Slovakian Border takes Between the Seas at Jihlava
The 13th edition of the biggest Eastern European documentary event, the Jihlava International Documentary Festival, took place from October 27-November 1. Over 370 films were shown over several sections and the festival included the East European Forum, the region's largest meeting of filmmakers and producers with commissioning editors, distributors and film funds.
The Slovakian film Border by Jaroslav Vojtek won the Between the Seas competition for the best Central and Eastern European film. Shot over a period of ten years, it tells the story of Hungarians living in a village divided by the Ukrainian-Slovak border set after the Second World War and their inability to visit members of the family on the other side, which is further complicated by Slovakian accession to the EU.
Tamadon Mehran's Bassidji (Iran/Switzerland/France) won the main award in the Opus Bonum section for contemporary world documentaries. Thanks to the director's access to heads of the religious militia, we get a deep insight into the twisted logic of the guards of the Islamic Revolution. The first half of the film takes place in a desert where the Bassidji preach to believers about the significance of martyrs in the Iran-Iraq war, and the second part takes us to Tehran, where we see a deep divide between fundamental Islamic and Western-oriented factions of the population.
The Opus Bonum jury was presided by famous Danish documentary filmmaker Jorgen Leth.
In the Czech Joy category for the best Czech film, the jury selected Jan Gogola’s I Love my Boring Life, an experimental narrative documentary.
The Audience Award went to Auto*mat by local director Martin Marecek.
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