28-11-2015

Tallinn Black Nights awards winners

    The Throne by Lee Joon-ik The Throne by Lee Joon-ik

    The 19th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival is announcing the following winners at its black carpet Awards Ceremony tonight at Nordea Concert Hall. The fest will run for two more days of screenings.

    MAIN COMPETITION 

    Grand Prix for Best Film (Grant of 10,000 Euros, shared by the director and producer)

    THE THRONE / Sado

    2015, South Korea

    Director: Lee Joon-ik

    Producer: Oh Seung-Hyun, Sung Chang-Yun

    Jury comment:

    The Throne is the perfect example of how the remote historic events in one particular country, in this case Korea, can be used to create not only a powerful and beautiful historic drama, but also a modern film which touches the hearts and minds of contemporary spectators.

    The Director of the film Lee Joon-ik was able to assemble a great acting ensemble and also used all instruments of contemporary cinema art to create a truly Shakespearean tragedy. Also the film masterfully uses many elements of traditional Korean art which highly benefit the visual style of the film. Combined, all elements of the picture carefully put together, produce a film of high artistic value.
     

    Jury Prize for Best Director (Grant of 5,000 euros)

    UNDER THE SUN /  В лучах Солнца

    2015, Russia, Germany, Czech Republic, North Korea

    Director: Vitaliy Manskiy

    Jury comment:

    Under the Sun is both an intimate study on how propaganda affects individuals’ life and how reality can easily be manipulated just changing the perspective of things.

    It shows audiences how to look out of the frame to discover that the depicted in-frame reality can be totally different.

    Vitaliy Manskiy manages to tell his story without falling into an easy anti-propaganda pamphlet keeping both humanity and distance, combining striking images and sounds to deliver a film impregnated with high artistic values.

    Jury Prize for Best Actor 

    Isaka Sawadogo - character of Yaya

    THE PARADISE SUITE

    2015, Netherlands, Sweden, Bulgaria

    Director: Joost van Ginkel

    Jury comment: 

    An award for extraordinary credibility both in prayer and other different scenes in the film.

    Jury Prize for Best Actress

    Martha Canga Antonio - character of Mavela

    BLACK

    2015, Belgium

    Director: Adil El Arbi, Bilall Fallah

    Jury comment:

    By creating an extraordinary persevering hero of a young woman in Black Martha Canga Antonio perfectly manages to show both dark and bright sides of a character who is determined on her own beliefs. Staying loyal to her beliefs, even after realizing they might not be ideal and can lead to a vague outcomes, she gives a perfect example of a strong and firm personality who does not need anyone to give her permission to do what she wants to do.

    Controlling emotions in the most critical moment of life, the unbelievably strong character of 15-year old Mavela proves that man can always go back to life and hold hope for the future. Keeping an excellent mastery with her play during the whole movie and making audience not to lose a connection with her, the talented actress successfully affords to give a portrait of a woman trying to push the boundaries she is living in.

    Jury Prize for Best Cinematographer

    Wojciech Staron

    DAWN

    2015, Latvia

    Director : Laila Pakalnina

    Jury comment:

    Cinema art first and foremost is the moving pictures or the images which sometimes capture life as it is, but sometimes they interpret life according to the vision of the cinematographer and the director of the film.

    The recipient of this year's prize for best cinematography Wojciech Staron was able through his lensing to create the visual equivalent of the craziness of the Soviet way of life being imposed on the farmers of freshly occupied Latvia. 

    Wojciech Staron makes perversely beautiful the psychotic world created by Laila Pakalnina, the director of the film Dawn, with his black and white cinematography.


    Special Jury Prize

    UNDER THE SUN /  В лучахСолнца

    2015, Russia, Germany, Czech Republic, North Korea

    Director : Vitaliy Manskiy

    Jury comment:

    This film shows how an artist can apply simple means to turn what seems to be a propaganda film into a work of art which presents the terrifying mechanisms of ideological indoctrination. Only a film can do that so convincingly and Under the Sun has managed to achieve it.


    Best Music

    Bang Jun-seok

    The Throne / Sado

    2015, South Korea

    Director: Lee Joon-ik

    Jury comment:

    Composer Bang Jun-seok has created an enthralling score that is extremely well connected to most aspects of The Throne. The rises and falls match the scenes perfectly and the music is strongly connected to the actions and surroundings of the characters throughout this historical drama. This has created an unbreakable bond between what you see on the big screen and what you hear through the speakers, which forces one to realize that Bang Jun-seok’s composition vastly enhances the overall experience of The Throne. Bang Jun-seok sticks to the methods of high quality epic classical film scores while always staying loyal to the traditional instruments of the film’s country of origin.

    The powerful beginning, soaring middle and emotive finale makes this original score the best music in this year’s competition.


    Main Competition Jury members: Jonas Bjørn Olsen (Denmark), Fabrizio Maltese (Italy), Giorgi Ovašvili (Georgia), Serge Rakhlin (USA), Jerzy Stuhr (Poland)

    TRIDENS FIRST FEATURES COMPETITION

    Tridens Award for Best Film (Grant of 5,000 Euros, shared by the director and producer 

    DELIVERY / Nacimiento

    2015, Colombia

    Director: Martin Meija Rugeles 

    Producer: Martin Mejia Rugeles, Cesar Patiño

    Jury comment: 

    For its sincerity, consistency in use of cinematic language and warm human touch.


    Tridens Award for Best Cinematographer

    Peyman Shadmanfar

    TWO / Do

    2015, Iran

    Director: Soheila  Golestani

    Tridens Award for Best Music

    Tristan Dewey & Tai Jordan
    PAWNO

    2015, Australia

    Director: Paul Ireland
     

    TRIDENS ESTONIAN FILM AWARD (Grant of 3,200 Euros, shared by the director and producer)

    THE FENCER / Miekkailija

    2015, Finland, Estonia, Germany

    Director: Klaus Haro

    Producers: Jörg Bundschuh, Ivo Felt, Kai Nordberg, Kaarle Aho

    Jury comment:

    For its relevance of the subject, simplicity, consistency of style.
     

    Tridens Jury members: Krzysztof Zanussi (Poland), Alissa Simon (USA), Gust Van Den Berghe (Belgium), Anton Veeremets (Estonia), Gints Berzins (Latvia)

    ECUMENICAL JURY AWARD

    Prize for the best movie depicting Christian values

    THE PARADISE SUITE

    2015, Netherlands, Sweden, Bulgaria

    Director: Joost van Ginkel

    Jury comment:

    Ecumenical jury awards a film with a remarkable scenario and superb acting, underlining boldly the self-sacrifice based on prayer, regret coming from a pure heart and a wish to reckon with god in the most difficult choices. The jury admits that instead of the disturbing naturalistic shots the author could have entrusted the audience’s imagination more.


    Special Mention

     ZINNIA FLOWER / Bai Ri Gao Bie

    2015, Taiwan

    Director: Tom Shu-Yu Lin

    Jury comments: 

    The jury renowns the film for directing the viewer to emphatically give sense to life in its wholeness. A film that carries noble brightness even in the reality of death.


    Jury members: Andres Põder (Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church), Philippe Jean-Charles Jourdan (Roman Catholic Church), Kornelius (Estonian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate), Indrek Sammul (Estonian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate), Stefanus (Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church), Sakarias Leppik, Erki Tamm (Tallinn Kalju Baptist Congregation)
     

    NETPAC AWARD

    STRANGER / Zhat

    2015, Kazakhstan

    Director: Yeremek Tursunov

    Jury comment:

    For unveiling the lesser known history of Central Asia with dramatic humanism and fine acting.

    Jury members: Kirill E. Razlogov (Russia), Roland Tolentino (Philippines), Artemy Troitsky (Russia)

    FIPRESCI AWARD

    FIPRESCI Award for the best debut film

    DELIVERY / Nacimiento

    Director: Martin Meija Rugles

    Jury comment:

    In a world run by excess, it takes courage to make an understated movie with a strong and valid point. Our winner has managed to restore the balance between man and nature, staying true to a challenging, distinctive film language, and has delivered a piece of art that stays in your mind long after the screening.  

    Special Mention

    THE PROSECUTOR, THE DEFENDER, THE FATHER AND HIS SON

    2015, Bulgaria, Sweden, Netherlands

    Director: Iglika Triffonova 


    Jury members:  Mike Naafs (Netherlands), Martin Botha (Republic of South Africa), Tristan Priimägi (Estonia)

    AUDIENCE AWARD

    THE FIND / Находка

    2015, Russia

    Director: Victor Dement

    Animation Film Festival Animated Dreams “Heino Pars” Grand Prix (Grant of 1,000 Euros)

    THE BIGGER PICTURE

    2014, UK

    Director: Daisy Jacobs

    Jury members: Tsvika Oren (Israel), Emma de Swaef (Belgium), Kalju Kivi (Estonia).
     

    Children’s and Youth Film Festival Just Film Grand Prix (Grant of 3,000 Euros, shared by the director and producer)

    14+

    2015, Russia

    Director: Andrei Zaitsev

    Producer: Olga Granina, Andrei Zaitsev

    Jury Members: Gert Germans (Belgium), Jaroslava Hynštova (Czech Republic), Mihkel Ulk (Estonia).

    International Short Film Festival Sleepwalkers Grand Prix

    TO LIGHT / VALGUSEKS/ VALGUSENI/ VALGUSENA

    2015, Estonia

    Director: Nora Särak

    Jury Members: Carmen Gray (UK), Emilie Toomela (Estonia), Jukka-Pekka Laakso (Finland), Ilona Bicevska (Latvia), Dato Janelidze (Georgia), Ivan Pavljutškov (Estonia)