BRITDOC '07
Winners announced
25th - 27th July, Keble College, Oxford
The second BRITDOC Festival has been a storming success. After threedays of screenings, masterclasses, pitching and networking the hottestinternational and British documentary films and filmmakers emerge victorious.
The SCREEN INTERNATIONAL BRITISH FEATURE PRIZE went to HOLD ME TIGHT LET ME GO by Kim Longinotto. The award was presented to Kim by Jeremy Deller.
Set in the Mulberry Bush school for excluded children and those withemotional difficulties, Director Kim Longinotto allows characters and narrativesto unfold amidst a cacophony of swearing and spitting that constitutes daily life.
The resultant film is a compelling watch. Fascinating and troubling it is injectedwith natural humour and humanity. In so doing she brings a depth of empathyand understanding of their lives to deliver an insightful and provocative film.
At times heartbreaking and yet also hopeful Hold Me Tight, Let Me Go is constantly revealing in how fragile childhood emotions are and the impact that adults have upon them. From the often absent parents to the amazing patience of the carers as they try to change their violent and self-destructive patterns.
This is a touching documentary about parenting as much as it is a film about troubled children.
The jury were: Tanya Seghatchian, Head of Development, UK Film Council and Producer (Harry Potter), Jeremy Deller, Turner Prize winning artist, Colin Brown,Editor in Chief,
Screen International
The INTERNATIONAL FEATURE PRIZE went to THE DEVIL CAME ON HORSEBACK by Annie Sundberg and Ricki Stein.
Using more than a thousand uncompromising photographs taken by former military observer with the African Union, this film propels the viewer through the tragic impact of an Arab government bent on destroying its black African citizens.
The Jury also awarded THE MOSQUITO PROBLEM & OTHER STORIES an Honourable Mention. By Andre Paounov it is an affectionate portrait ofthe town of Belene on the river Danube in Bulgaria; a community besetwith a plague of mosquitoes. Beautifully shot and scored, the director’s curiosity towards his fellow countryfolk shines through as he introduces us to Belene’s hopeful citizens about toembark on a bright new journey. Massive rusty cranes, foreign visitors, and the joyful chants of cheerleaders carry thedream of a great nuclear future. Disturbed only by gigantic stinging mosquitoes, the townsfolk celebrate the atomichoorah by engraving the nuclear power plant logo on buildings and soup bowls.
A Special International Jury Prize was awarded to MANDA BALA by Jason Kohn.
This visually stunning and riveting filminterweaves seemingly disparate stories of frog farms, violence, politics and poverty to piecemeal together a terrifying story ofcorruption that plagues Brazil on every social level.
Director Kohn spent five years painstakingly crafting his featuredebut. He interlinks stylised interviews of kidnapping victims withthose of the plastic surgeons who have profited from them, kidnappers themselves and those who live in fear of them to resultin a film laced with dark humour and visual inventiveness.
The jury were Stephen Bognar, (Picture Day, A Lion in the House), Donovan Whiley, Ryan Harrington, A&E films
The FOURDOCS SHORT FILM PRIZE went to Luke Sewell for MEDIUM AT LARGE
A study of the ‘International Natural Medium’ who makes his living by performing psychic readings onwomen of low-income families in the impoverished Medway town of Chatham. The prize was presented by Charlie Phillips.
The Jury also gave a Special Mention to SMALL TOWN BOY by Moby Longinotto.
The Jury were – Gillian Wearing, Turner Prize winning artist, Sean Farnel, Director of Programming, Hot Docs, Charlie Phillips, Editor of FourDocs
The STUDIO ARTOIS UP AND COMING AWARD went to Tom Eldridge for SURF RESCUE.
Tom Eldridge is the co-owner of the Cornwall basedcompany Ikandi Media, where he has directed music videos for Embrace and produced several independent documentaries. Tom won the JuryAward for outstanding film and cinematography for the short documentary From Fear to Faith: Ordinary People Extra Ordinary Lives at the Aspen Shorts Fest 2005. Beyond Iraq was an official selection at the Sundance Film Festival 2006 and his feature Alive Day screened at BRITDOC ’07 inthe Screen International British Feature competion.
Studio Artois is proud to have participated in this exciting new film making competition in partnership with BRITDOC and Channel 4 – ‘Adventures in Recycling’. Anyone with a passion for film and a unique idea was invited to submit their entry before to be in with a chance to have their work made into a 3 Minute Wonder for airing in Channel 4 and participation in BRITDOC ’07.
Adam Oakley, Director of Marketing for Artois, said: “Supporting filmmakers and their craft is an important part of our Studio Artois film programme. Film and specifically documentary, is an excellent medium for conveying important social messages to individuals and the wider community. Film can get people to think differently and encourage people to take action and make a positive change”.
MYSPACE AUDIENCE AWARD went to Jezza Newman for CHINA’S STOLEN CHILDREN.
The follow up documentary to the award winning Dying Rooms. Ten years after the policy changing and award winning The Dying Rooms we are returned to a very different China where theinfamous one child policy has had the horrific side effect of a boomin stolen children. Through amazingly candid interviews with thedevastated parents of stolen children, a man who brokers the dealsand has sold his own offspring, to new parents grappling with givingup their daughter through lack of options we are brought face toface with the crisis that such stringent government policy hasbrought to Chinas poorest people. Difficult to watch, yet impossibleto ignore, the film is a cohesive overview of the current situation inChina. A situation whereby girl babies are being sold for3,000-4,000 RMB (£200-270) by parents who are unable to afford a birth license, babies are aborted as late as 8months into the pregnancy to avoid government fines and persecution and young boys are kidnapped and traded onthe black market whilst the State is more concerned with keeping the story quiet than tracing China’s stolen children.
BRITDOC '07 not only showcased top documentary films, but is also a place where documentary filmmakers come to find new subject matter, find funding and distribution as well as to meet like-minded filmmakers.
THE PITCHING FORUM
The Pitching Forum returned as the heart of the co-productionmarket of BRITDOC 2007. Following the success of last year’s Forum 12 filmmakers were given the opportunity to present theirpotential documentary film projects to an imposing panel ofinternational commissioning editors, foundation fund holders andfinancing producers. Their pitches were observed by a 400 strongaudience of peers and industry members. The pressure was on as the filmmakers offered their wares and the commissioners then deliberate the viability of the projects live for all to hear!
This years Best Pitch Prize went to Paul Berczeller for Through a Glass, Darkly, the story of Frank Olson who was the victim of infamous LSD mind control experiments by the CIA. Berczeller isa BAFTA nominated director and writer working acrossdocumentaryand drama, previous work includes This is a True Story, Here to Where and the upcoming My Way for Channel 4.
WOULD LIKE TO MEET
The place where new documentaries are born, Would Like To Meet offered an opportunity for filmmakers to engage with a range of experts and fast-track into new subjectareas. This year Would Like to Meet introduced 'The Campaigners' hosted by the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust who are working on the frontline campaigning for social justice in health, education, human rights anddemocracy. They were joined by'The Innovators' hosted by the Royal Academy of Engineering. From nanotechnology to artificial intelligence and climate change,
filmmakers are given the opportunity to meet the men andwomen shaping our future.
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