Films from Central and Eastern Europe made a clean sweep of all top awards in the main competition with productions and coproductions from Czechia, Slovakia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Georgia, Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Croatia taking home all the top prizes. Critics and festival goers agreed it was a bumper year for talent in the region.
The FIPRESCI International Critics Prize went to Keep the Change (USA) directed by Rachel Israel, while the hotly followed daily ratings of the films in the Main Competition and East of the West organised by FNE and FIPRESCI gave its highest marks in the main competition to the German/Israeli film The Cakemaker directed by Ofir Raul Graizer and in the East of the West the top film was the Georgian film Dede, a coproduction with Qatar, Ireland, Netherlands and Croatia directed by Mariam Khatchvani. To see how the FNE Critics rated the films click HERE.
Full list of KVIFF Prize Winners
Main Competition
Crystal Globe for Best Film
Little Crusader (Czechia, Slovakia)
Directed by Václav Kadrnka
Produced by Sirius Films
Coproduced by Artileria and Tempesta
Supported by the Czech State Cinematography Fund, the Slovak Audiovisual Fund, the Apulia Film Commission and the Sardegna Film Commission
Special Jury Prize
Men Don’t Cry / Muškarci ne plaču (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Croatia, Germany)
Directed by Alen Drljević
Produced by Deblokada Sarajevo
Coproduced by Iridium Film, This and That, Menderley Films, Produkcija Živa and Cineplanet
Supported by Foundation of Cinematography Sarajevo, Slovenian Film Centre, ZDF/Arte TV, MEDIA, Ministry of Culture and Sport of Kanton Sarajevo, CineLink Market
Best Director
Peter Bebjak for The Line / Čiara (Slovak Republic, Ukraine)
Produced by Wandal Production
Coproduced by: Garnet International Media Group (UA), Rozhlas a televízia Slovenska (SK), HomeMedia Production (SK), Martin Kohút (SK)
Supported by: Audiovizuálny fond, Creative Europe, Ukrainian State Film Agency, Ministerstvo kultúry SR, Bratislavský samosprávny kraj
Best Actress
Ex-aequo
Jowita Budnik and Eliane Umuhire for Birds Are Singing in Kigali / Ptaki śpiewają w Kigali (Poland)
Directed by Joanna Kos-Krauze, Krzysztof Krauze
Produced by KOSFILM Joanna Kos-Krauze
Coproduced by TVP, Odra-film, Narodowe Centrum Kultury, Studio A
Supported by the Polish Film Institute
Best Actor
Alexander Yatsenko for Arrhythmia / Aritmiya (Russia, Finland, Germany)
Directed by Boris Khlebnikov
Special Jury Mention
For the best First Feature Film
Keep the Change (USA)
Directed by Rachel Israel
Special Jury Mention
For the Best Newcomer
Voica Oltean, actress in Breaking News (Romania)
Directed by Iulia Rugină
Produced by Hai–Hui Entertainment
Coproduced by Libra Film Production
Supported by the Romanian Film Centre
East of the West Competition
Best Film
How Viktor “the Garlic” Took Alexey “the Stud” to the Nursing Home / Kak Vitka Chesnok vez Lecha Shtyrya v dom invalidov (Russia)
Directed by Alexander Hant
Special Jury Prize
Dede (Georgia, Qatar, Ireland, Netherlands, Croatia)
Directed by Mariam Khatchvani
Produced by 20 Steps
Coproduced by Film and Music Entertainment, MP Film Production, Montauk Film Production, and JaJa Film Productions.
Supported by the Doha Film Institute and the Georgian National Film Centre
Documentary Competition
Lots of Kids, a Monkey and a Castle / Muchos hijos, un mono y un Castillo (Spain)
Directed by Gustavo Salmerón
Special Jury Prize
Atelier de conversation (Austria, France, Liechtenstein)
Directed by Bernhard Braunstein
Pravo Audience Award
Wind River (USA)
Directed by Taylor Sheridan
Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema
Ken Loach
Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema
Paul Laverty
Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema
James Newton Howard
Festival President’s Award
Uma Thurman
Festival President’s Award
Casey Affleck
Festival President’s Award
Jeremy Renner
Festival President’s Award for Contribution to Czech Cinematography
Václav Vorlíček
Non-Statutory Awards
FIPRESCI Award of International Film Critics
Keep the Change (USA)
Directed by Rachel Israel
Ecumenical Jury Award
The Cakemaker (Israel, Germany)
Directed by Ofir Raul Graizer
FEDEORA Award Federation of Film Critics of Europe and the Mediterranean
Best film from the East of the West Competition
Mariţa (Romania)
Directed by Cristi Iftime
Produced by HiFilm Productions
Coproduced by deFilm
Special Mention
Blue Silence (Turkey, Belgium)
Directed by Bülent Öztürk
Europa Cinemas Label Award
Best Film
Men Don’t Cry / Muškarci ne plaču (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Croatia, Germany)
Directed by Alen Drljević
