Films that are not long enough to be considered to be feature-length, but not short to compete in short film festivals, were presented an entire section at Febiofest. Film “novellas”, whose running time was from 30 to 65 minutes, competed in the competition for the attention of the judges and the prizes of €2,500.
The Film Novella International Jury, chaired by Polish director Krzysztof Zanussi, and composed of: Swedish director and cinematographer Jan Troell, Romanian film director and producer Tudor Giurgiu, Iranian actress and filmmaker Niki Karimi and Czech director Saša Gedeon sat down to review the films.
The jury commended three films from different parts of the world:
The judges praised Afghan-American film director Sam Frenche for his poetic vision and humanistic approach. Buzkashi Boys tells the story of buddies Ahmad and Rafi, who live on the periphery of the plight of Afghan Kabul. While Ahmad dreams of becoming a Knight of the National horse race "Buzkashi", Rafi is resigned to the fact that it takes over his father's craft and become a blacksmith. The picture depicts the poverty-stricken suburbs of Kabul with great authenticity, not only thanks to the nonchalant, easy acting of the main protagonists, but also with the assistance of an inquisitive camera.
The American film, Meanwhile, directed by Hal Hartley was praised by the jury was its great story. The thoughtfully constructed film tells about a day's journey of Joseph – a man of many interests, contacts and planned projects. The unpredictably leisurely narrative focuses on details and short episodes during which Hartley explores the genius loci and the nature of his characters.
The jury awarded the Slovak film, The Exhibition, and its directors Peter Begányho and Andrei Kolenčík for its sense of humor and empathy. The chamber tragicomedy of a provincial Slovak town features one day in the life of five characters working in the Museum of Natural History. The film is full of grotesque, absurd scenes, which well describe the sad situation of the current financing of culture.
