Thessaloniki Documentary Festival Awards

The 14th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival – Images of the 21st Century
(March 9 - 18, 2012)
AWARDS

AUDIENCE AWARDS

The Audience Award for a film over 45’ in the International Selection goes to:

ITALY, LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT by Gustav Hofer and Luca Ragazzi, Italy/Germany, 2011


The Audience Award for a film under 45’ in the International Selection goes to:

ORA by Philippe Baylaucq, Canada, 2011


The Audience Award for a Greek film over 45’ goes to:

ENCARDIA, THE DANCING STONE by Angelos Kovotsos, Greece, 2012


The Audience Award for a Greek film under 45’ goes to:

THE BLIND FISHERMAN by Stratis Vogiatzis and Thekla Malamou, Greece, 2011



FIPRESCI AWARDS

The FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics) Jury consisting of:

Boyd Van Hoeij, Luxembourg, President
Minou Moshiri, Iran
Necati Sonmez, Turkey
Guilhem Caillard, Canada and
Stratos Kersanidis, Greece



Bestows the FIPRESCI award for a film in the Greek selection to:

SAYOME by Nikos Dayandas, Greece, 2011

Jury rationale: The FIPRESCI Award for the best Greek film goes to a sensitive and intelligent testimony dealing with one of the most contemporary and strong subjects of modern Greece: immigration. Building bridges between two cultures apparently far away from each other, this film depicts the life of an exceptional woman. The jury was impressed by the deep respect and admiration expressed by this talented filmmaker.

And the FIPRESCI award for a film in the International selection to:

CANICULA by Jose Alvarez, Mexico, 2011

Jury rationale: The FIPRESCI Award for the best international film goes to a lyrical and cinematographic depiction of a marginalized culture. Worming its way into the everyday life of the Totonac people in close-ups and sounds, and with admirable narrative restraint, the film places the quotidian and extraordinary facets of this ancient culture side by side.


AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL AWARD

The Amnesty International Jury consisting of:

The representatives of the Greek Section of Amnesty International
Irini Tsolaki (Vice President)
Katerina Kalogera (Treasurer)
Maro Savvopoulou (Press officer)
Marianna Leontaridou (Member of Amnesty International – Film critic) and
Sotiris Danezis (Journalist)

Awards the best film dealing with human rights issues to:

THIS IS NOT A FILM (IN FILM NIST) by Jafar Panahi and Mojtaba Mirtahmasb, Iran, 2011

WWF AWARD

The WWF Jury consisting of:

Yorgos Vellidis (Head of Communications, WWF Greece)
Panayiotis Frantzis (Communication officer for WWF Greece)
Maria Livanou (WWF Marine program)

Awards the best film in the HABITAT section to:

¡VIVAN LAS ANTIPODAS! by Victor Kossakovsky, Germany/Netherlands/Argentina/ Chile, 2011
ERT3 (Greek Public Television) BROADCASTING AWARD

The Jury consisting of ET3 film directors and consultants:

Award the best film in the HABITAT section ex aequo to the 2 films:

EXPROPRIATION (APALLOTRIOSI) by Manos Papadakis, Greece, 2012

And

A FEW BRAVE PEOPLE (BIR AVUC CESUR INSAN) by Ruya Arzu Koksal, Turkey, 2011

Each of the films will receive an award equivalent to the sum of Euros 1.500.

ERT (Greek Public Television) DOC ON AIR AWARD
The Doc on Air Award is given to the best EDN Pitching Forum 2012 project. The award is equivalent to the sum of Euros 7.000.

The winning project is:

MY JOURNEY TO MEET YOU, Directed by Marco Simon Puccioni, Produced by: Simone Catania, Indyca, Italy.

Jury rationale: We had the privilege at the 14th EDN Docs in Thessaloniki Pitching Forum to work with the filmmakers of 17 great projects. To choose only one of them was a difficult task. We finally decided to award one storyteller who has the courage to put his own life at the very core of his documentary. Being a father is a challenge for every man. Being a father as a gay man in nowadays Europe is a battle against legal obstacles and – more hard to fight- against prejudices and moral bigotry. The awarded documentary brings a personal story to a political level. It challenges the values of our society and asks important questions without giving easy or ideological answers. The ERT Doc on Air Award honours the quality of the story and the commitment of both director and producer. The jury underlines also the cinematic approach of a very talented and experienced filmmaker.

EDN AWARD 2012

The EDN Award is presented annually during Docs in Thessaloniki to an institution, group or person for outstanding contribution to the development of documentary culture.
The EDN Award 2012 goes to Diana El Jeiroudi and Orwa Nyrabia, representing the Syrian Documentary Festival DOX BOX team.