email print share on Facebook share on Twitter share on LinkedIn share on reddit pin on Pinterest

FESTIVALS Montenegro

Pity and Virgins triumph at the Montenegro Film Festival

by 

- Other winners at the 32nd edition of the Herceg Novi-based event included Let the Corpses Tan, Radu Jude's "...Barbarians" and Comic Sans

Pity and Virgins triumph at the Montenegro Film Festival

The 32nd Montenegro Film Festival in Herceg Novi, which took place from 1-7 August, wrapped on Tuesday night with Babis MakridisPity [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Babis Makridis
film profile
]
picking up the Grand Prix and the Golden Mimosa for Best Actor, for Yannis Drakopoulos

First-time Israeli filmmaker Keren Ben Rafael won Best Director for Virgins [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, and the film's lead Joy Rieger picked up Best Actress.

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

Radu Jude scooped Best Screenplay for “I Do Not Care if We Go Down in History as Barbarians” [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, and the Živko Nikolić Award for Special Contribution to Cinema went to Let the Corpses Tan [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Hélène Cattet & Bruno Forzani
film profile
]
by Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani.

The jury also gave a Special Mention to Lazy Guy, a low-budget film by 25-year-old Montenegrin debutant Aleksa Stefan Radunović.

The Serbian children's film The Witch Hunters [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Raško Miljković won the Audience Award, while Nevio Marasović's Comic Sans [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
received the FEDEORA Award.

This year's Official Competition focused on European cinema, with ten out of the 12 films coming from the south-eastern part of the continent. The festival opened with the European premiere of Tribeca winner Smuggling Hendrix [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Marios Piperides
film profile
]
by Cypriot director Marios Piperidis.

"Over 70 films were screened in the programme, including European, regional and Montenegrin premieres," says Jelena Mišeljić, the festival's programme director. "The central purpose of the festival is to become an open space for authors and films that nourish authentic artistic sensibility, and a bold approach to social reality, film language and production, highlighting the overview of contemporary poetics and expression." 

Serbian filmmaker Dejan Petrović's The Same triumphed in the Documentary Competition, while Croatia's Tomislav Djurinec won in the Student Film Competition with Home for Christmas.

The first edition of Mini Pitch, organised in collaboration with the Montenegro Film Centre and the Zagreb Film Festival, involved the presentation of three local student projects, and the €2,000 award went to Mladen Ivanović's Observer. The project will also take part in the Croatian event's Industry Youth! section at the next edition in November.

Here is the full list of award winners: 

Official Competition

Grand Prix - Golden Mimosa for Best Film
Pity [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Babis Makridis
film profile
]
 - Babis Makridis (Greece/Poland)

Golden Mimosa for Best Director
Keren Ben Rafael - Virgins [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
(Israel/France)

Golden Mimosa for Best Screenplay
Radu Jude – “I Do Not Care if We Go Down in History as Barbarians” [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
(Romania/Czech Republic/France/Bulgaria/Germany)

Golden Mimosa for Best Actor
Yannis Drakopoulos - Pity

Golden Mimosa for Best Actress
Joy Rieger - Virgins

Živko Nikolić Award for Contribution to Cinema
Let the Corpses Tan [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Hélène Cattet & Bruno Forzani
film profile
]
- Hélène Cattet, Bruno Forzani (France/Belgium)

Special Mention
Lazy Guy - Aleksa Stefan Radunović (Montenegro)

FEDEORA Award
Comic Sans [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
- Nevio Marasović (Croatia)

Audience Award
The Witch Hunters [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
- Raško Miljković (Serbia)

Documentary Competition

Grand Prix - Golden Mimosa for Best Documentary
The Same - Dejan Petrović (Serbia) 

Jury Prize
Ionaș Dreams of Rain - Dragoș Hanciu (Romania)

Special Mention
Circle - Jayisha Patel (India)
The Summer at Ten - Chen Hao (China)

Student Film Competition

Best Film
Home for Christmas - Tomislav Djurinec (Croatia) 

Special Mention
Marica - Judita Gamulin (Croatia)
Loop - Matija Gluščević (Serbia)

Mini Pitch
Observer - Mladen Ivanović (Montenegro)

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

Did you enjoy reading this article? Please subscribe to our newsletter to receive more stories like this directly in your inbox.

Privacy Policy