07/04/2017 - Jan P Matuszyński’s acclaimed debut feature wins the Best Film Award, while Audrius Stonys’ documentary Woman and the Glacier proves a favourite Lithuanian entry in competition

Jan P Matuszyński receives the Best Film Award at Vilnius (© Vilnius Film Festival - Kino Pavasaris)

The international jury, consisting of Göteborg Film Festival programmer Freddy Olsson, film critic and president of FIPRESCI Alin Tasciyan, and film critic and programmer Boris Nelepo, decided to award Jan P Matuszyński’s The Last Family [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Dawid Ogrodnik
film profile] as Best Film in the New Europe – New Names Competition Programme of the 22^nd Vilnius Film Festival – Kino Pavasaris, for “masterfully interweaving fiction and reality through the intimate portrait of an artist and his family life, inspired by his own documentation. Despite being confined in a suburban apartment, the film conveys the zeitgeist of four decades.”

“I guess I am a 'new name', but the concept of 'new Europe' is also something that has been on my mind for the last couple of years,” said Matuszyński. “Beksiński is not that well known outside of Poland, so we knew from the very beginning that we had to find a more universal language. An award like this just gives me the strength to work harder.”

Poland also emerged triumphant in the Short Film Competition: Zofia Kowalewska’s award-festooned Close Ties was named Best Film.

The jurors also appreciated Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov’s Glory [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Petar Valchanov
interview: Petar Valchanov, Kristina G…
film profile], which earned them the Best Director Award as well as the CICAE Jury Film Award. “They told us an emotional story with an energetic style and absurd humour in which the political power abuses an honest worker and consumes the precious lifetime of all of its characters,” argued Alin Tasciyan during the ceremony. Marius Repšys was named Best Actor and Best Lithuanian Actor for his work on The Saint [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Andrius Blazevicius
film profile], directed by Andrius Blaževičius, while Mia Petričević nabbed Best Actress for her turn in Hana Jušić’s Quit Staring at My Plate [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Hana Jušić
film profile].

The jury of the Baltic Gaze Competition Programme (comprising festival programmer Andrei Tănăsescu, producer Atsuko Ohno and film critic Giona A Nazarro) decided to award Woman and the Glacier [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Audrius Stonys, “for the way in which the existence of both man and nature dances on a tiny cosmic ray of light.”

“I did not expect it at all,” admitted Stonys, the first Lithuanian director ever to win Baltic Gaze. “Especially because Sergei Loznitsa’s film was competing as well, and he is my greatest inspiration. So how can you expect to win anything?” It was the second award of the evening for Stonys, whose movie was also chosen as Best Lithuanian Film, while Sergei Loznitsa was named Best Director for Austerlitz [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile].

The Best Actor and Best Actress Awards went to Petr Skvortsov for The Student by Kirill Serebrennikov and newcomer Lene Cecilia Sparrok for Sámi Blood [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Amanda Kernell
interview: Lars Lindstrom
film profile], directed by Amanda Kernell.

Here is the complete list of winners: 

New Europe – New Names Competition Programme

Best Film
The Last Family [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Dawid Ogrodnik
film profile] - Jan P Matuszyński (Poland)

Best Director
Kristina Grozeva, Petar Valchanov - Glory [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Petar Valchanov
interview: Petar Valchanov, Kristina G…
film profile] (Bulgaria/Greece)

Best Actor
Marius Repšys - The Saint [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Andrius Blazevicius
film profile] (Lithuania/Poland)

Best Actress
Mia Petričević - Quit Staring at My Plate [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Hana Jušić
film profile] (Croatia/Denmark)

CICAE Jury Film Award
Glory - Kristina Grozeva, Petar Valchanov (Bulgaria/Greece) 

Baltic Gaze Competition Programme

Best Film
Woman and the Glacier [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Audrius Stonys (Lithuania/Estonia)

Best Director
Sergei Loznitsa - Austerlitz [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Germany)

Best Actor
Petr Skvortsov - The Student (Russia)

Best Actress
Lene Cecilia Sparrok - Sámi Blood [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Amanda Kernell
interview: Lars Lindstrom
film profile] (Sweden/Denmark/Norway)

Short Film Competition

Best Film
Close Ties - Zofia Kowalewska (Poland)

Special Mention
Half A Man - Kristina Kumrić (Croatia/France)

Student’s Film Competition
Vegetation Walk - Anouk Chambaz, Julija Paškevičiūtė (Lithuania/Switzerland/Luxembourg)

Audience Awards

Best Lithuanian Film
Woman and the Glacier - Audrius Stonys (Lithuania/Estonia)

Best Film
Perfect Strangers [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Paolo Genovese (Italy)

Best Lithuanian Actor
Marius Repšys - The Saint (Lithuania/Poland)

Best Lithuanian Actress
Gabija Jaraminaite – The Mother’s Day (Lithuania) (short film)

Best Short Film
Running Lights - Gediminas Šiaulys (Lithuania/India/Finland)