21st Motovun Film Festival ended with the award ceremony after 5 days of screening more than a hundred independent film titles from all over the world.
The best film of the festival and the winner of the Propeller of Motovun prize is a Colombian film Killing Jesús by Laura Mora. The decision was made by the jury consisting of German film directors Sebastian Schipper (president) and Uli M Schueppel, Moldavian director of short films Ana-Felicia Scutelnicu, British musician and producer Mark Reeder and Croatian director Ognjen Sviličić. The jury explained: “In Killing Jesús we follow a Columbian contract killer, a creature we hate. But the film changes our view. Not with cheap tricks of filmmakers and not with expensive ones either – but with the most powerful means the cinema has: by watching and listening – by spending time with the enemy. Telling us how to deal with hate, filmmaker Laura Mora not only made a political statement but also a film about a challenge we are all facing today.“
The jury gave a Special Mention to a Croatian documentary Srbenka by Nebojša Slijepčević that had its Croatian premiere in Motovun, after having won the prestigious Doc Alliance award in Cannes. While receiving the award, the director Slijepčević said that the screening of his film at MFF had been his childhood dream.
The FIPRESCI Jury, consisting of Angelo Mitchievici, Ana Sturm and Nino Kovačić awarded the film Birds of Passage by Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra.
Driving Lesson by Finnish director Jarno Lindemark was pronounced Best Short Film of the 21st Motovun Film Festival. The winner received a cash award in the amount of 1000 Euros and a huge bottle of Jameson Whiskey. Slovenian filmmaker Peter Bratuš also received an award for his film Gaja’s World.
Before the screening of Aleksi, the debut of the young Croatian filmmaker Barbara Vekarić , Motovun Film Festival was closed: the organizers and the audience made a joint toast to yet another departing festival and to the following one.
