02/04/2024 - The doc by Ben Russell and Guillaume Cailleau has scooped the Grand Prize in the international competition, while Green Line – The Cat Child triumphed in Work in Progress

Directors Guillaume Cailleau (left of centre) and Ben Russell (right of centre), the helmers of the Grand Prize-winning Direct Action (© Lea Rener/Cinéma du réel)

Having already been granted two awards at Berlin (Best Film in Encounters and a Special Mention for the Documentary Award), Direct Action [+see also:
film review
film profile] by the USA’s Ben Russell and France’s Guillaume Cailleau has now won the Grand Prix at the 46th Cinéma du réel International Documentary Film Festival. Produced by German outfit Cask Films together with France’s Volte Film, this hypnotic 216-minute feature adopting a radical artistic standpoint and immersing viewers in the day-to-day life of the Zadist movement, based in Notre-Dame-des-Landes, is sold internationally by Shellac.

The festival’s feature-film jury (which included Radu Jude, Andrea Queralt, Hervé Birolini, Manuel Asín and Marie Voignier) also handed the International Award to Silence of Reason [+see also:
film review
film profile] by Macedonian helmer Kumjana Novakova (which has previously won prizes at the likes of Sarajevo and IDFA, among other gatherings) and a Special Mention to You Burn Me [+see also:
film review
interview: Matías Piñeiro
film profile] by Argentina’s Matías Piñeiro (also a popular title in Berlin’s Encounters section). The Cnap Award for a French Film singled out The Words Women Spoke One Day by France’s Raphaël Pillosio, with a Special Mention going to the French-Italian co-production Journey into Gaza by Piero Usberti. The Loridan Ivens Award for Best Debut Film was bestowed upon the Belgian production The Roller, The Life, The Fight, directed by Elettra Bisogno and Hazem Alqaddi, while the Youth Jury Award went to another majority Belgian production, Who Cares? [+see also:
film review
film profile] by Alexe Poukine.

As for the 11th edition of Work in Progress, it was the French project Green Line – The Cat Child by Sylvie Ballyot that emerged triumphant. Staged by TS Productions, and co-produced by Les Films du Force majeure and Xbo Films, the feature revolves around Fida, who, with the help of miniature sets and figurines, confronts ex-militiamen who operated during her childhood in West Beirut – the same militiamen who claimed to protect her but who actually frightened her so much.

Here is the full list of winners:

Cinéma du réel Grand Prize
Direct Action [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Ben Russell, Guillaume Cailleau (Germany/France)

International Award
Silence of Reason [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Kumjana Novakova (Bosnia and Herzegovina/North Macedonia)
Special Mention
You Burn Me [+see also:
film review
interview: Matías Piñeiro
film profile] - Matías Piñeiro (Argentina/Spain)

Cnap Award for a French Film
The Words Women Spoke One Day - Raphaël Pillosio (France)
Special Mention
Journey into Gaza - Piero Usberti (France/Italy)

SACEM Award
The Soldier's Lagoon - Pablo Álvarez-Mesa (Colombia/Canada)

Loridan Ivens Award for Best Debut Film
The Roller, The Life, The Fight - Elettra Bisogno, Hazem Alqaddi (Belgium)

Best Short Film Award
The Periphery of the Base – Zhou Tao (China)
Special Mention
Light, Noise, Smoke, and Light, Noise, Smoke - Tomonari Nishikawa (Japan/USA)

Tënk Award
And Always, That Look… - Pierre Tonachella (France) (medium-length film)

Other awards

Youth Jury - Ciné+ Award
Who Cares? [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Alexe Poukine (Belgium/France/Switzerland)
Special Mention
The Words Women Spoke One Day - Raphaël Pillosio

Libraries Prize
Resonance Spiral - Filipa César, Marinho De Pina (Portugal/Germany/Guinea-Bissau)
Special Mention
Who Cares? - Alexe Poukine

Intangible Cultural Heritage Award
Under the Leaves [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Florence Lazar (France)

Clarens Award for Best Humanist Documentary
The Roller, The Life, The Fight - Elettra Bisogno, Hazem Alqaddi

Prisoners’ Award
Camarades – Ulysse Sorabella (France) (medium-length film)

First Window Audience Award
Fatmé – Diala Al hindaoui (France) (short film)

ParisDOC Awards

WIP - Orlando Favourite
Green Line – The Cat Child - Sylvie Ballyot (France)

Route One/Doc Award (short-film projects)
Fantômes - Rita Renoir, Paul Bacharach (France)
Rêvations numéricales - Sylvain Arrivé (France)

Préludes Award for Digitalisation
Site 2 – Rithy Panh (1989) (France/Cambodia)

(Translated from French)