The winners are:
Short Film Competition
A STORY FOR THE MODLINS (Dir. Sergio Oskman, Spain)
A tender and revealing documentary that recreates the life of Elmer Modlin who, after appearing in Rosemary’s Baby, fled with his family to a far off country and shut himself away in a dark apartment for thirty years.
Special Mention:
Fancy Fair (Dir. Christophe Hermans, Belgium)
Student Film Competition
DOS DE TRES [TWO OUT OF THREE] (Dir. Paulina Rosas, Mexico)
A tender and strong story of a young woman and a boy who work together on the subway and the financial hardship that makes her make a devastating decision.
Special Mention:
Men Of The Earth (Dir. Andrew Kavanagh, Australia)
The jury for the Short and Student film competitions were John W Fail (Artist / Musician, USA/Estonia), Rich Warren (Brief Encounters Film Festival, UK), Helen Vinogradov (Film Producer, Estonia)
Baltic Sea Competition
KILLING THE CHICKENS TO SCARE THE MONKEYS (Dir. Jens Assur, Sweden)
The title refers to the Chinese government policy of executing dissidents to deter others. Played out in a grey scale between black and white, coincidences in nine powerful scenes have unforeseen consequences for a young woman.
Special Mention: Kichot (Poland)
National Competition
VABA MAA [FREE WORLD] (Dir. Anna Hints, Estonia)
Special Mentions:
The Other Side of the Rainbow (Dir. Triin Ruumet, Estonia)
Thank You For Happening To Me (Dir. Elina Naan, Estonia)
The jury for the Baltic Sea and National Competitions were Matan Guggenheim (Filmmaker, Israel), Kairi Prints (Journalist, Estonia) and Marje Jurtšenko (Director, Estonia)
The winners were presented at the opening of the 16th Black Nights Film Festival of which Sleepwalkers is a sub-festival.
The awards are the culmination of four days of films, special events and master classes held at the newly opened building of the prestigious Baltic Film and Media School in Tallinn. Highlights included a retrospective of films from Tel Aviv University, a master class on low budget filmmaking with renowned Israeli producer Rani Saar and Meerkat Day, a chance for film schools across Europe to meet and network.
The festival will continue with screenings of films during the 16th Black Nights Film Festival including a retrospective of Greek Films and the now infamous 'Vitamin Pills' programmes of weird and wonderful short films.
More information about Sleepwalkers can be found at www.swff.ee
