God Exists, Her Name Is Petrunya triumphs at Montenegro Film Festival
- Other winners include You Have the Night, Monsters., Ajvar and Stitches; the Herceg Novi-based event was jointly opened by all women filmmakers present
The 33rd edition of the Montenegro Film Festival in Herceg Novi (1-7 August) saw Teona Mitevska's Berlinale competition title God Exists, Her Name Is Petrunya [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Labina Mitevska
interview: Teona Strugar Mitevska
film profile] add the Golden Mimosa for Best Film to its slew of awards.
The jury, presided by Slovenian producer Dunja Klemenc and including directors Vinko Brešan (Croatia) and Nikola Ljuca (Serbia), Montenegrin actor Nikola Ristanovski and producer Jelena Mišeljić, gave out the Best Director award to Ivan Salatić for You Have the Night [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ivan Salatić
film profile]. The Venice Critics’ Week title also received the FEDEORA Award.
In addition, the film's editor Jelena Maksimović received the Živko Nikolić Award for Special Contribution to Cinematic Expression, and actor Momo Pićurić pocketed the Special Jury Award for his roles in this film and in Stefan Malešević's Mamonga [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: GoCritic! Interview: Stefan…
interview: Stefan Malesevic
film profile] and Andro Martinović's Neverending Past [+see also:
trailer
film profile], all of which screened in competition.
The Golden Mimosa for Best Screenplay went to Romania's Marius Olteanu for Monsters. [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Marius Olteanu
film profile], while the Best Actor and Best Actress awards were handed to Turkey's Alican Yücesoy for La Belle Indifference and Serbia's Nataša Ninković for Ajvar [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ana Maria Rossi
film profile], respectively.
Another Berlinale title, Miroslav Terzić's Stitches [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Miroslav Terzić
film profile], received the Audience Award.
At the festival's Mini Pitch for local projects, Andrija Mugoša’s Reverse won the best pitch award, consisting of €2,000 in cash from the Film Centre of Montenegro and participation in the Zagreb Film Festival's Industry Youth! programme.
The festival opened on 1 August at the open air flagship venue Kanli Kula where the legendary, 90-year old Yugoslav actress Mira Banjac, star of Montenegrin filmmaker Marija Perović's Breasts, which world-premiered as the opening film, was handed the honorary Milan Žmukić Award. Banjac invited all the women filmmakers attending to join her on stage and open the festival with her.
Full list of Montenegro Film Festival awards:
Golden Mimosa for Best Film
God Exists, Her Hame is Petrunya [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Labina Mitevska
interview: Teona Strugar Mitevska
film profile] - Teona Mitevska (Macedonia/Belgium/ Slovenia/Croatia/France)
Golden Mimosa for Best Director
Ivan Salatić - You Have the Night [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ivan Salatić
film profile] (Montenegro/Serbia/Qatar)
Golden Mimosa for Best Screenplay
Marius Olteanu - Monsters [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Marius Olteanu
film profile] (Romania)
Golden Mimosa for Best Actress
Nataša Ninković - Ajvar [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ana Maria Rossi
film profile] (Serbia/Montenegro)
Golden Mimosa for Best Actor
Alican Yücesoy - La Belle Indifference (Turkey)
Živko Nikolić Award for Special Contribution to Cinematic Expression
Jelena Maksimović - You Have the Night
Special Jury Award
Momo Pićurić - You Have the Night, Mamonga [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: GoCritic! Interview: Stefan…
interview: Stefan Malesevic
film profile] (Serbia/Bosnia and Herzegovina/Montenegro), Neverending Past [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (Montenegro/Serbia)
FEDEORA Award
You Have the Night - Ivan Salatić
Audience Award
Stitches [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Miroslav Terzić
film profile] - Miroslav Terzić (Serbia/Slovenia/Croatia/Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Golden Mimosa for Best Student Film
Foreign Body - Dušan Zorić (Faculty of Dramatic Arts, Serbia)
Special mention
Chasm - Ana Trebše (Faculty of Dramatic Arts, Serbia)
Unique - Nikola Polić (Faculty of Dramatic Arts, Serbia)
Milan Žmukić Award for Exceptional Contribution to Montenegro Film Festival
Mira Banjac (Serbia)
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