20/11/2018 - Rome's Mediterranean film festival also awarded the Lebanese film The Swing and the Tunisian film Dear Son. Career awards went to Liliana Cavani and Dora Bouchoucha

Treasure Island [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Guillaume Brac
film profile] by Guillaume Brac won the "Amore e Psiche" Award for Best Film at the 24^th edition of MedFilm Festival held in Rome from 9 to 18 November. The documentary by the French director, his third film after two fiction features, was chosen by the jury (comprising Anna Bonaiuto, Valia Santella, Patrizio Nissirio, Babak Karimi and Jacopo Quadri) for its "shared perspective, without judgment, of a recreational space that becomes a theatre of a rich and plural humanity." According to the motivation, the French suburb is brought to life in the film beyond typical stereotypes, but without excluding important conflicts and contradictions. The Special Jury Prize went to The Swing by the Lebanese director Cyril Aris, while the award for Artistic Expression was awarded to Dear Son [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mohamed Ben Attia
film profile] by Mohamed Ben Attia, which already premiered at Cannes Film Festival as part of the 50^th Directors’ Fortnight.

Among the additional awards, the University Student Jury chose Sibel [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Çağla Zencirci and Guillaum…
film profile] by Cagla Zencirci and Guillaume Giovanetti, a Turkish, French, German and Luxembourgish co-production that has already won awards at Locarno, and which "uses a philosophical position and a stylistic system of undoubted sensitivity and professionalism," as stated by the jury in its motivation.

The festival, presided over by Ginella Vocca and directed for the first time by Giulio Casadei, offered a rich programme,with 79 films from 34 countries. Opening the festival, in competition, was the Syrian film The Day I Lost My Shadow [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Soudade Kaadan
film profile] bySoudade Kaadan, winner of the Leone del Futuro Award at Venice 75. Closing the festival, out of competition, was the Israeli master Amos Gitai with A Tramway in Jerusalem [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Amos Gitai
film profile]. Among the international guests were Meryem Benm'barek from Morocco, the Iranian Ali Mosaffa, Mónica Garcia from Spain, Cagla Zencirci and Guillaume Giovanetti from Turkey, Mohamed Ben Attia, Chiraz Laatiri, Azza Chaabouni Latifa, Dave and Salem Trabelsi representing Tunisia, the German Wolfgang Fischer, the Dane Stefan Kruse and the Italian Stefano Savona.

Medfilm Festival also presented two Career Awards: one to the director Liliana Cavani, "for having always pursued freedom and dialogue, for her intellectual and moral commitment to banality and against female stereotypes" and to the Tunisian producer Dora Bouchoucha, "for having used her talent and courage at the service of cinema and all women, as an innovative and unstoppable producer in a predominantly male sector."

Here is the complete list of winners at the 24^th MedFilm Festival:

Amore e Psiche Competition

Best Film
Treasure Island [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Guillaume Brac
film profile] - Guillaume Brac (France)

Special Jury Award
The Swing - Cyril Aris (Lebanon)

Artistic Expression Award
Dear Son [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mohamed Ben Attia
film profile]- Mohamed Ben Attia (Tunisia/Belgium/France)

Methexis Award - Best ShortFilm
Brotherhood - Meryam Joobeur (Canada/Tunisia/Qatar/Sweden)

Cervantes Roma Award for Most Creative Short Film
Deer Boy - Katarzyna Gondek (Poland/Belgium/Croatia)

Special Mention
Aurore - Mael Le Mée (France)

University Student Awards

Best Film
Sibel [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Çağla Zencirci and Guillaum…
film profile] - Cagla Zencirci, Guillaume Giovanetti (Turkey/France/Germany/Luxembourg)

Special Mention
Treasure Island - Guillaume Brac

Best Short Film
Deer Boy - Katarzyna Gobdek

(Translated from Italian)