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WINTERTHUR 2018

The 22nd Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur comes to a close

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- The Macedonian documentary Bigger Than Life has taken home the Swiss short-film festival’s Grand Prize

The 22nd Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur comes to a close
Director Adnan Softić after receiving the Grand Prize for Bigger Than Life (© Eduard Meltzer/Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur)

After a six day festival which welcomed more than 17’000 visitors, the 22nd Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur closed this Sunday with its traditional award ceremony at the Theater Winterthur.

In the festival’s International Competition – with a prize of 12000 CHF behind it – the Grand Prize went to Bigger Than Life (Italy/Macedonia/Germany, 2018) by Adnan Softić. Bubbling with both a sense of the satirical and of the angry, Softić’s experimental documentary focuses on the Macedonian government’s ‘Skopje 2014’ project which saw the country’s capital undergo massive redevelopment. Observing the change, Softić examines ideas of national identity, memory and authenticity. Speaking about the film, the jury said, “Since the dawn of man, we have tried to reinvent history in order to promote new narratives of collective identity. Currently, political groups and governments are doing this to create complicated relationships between citizens. For ‘Skopje 201’, the objective is ‘just’ to be the origin of Europe. Through the film’s observation, singing, irony, laughter,and a cogent text, the spectator partakes in the absurdity of this coming reality.”

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The Promotional Award of CHF 10 000 went to A Room with a Coconut View (Thailand 2018) by director Tulapop Saenjaroen of which the jury said, “The filmmaker’s humorous and imaginative style examines the intersections between history, technology, time and mise-en-scene whilst also asking the audience to consider the role of critical inquiry in contemporary art and life.”

The International Competition jury was made up of Bianca Lucas (PL); filmmaker and a programmer at the Sarajevo Film Festival, Georg Bütler (CH), Senior programmer Zurich Film Festival, Miguel Valverde (PT); co-director of the IndieLisboa International Film Festival, Philippe Ciompi (CH/GR); sound designer and dubbing mixer and Tara Judah (GB/AU); cinema producer at Watershed in Bristol.

The Award for the Best Swiss Film, a cash prize of CHF 10 000, went to The Flood Is Coming (Switzerland/UK 2018) by Zurich born filmmaker Gabriel Böhmer. The jury said, “This bold contemporary fable defies definition, because it has no interest in defining itself. In an intoxicating whirl of sound and image, the film conjures a universe that evokes the past and yet carries the unsettling spell of prophecy.”

Lucerne University ended up garnering the Best Swiss School Film with a 5000 CHF award going to Andreas Muggli for his short Hamama & Caluna. For this film the jury decided to compose a Haiku to express their admiration: “Three friends on a journey. A frog crosses their path. Magic illuminates the sky.”

The jury for the Swiss awards consisted of Jasmin Basic (CH/HR); film historian and curator, president of Pro Short, Matt Lloyd (GB); director of the Glasgow Short Film Festival and Natascha Noack (DE); member of the selection committee of the Berlin International Film Festival

The Audience Award was won by Brotherhood (Canada/Tunisia 2018), Meryam Joobeur’s film which follows a man who is disturbed when his oldest son returns home after a long journey with a mysterious new wife.

The 23rd edition of the Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur will take place from 5-10 November 2019

The full list of winners is as follows:

Grand Prize of the International Competition
Bigger Than Life – Adnan Softić (Italy/Macedonia/Germany)

Promotional Award of the International Competition
A Room with a Coconut View - Tulapop Saenjaroen (Thailand)

Special Mention International Competition
I Got My Things and Left - Philbert Aime, Mbabazi Sharangabo (Rwanda)

Special Mention International Competition
Legendary Reality – Jon Rafman (Canada)

Award for the Best Swiss Film
The Flood Is Coming – Gabriel Böhmer (Switzerland/UK)

Special Mention Swiss Competition
Huile sur Vent - Alejandro Pérez (Spain/Switzerland)

ZKB Audience Award
Brotherhood - Meryam Joobeur (Canada/Tunisia)

Award for the Best Swiss School Film
Hamama & Caluna - Andreas Muggli (Switzerland)

Special Mention Swiss School Film
Les vagues du plat pays – Yan Sterckx (Switzerland)

Special Mention Swiss School Film
Bashkimi United - Lasse Linder (Switzerland)

Youth Film Award 16+
Guaxuma – Nara Normande (Brazil)

Youth Film Award 12+
All These Creatures - Charles Williams (Australia)

Postproduction Award
Onaniegramm - Maja Gehrig

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