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Films about the unruliness of life go home with Go Short Awards 2023

Thank you for your patience! by Simon van der Zande receives two awards

During the anniversary edition of Go Short tonight, the coveted Go Short Awards were presented for the fifteenth time during a live show. The awards are an important springboard for the Oscars, BAFTA and European Film Awards, among others. From a packed auditorium at LUX, in Nijmegen's hometown, the jury announced to filmmakers who had won prizes.  

Among others, I Want To Go Higher by Amanda van Hesteren won the Dutch competition and the French Lola Cambourieu and Yann Berlier won the award for best European fiction with their film Lost Children for the second year in a row. During Easter, the winning films as well as the audience favorites can still be viewed in LUX in the programs Jury Winners & Audience Favorites.

For the complete program see: Go Short 2023 - Go Short

Dutch Competition

Amanda van Hesteren's documentary I Want To Go Higher received the award for best Dutch film. According to the jury, van Hesteren portrays with both tender and critical eyes a social media generation of self-made men and their performance of status and hyper-masculinity. From the jury report, "In an effortless but well-constructed way, the filmmaker manages to move both inside and outside the world of her protagonists, switching between organic self-representation and astute observation. "Van Hesteren wins a cash prize of €5,000, made possible by advocacy organization Vevam, and is hereby also longlisted for the Oscars.  A special mention went to Centre, Ring, Mall by Mateo Vega.

European Competition

For the second year in a row, unique in the history of Go Short, Lola Cambourieu and Yann Berlier walked away with the award for best European fiction with their film Lost Children. A film about young father Nathan and his three-year-old daughter who experience a night on the streets full of encounters with men like Nathan, wandering aimlessly and drinking, telling stories about the children they have lost. "A film that took us away, embraced us, moved us," the jury said.

The award for best European documentary went to When the mountain rumbles by Alba Bresoli. According to the jury, this film about three Spanish brothers proves that if you approach protagonists with dignity and take time for them, you can sense their character and get a peek into their souls. A special mention in this category went to Pruebas by Ardelia Istaru, for its courage in diving into her mother's memories in a sensitive and non-judgmental way.

Stephen Vuillemin's extraordinary animation A Kind of Testament creates an unexpected and bizarre world of investigation, digital privacy and proximity to strangers. Moving surprisingly between comedy and horror, the film tells a story that doesn't need an ending. Instead, it takes us on a journey across the surreality of everyday life. The professional jury rewarded it for this achievement with the Go Short Award for best animation. A special mention went to Trace van Aspurah Petrov.

New Arrivals Competition

The Incentive Award for Best European Student Film worth €1,000, went to

Bear (Ours) by Morgane Frund. This up-and-coming talent was praised for her courageous film about the process of filmmaking in the face of disappointment. A special mention went to 8 by Anaïs-Tohé Commaret. A dark-magic film that sharply uses image and sound to reveal escape from a harsh environment through dreams and fantasies

European Film Awards

Chords a film about strength in times of adversity was nominated by the jury as a candidate for the European Film Awards. "The voices of women from a choir, surrounded by a monster, which grows more and more - the monster of extraction and accumulation. The voices, and the silence, because sometimes it's too much, it's too big, it's impossible. But the silence of the old woman, the protagonist, who at some point will say "no," will not give up, will not let go, but will sing, will laugh and live, despite the monster. For that, for her, for her face, her simple presence, at the end of the film, we remain full of bitterness, but full of life. And yes, the voices remain, we will not forget them, we cannot forget them." This is why Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren's Spanish Chords received this important candidacy.

Eye Tunes: music video competition 

Eleven music videos competed against each other for the Go Short Award for best music video. Maïa Taïeb walked away with the win with her video MDR (Men Dominated Reality). MDR was born after an urge to talk about teenage feelings mixed with modern social and political issues. According to the expert jury, witty lyrics combined with the aesthetics of the early 2000s in this female-dominated music video make for an unconventional music video that critiques male-dominated reality.

Youth Award

A special youth jury threw itself into the task of choosing the most appealing film for young people, which was rewarded with €500. The jury was most impressed by Thank you for your patience! by Simon van der Zande. In the film, you witness a tense bus ride in Brussels, where Samuel - a Congolese immigrant - boards to express his dissatisfaction with Europe. A special mention went to Tim Bary's documentary Luc. A portrait of 15-year-old Lucas who runs away from a secure youth care facility to experience his cherished freedom one last time before he has to report back to the authorities.

Audience Award

The audience wholeheartedly agreed with the youth jury's choice. Thank you for your patience! by Simon van der Zande was rated the highest by them and thus chosen as the winner of the Audience Award.

All winning films can still be viewed during Easter.
 
Foto: Nienke Cremers