White Death

The American film, Bob and the Trees, starring Bob Tarasuk, playing himself, as Bob, a fifty-year old logger, struggling to make ends meet in a threatened industry, was awarded with the Crystal Globe at the 50th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. Tarasuk accepted the Festival Grand Prix in person, together with director Diego Ongaro (pictured above). “This really is a surprise. We had virtually no money to shoot the film so I had to invest my and my wife’s money, and I would like to thank everybody involved in making the film” stated director Ongaro, noting that he still has not found a distributor. Bob Tarasuk, too, expressed his amazement: “I have never won anything so far. Indeed, I have never left the States before, but my grandmother was Czech and my grandfather Ukrainian so I dedicate this award to them.” The Special Jury Prize went to Austrian director Peter Brunner for the film Those Who Fall Have Wings, a drama on coming to terms with the death of a loved one. Kosovan Visar Morina received the Best Director Award for his film Babai, a story about a small boy setting off on a journey to find his father. The Grand Prix for Best Documentary Film went to Helena Třeštíková for Mallory.  Life hasn’t been easy on Mallory but after the birth of her son she tries desperately to kick her drug habit, and to stop living on the street. She wants to turn her back on her dark past and help those she knows best – people on the fringes of society. In her latest long-term documentary, Helena Třeštíková demonstrates that even seemingly hopeless lives needn’t be cut short halfway. The prize for the best film of the East of the West Competition was awarded to social drama The Wednesday Child by the Hungarian director Lili Horváth, a tale of a young girl who wants to secure better circumstances for her child than she had. OFFICIAL SELECTION – COMPETITION GRAND JURY Tim League, USA Angelina Nikonova, Russia Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Iceland Hengameh Panahi, France Ondřej Zach, Czech Republic GRAND PRIX – CRYSTAL GLOBE (25 000 USD) The financial award is shared equally by the director and producer of the award-winning film. Bob and the Trees Directed by: Diego Ongaro USA, 2015 SPECIAL JURY PRIZE (15 000 USD) The financial award is shared equally by the director and producer of the award-winning film. Those Who Fall Have Wings / Jeder der fällt hat Flügel Directed by: Peter Brunner Austria, 2015 BEST DIRECTOR AWARD Visar Morina for the film Babai Germany, Kosovo, Macedonia, France, 2015 BEST ACTRESS AWARD Alena Mihulová for her role in the film Home Care / Domácí péče Directed by: Slávek Horák Czech Republic, Slovakia, 2015 EAST OF THE WEST – COMPETITION EAST OF THE WEST JURY Gaby Babić, Germany Alexis Grivas, Greece Tomáš Luňák, Czech Republic Ivan I. Tverdovsky, Russia Olena Yershova, Ukraine EAST OF THE WEST AWARD (20 000 USD) The financial award is shared equally by the director and producer of the award-winning film. The Wednesday Child / Szerdai gyerek Directed by: Lili Horváth Hungary, Germany, 2015 SPECIAL JURY MENTION The World Is Mine / Lumea e a mea Directed by: Nicolae Constantin Tănase Romania, 2015 DOCUMENTARY FILMS – COMPETITION DOCUMENTARY FILMS JURY Paolo Bertolin, Italy Teodora Ana Mihai, Romania Ivana Pauerová Miloševič, Czech Republic BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM OVER 60 MINUTES (5 000 USD) Mallory Directed by: Helena Třeštíková Czech Republic, 2015 SPECIAL JURY MENTION The Father Tapes / Vaterfilm Directed by: Albert Meisl Austria, 2015 BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM UNDER 30 MINUTES (5 000 USD) White Death / Muerta Blanca Directed by: Roberto Collío Chile, 2015 SPECIAL JURY MENTION Women in Sink Directed by: Iris Zaki Great Britain, Israel, 2015 FORUM OF INDEPENDENTS – COMPETITION FORUM OF INDEPENDENTS JURY Katrin Gebbe, Germany Michael Málek, Czech Republic Yeo Joon Han, Malaysia FORUM OF INDEPENDENTS AWARD The winning film will be purchased by Czech Television for the flat fee of 5000 EUR. Tangerine Directed by: Sean Baker USA, 2015 AUDIENCE AWARD Youth / La giovinezza Directed by: Paolo Sorrentino Italy, France, Switzerland, Great Britain, 2015 Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema Richard Gere, USA Festival President’s Award for Contribution to Czech Cinematography Iva Janžurová, Czech Republic NON-STATUTORY AWARDS AWARD OF INTERNATIONAL FILM CRITICS (FIPRESCI) Awarded by The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI). FIPRESCI JURY Pamela Cohn, USA, Germany Swapan Kumar Ghosh, India Radovan Holub, Czech Republic Eva Peydró, Spain Srđan Vucinic, Serbia Box Directed by: Florin Şerban Romania, Germany, France, 2015 THE ECUMENICAL JURY AWARD THE ECUMENICAL JURY Michael Otřísal, Czech Republic Vít Poláček, Czech Republic Lothar Strüber, Germany Rita Weinert, Germany Bob and the Trees Directed by: Diego Ongaro USA, 2015 SPECIAL JURY MENTION Song of Songs / Pesn pesney Directed by: Eva Neymann Ukraine, 2015 FEDEORA AWARD Awarded by the Federation of Film Critics of Europe and The Mediterranean (FEDEORA) to the best film from East of the West – Competition FEDEORA JURY Ronald Bergan, United Kingdom James Evans, United Kingdom Dubravka Lakić, Serbia Heavenly Nomadic / Sutak Directed by: Mirlan Abdykalykov Kyrgysztan, 2015 The Wednesday Child / Szerdai gyerek Directed by: Lili Horváth Hungary, Germany 2015 EUROPA CINEMAS LABEL AWARD For the best European film in the Official Selection – Competition and in the East of the West – Competition. Europa Cinemas Label jury Erika Borsos, Hungary Caroline Dragacci, France David O’Mahony, Ireland Jens Schneiderheinze, Germany Babai Directed by: Visar Morina Germany, Kosovo, Macedonia, France, 2015 BEST ACTOR AWARD Kryštof Hádek for his role in the film The Snake Brothers / Kobry a užovky Directed by: Jan Prušinovský Czech Republic, 2015 SPECIAL JURY MENTION The Magic Mountain / La montagne magique Directed by: Anca Damian Romania, France, Poland, 2015 SPECIAL JURY MENTION Antonia Directed by: Ferdinando Cito Filomarino Italy, Greece, 2015 Works in Progress 2015 15 selected projects were presented in the Works in Progress 2015. The most promising project selected by the International Jury received the award of 10 000 Euros in services from the event’s partner Barrandov Studios. THE WORKS IN PROGRESS JURY 2015 Paz Lázaro, Berlin International Film Festival (Germany) Titus Kreyenberg, unafilm (Germany) Jan Naszewski, New Europe Film Sales (Poland) AWARD OF 10 000 EUROS IN SERVICES FOR THE MOST PROMISING PROJECT Park Directed by: Sofia Exarchou Greece, 2015 image via 50th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival

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