Vietnam War. The veterans talk about surviving trauma, relating to Vietnamese civilians, readjusting to civilian life, and serving a government that systematically oppresses native people. Their stories give an important human face to the combat soldier and show the lasting affects of war on individuals, families and communities.
Short Competition films between 15 and 40 minutes in length
Winner: DAGUAVA DELTA, directed by Rainer Komers – Far from the centre of the Latvian city of Riga, the suburbs Bolderāja and Daugavgriva are a kind of social island or biotope – a blend of apartment and detached family houses, backyards, shipyards, docks, yacht club, sea academy, historic fortress and barracks. Here, where the Daugava River flows into the Bay of Riga, anglers crowd the sunny mole during the spawning season of sprat, while veterans in the local pub are in memorial of their fallen fathers on Victory Day.
Artistic Vision Award, Short Competition: ZONE BLANCHE, directed by Gaëlle Cintré – Four women who are electro-hypersensitive -a rare condition where people find themselves acutely intolerant to electromagnetic fields, including cell phone signals and WiFi- are driven deep into the Alps in search for remote shelters. Because of their extreme condition, their way of life, between a primitive existence and post-apocalyptic science-fiction, has never been photographed. Until now.
Jury Statement: Working within the constraints of being unable to record with any electronic digital media, Zone Blanche creates a rich portrait of women who must live outside of society because of their sensitivity to electromagnetic fields. Utilizing the poetic language of avant-garde cinema, the film draws on the documentary impulse to give the audience access to the experiences of people who don’t have the option to tell their stories in contemporary digital media.
Mini-Doc Competition films 15 minutes and under
Winner: MINING, POEMS, OR ODES, directed by Callum Rice – Robert, an ex-shipyard welder from Scotland, reflects on how his life experiences have influenced his new found compulsion to write. His retrospective poetry revels a man who is trying to achieve a state of contentment through words and philosophy.
Artistic Vision Award. Mini-Doc Competition: A CEREBRAL GAME, directed by Reid Davenport – A filmmaker with cerebral palsy ponders his changing identity through the lens of baseball.
Jury Statement: The jury is pleased to present an Artistic Vision Award to A Cerebral Game, a film we feel especially demonstrates the core virtues of perseverance and passion that are essential to the art of filmmaking itself, and perhaps especially to the documentary genre. It’s quite an accomplishment to make a great documentary of any length – but this filmmaker has emerged against all odds. In this case, the filmmaker narrates his own story while creating a visual landscape that is at once disorienting and nostalgic – and the result is so raw and compelling it’s impossible to turn away. We open on shaky ground and come to discover, thanks to this director’s honesty and fearlessness, that we are watching the results of his inability to hold the camera steady – and that that ability is not what makes great filmmaking. He has the talent and fortitude to move forward and work on his dream and the resulting film is truly moving and inspiring.Mining Poems or Odes
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LAST OF THE ELEPHANT MEN Among Winners of 2016 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival
[caption id="attachment_11860" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] LAST OF THE ELEPHANT MEN, directed by Daniel Ferguson and Arnaud Bouquet[/caption]
Before a boisterous crowd packed into The Loft in downtown Missoula last week, the juries of the 2016 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival revealed their selections in the festivals four competition categories.
Winners include LAST OF THE ELEPHANT MEN, directed by Daniel Ferguson and Arnaud Bouquet, FOLLOWING KINA, directed by Sonia Goldenberg, HUNTING IN WARTIME, directed by Samantha Farinella and ZONE BLANCHE, directed by Gaëlle Cintré.
Feature Competition films over 40 minutes in length
Winner: LAST OF THE ELEPHANT MEN, directed by Daniel Ferguson and Arnaud Bouquet – For centuries, the Bunong indigenous people of Eastern Cambodia lived with elephants, depending on them for every aspect of life. Now with the forest around them threatened by logging and mining companies, both the Bunong and the elephant face a desperate struggle to survive.
Jury Statement: We were struck by the film’s sensitive exploration of the mythic relationship between elephants and people among the Bunong people of Cambodia. The film is beautifully and patiently shot. By capturing the interdependency between the Bunong and their elephants, it turns these amazing animals into characters in their own right.
Artistic Vision Award, Feature: FOLLOWING KINA, directed by Sonia Goldenberg – When Kina Malpartida won her title as the first Peruvian World Boxing Champion, the country was struck by a female boxing fever. Inspired by her, two young women fight against all odds to sustain a dream and become the next champion. Without any official support, they are driven by passion and perseverance to succeed in a totally male-dominated sport.
Jury Statement: We were highly impressed with the manner in which the film takes viewers into the real world of womens boxing in Peru, culminating in the insightful depiction of the rural and urban backdrops to two women, Alicia and Anita, both of whom hope to follow in the footsteps of Kina Malpardita.
Big Sky Award – Presented to one film that artistically honors the character, history, tradition and imagination of the American West.
Winner: HUNTING IN WARTIME, directed by Samantha Farinella – Profiles of Tlingit veterans from Hoonah, Alaska who saw combat during the Vietnam War. The veterans talk about surviving trauma, relating to Vietnamese civilians, readjusting to civilian life, and serving a government that systematically oppresses native people. Their stories give an important human face to the combat soldier and show the lasting affects of war on individuals, families and communities.
Short Competition films between 15 and 40 minutes in length
Winner: DAGUAVA DELTA, directed by Rainer Komers – Far from the centre of the Latvian city of Riga, the suburbs Bolderāja and Daugavgriva are a kind of social island or biotope – a blend of apartment and detached family houses, backyards, shipyards, docks, yacht club, sea academy, historic fortress and barracks. Here, where the Daugava River flows into the Bay of Riga, anglers crowd the sunny mole during the spawning season of sprat, while veterans in the local pub are in memorial of their fallen fathers on Victory Day.
Artistic Vision Award, Short Competition: ZONE BLANCHE, directed by Gaëlle Cintré – Four women who are electro-hypersensitive -a rare condition where people find themselves acutely intolerant to electromagnetic fields, including cell phone signals and WiFi- are driven deep into the Alps in search for remote shelters. Because of their extreme condition, their way of life, between a primitive existence and post-apocalyptic science-fiction, has never been photographed. Until now.
Jury Statement: Working within the constraints of being unable to record with any electronic digital media, Zone Blanche creates a rich portrait of women who must live outside of society because of their sensitivity to electromagnetic fields. Utilizing the poetic language of avant-garde cinema, the film draws on the documentary impulse to give the audience access to the experiences of people who don’t have the option to tell their stories in contemporary digital media.
Mini-Doc Competition films 15 minutes and under
Winner: MINING, POEMS, OR ODES, directed by Callum Rice – Robert, an ex-shipyard welder from Scotland, reflects on how his life experiences have influenced his new found compulsion to write. His retrospective poetry revels a man who is trying to achieve a state of contentment through words and philosophy.
Artistic Vision Award. Mini-Doc Competition: A CEREBRAL GAME, directed by Reid Davenport – A filmmaker with cerebral palsy ponders his changing identity through the lens of baseball.
Jury Statement: The jury is pleased to present an Artistic Vision Award to A Cerebral Game, a film we feel especially demonstrates the core virtues of perseverance and passion that are essential to the art of filmmaking itself, and perhaps especially to the documentary genre. It’s quite an accomplishment to make a great documentary of any length – but this filmmaker has emerged against all odds. In this case, the filmmaker narrates his own story while creating a visual landscape that is at once disorienting and nostalgic – and the result is so raw and compelling it’s impossible to turn away. We open on shaky ground and come to discover, thanks to this director’s honesty and fearlessness, that we are watching the results of his inability to hold the camera steady – and that that ability is not what makes great filmmaking. He has the talent and fortitude to move forward and work on his dream and the resulting film is truly moving and inspiring.
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‘Carol’ Leads Nominations for BAFTA Awards
Carol along with Bridge of Spies lead the nominations for the 2016 BAFTA Awards with nine nominations. Carol is nominated for Best Film, Director for Todd Haynes, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Production Design, Costume Design and Make Up & Hair. Cate Blanchett is nominated for Leading Actress and Rooney Mara is nominated for Supporting Actress.
Other indie films with multiple nods include Brooklyn was nominated six times, and The Danish Girl and Ex Machina receive five nominations.
Brooklyn is nominated for Outstanding British Film, Adapted Screenplay, Costume Design and Make Up & Hair, with two further nominations for Saoirse Ronan in Leading Actress and Julie Walters in Supporting Actress.
The Danish Girl is nominated for Outstanding British Film, Costume Design and Make Up & Hair, with Leading Actor and Leading Actress nominations for Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander respectively.
Ex Machina is nominated for Outstanding British Film and Special Visual Effects, with nominations for Alex Garland in Original Screenplay and Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer. Alicia Vikander receives a further nomination for Supporting Actress.
Amy receives nominations for Outstanding British Film and Documentary, along with Cartel Land, He Named Me Malala, Listen to Me Marlon and Sherpa.
Theeb is nominated for Film Not in the English Language and Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer for Naji Abu Nowar (Writer/Director) and Rupert Lloyd (Producer). Also nominated for Film Not in the English Language are The Assassin, Force Majeure, Timbuktu and Wild Tales.
The British Short Animation nominees are Edmond, Manoman and Prologue. The five nominations for British Short Film are Elephant, Mining Poems or Odes, Operator, Over and Samuel-613.
The nominees for the EE Rising Star Award are Bel Powley, Brie Larson, Dakota Johnson, John Boyega and Taron Egerton.
The EE British Academy Film Awards take place on Sunday 14 February at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London. The ceremony will be hosted by Stephen Fry.
The complete list of nominations for 2016 BAFTA Awards
Film | Outstanding British Film in 2016
The Danish Girl; Tom Hooper, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Anne Harrison, Gail Mutrux, Lucinda Coxon
Brooklyn; John Crowley, Finola Dwyer, Amanda Posey, Nick Hornby
Ex Machina; Alex Garland, Andrew Macdonald, Allon Reich
Amy; Asif Kapadia, James Gay-Rees
45 Years; Andrew Haigh, Tristan Goligher
The Lobster; Yorgos Lanthimos, Ceci Dempsey, Ed Guiney, Lee Magiday, Efthimis Filippou
Film | Documentary in 2016
Amy; Asif Kapadia, James Gay-Rees
Listen to Me Marlon; Stevan Riley, John Battsek, George Chignell, R.J. Cutler
He Named Me Malala; Davis Guggenheim, Walter Parkes, Laurie Macdonald
Sherpa; Jennifer Peedom, Bridget Ikin, John Smithson
Cartel Land; Matthew Heineman, Tom Yellin
Film | Film Not in the English Language in 2016
The Assassin; Hou Hsiao-Hsien
Theeb; Naji Abu Nowar, Rupert Lloyd
Force Majeure; Ruben Östlund
Timbuktu; Abderrahmane Sissako
Wild Tales; Damián Szifron
Film | British Short Film in 2016
Elephant; Nick Helm, Alex Moody, Esther Smith
Mining Poems or Odes; Callum Rice, Jack Cocker
Samuel-613; Billy Lumby, Cheyenne Conway
Operator; Caroline Bartleet, Rebecca Morgan
Over; Jörn Threlfall, Jeremy Bannister
Film | Animated Film in 2016
Shaun the Sheep Movie; Mark Burton, Richard Starzak
Minions; Pierre Coffin, Kyle Balda
Inside Out; Pete Docter
Film | British Short Animation in 2016
Manoman; Simon Cartwright, Kamilla Kristiane Hodol
Prologue; Richard Williams, Imogen Sutton
Edmond; Nina Gantz, Emilie Jouffroy
Film | Director in 2016
Alejandro G. Iñárritu; The Revenant
Adam McKay; The Big Short
Steven Spielberg; Bridge of Spies
Ridley Scott; The Martian
Todd Haynes; Carol
Film | Outstanding Debut By A British Writer, Director or Producer in 2016
Sean Mcallister, Elhum Shakerifar; A Syrian Love Story
Naji Abu Nowar, Rupert Lloyd; Theeb
Debbie Tucker Green; Second Coming
Stephen Fingleton; The Survivalist
Alex Garland; Ex Machina
Film | Adapted Screenplay in 2016
The Big Short; Adam McKay, Charles Randolph
Steve Jobs; Aaron Sorkin
Brooklyn; Nick Hornby
Carol; Phyllis Nagy
Room; Emma Donoghue
Film | Original Screenplay in 2016
Inside Out; Josh Cooley, Pete Docter, Meg Lefauve
The Hateful Eight; Quentin Tarantino
Ex Machina; Alex Garland
Bridge of Spies; Matthew Charman, Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Spotlight; Tom McCarthy, Josh Singer
Film | Leading Actor in 2016
Leonardo DiCaprio; The Revenant
Eddie Redmayne; The Danish Girl
Michael Fassbender; Steve Jobs
Matt Damon; The Martian
Bryan Cranston; Trumbo
Film | Leading Actress in 2016
Maggie Smith; The Lady in the Van
Alicia Vikander; The Danish Girl
Cate Blanchett; Carol
Brie Larson; Room
Saoirse Ronan; Brooklyn
Film | Supporting Actor in 2016
Idris Elba; Beasts of No Nation
Christian Bale; The Big Short
Mark Rylance; Bridge of Spies
Benicio del Toro; Sicario
Mark Ruffalo; Spotlight
Film | Supporting Actress in 2016
Jennifer Jason Leigh; The Hateful Eight
Alicia Vikander; Ex Machina
Julie Walters; Brooklyn
Kate Winslet; Steve Jobs
Rooney Mara; Carol
Film | EE Rising Star in 2016
Taron Egerton
John Boyega
Dakota Johnson
Brie Larson
Bel Powley
Film | Make-Up And Hair in 2016
Brooklyn; Morna Ferguson, Lorraine Glynn
Carol; Jerry Decarlo, Patricia Regan
The Revenant; Sian Grigg, Duncan Jarman, Robert Pandini
Mad Max: Fury Road; Lesley Vanderwalt, Damian Martin
The Danish Girl; Jan Sewell
Film | Original Music in 2016
The Hateful Eight; Ennio Morricone
Bridge of Spies; Thomas Newman
The Revenant; Ryuichi Sakamoto, Carsten Nicolai
Star Wars: The Force Awakens; John Williams
Sicario; Jóhann Jóhannsson
Film | Cinematography in 2016
Mad Max: Fury Road; John Seale
The Revenant; Emmanuel Lubezki
Sicario; Roger Deakins
Carol; Ed Lachman
Bridge of Spies; Janusz Kaminski
Film | Production Design in 2016
Star Wars: The Force Awakens; Rick Carter, Darren Gilford, Lee Sandales
Bridge of Spies; Adam Stockhausen, Rena DeAngelo
Mad Max: Fury Road; Colin Gibson, Lisa Thompson
The Martian; Arthur Max, Celia Bobak
Carol; Judy Becker, Heather Loeffler
Film | Editing in 2016
The Big Short; Hank Corwin
Mad Max: Fury Road; Margaret Sixel
Bridge of Spies; Michael Kahn
The Revenant; Stephen Mirrione
The Martian; Pietro Scalia
Film | Sound in 2016
The Revenant; Lon Bender, Chris Duesterdiek, Martin Hernandez, Frank A. Montaño, Jon Taylor, Randy Thom
Mad Max: Fury Road; Scott Hecker, Chris Jenkins, Mark Mangini, Ben Osmo, Gregg Rudloff, David White
Star Wars: The Force Awakens; David Acord, Andy Nelson, Christopher Scarabosio, Matthew Wood, Stuart Wilson
Bridge of Spies; Drew Kunin, Richard Hymns, Andy Nelson, Gary Rydstrom
The Martian; Paul Massey, Mac Ruth, Oliver Tarney, Mark Taylor
Film | Special Visual Effects in 2016
Ant-Man; Jake Morrison, Greg Steele, Dan Sudick, Alex Wuttke
Star Wars: The Force Awakens; Chris Corbould, Roger Guyett, Paul Kavanagh, Neal Scanlan
Mad Max: Fury Road; Andrew Jackson, Dan Oliver, Tom Wood, Andy Williams
The Martian; Chris Lawrence, Tim Ledbury, Richard Stammers, Steven Warner
Ex Machina; Mark Ardington, Sara Bennett, Paul Norris, Andrew Whitehurst