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FESTIVALS Spain

Rati Oneli emerges victorious at Documenta Madrid

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- City of the Sun, the feature debut by the Georgian filmmaker, has scooped the top prize at the 14th edition of the Spanish capital’s International Documentary Festival

Rati Oneli emerges victorious at Documenta Madrid
City of the Sun by Rati Oneli

This year, Documenta Madrid (4-14 May) was helmed by a brand-new team, with Andrea Guzmán and David Varela in charge of running the gathering. Although the event’s editorial policy has not changed substantially, it has improved overall, which its plentiful audience members really seemed to appreciate. The identities of the winners were revealed last weekend, and top of the podium was Rati Oneli and his debut film, City of the Sun [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, which went home with the Best Feature Award (worth €10,000) in the international section. The documentary delves into the lives of the inhabitants of a semi-abandoned mining town in post-Soviet Georgia, and is a co-production between Georgia, Qatar, the USA and the Netherlands.

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Another European title that picked up a trophy was Luz obscura, a Portuguese documentary by Susana de Sousa Dias, which shared a Special Jury Mention with Machines [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
, a co-production between Germany, Finland and India directed by Rahul Jain. In the Fugas (“Escapes”) section, a Canadian film entitled We Make Couples by Mike Hoolboom came out on top, while the Special Jury Mention was bestowed upon Stranger in Paradise [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
 by Guido Hendrikx (produced in the Netherlands), a film that combines fiction and reality as it examines the topic of the power relations between Europeans and refugees.

In the national section, victory was claimed by the Spanish-Mexican production El remolino by Laura Herrero Galvín, while Esquece monelos by Ángeles Huerta earned a Special Mention and the movie Paisaxes da Capelada by Alberto Lobelle – which has no dialogue and was world-premiered at Documenta Madrid 2017 – was awarded for its superb cinematography.

Chico Pereira was handed the Best Spanish Director Award for Donkeyote [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, and Adentro by Pau Coll Sánchez – another world premiere – filmed over the course of one year inside a youth detention centre, pocketed the Movistar Plus+ Award for Best Ibero-American Feature at this, the 14th edition of the festival.

Here is the complete list of winners at Documenta Madrid 2017:

International Competition

Best Feature Award
City of the Sun [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
 - Rati Oneli (Georgia/Netherlands/Qatar/USA)

Special Jury Mention (ex aequo)
Luz obscura - Susana de Sousa Dias (Portugal)
Machines [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
 - Rahul Jain (Germany/Finland/India)

National Competition

Best Feature Award 
El remolino - Laura Herrero Garvín

Special Jury Mention 
Esquece monelos - Ángeles Huerta

Best Cinematography Award
Paisaxes da Capelada - Alberto Lobelle

Aracne Award for Best Spanish Feature Director
Chico Pereira – Donkeyote [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
 (Germany/Spain/UK)

Fugas International Competition Section

Best Feature Award 
We Make Couples - Mike Hoolboom (Canada)

Special Jury Mention 
Stranger in Paradise [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
 - Guido Hendrikx (Netherlands)

Movistar Plus+ Award for Best Ibero-American Feature
Adentro - Pau Coll Sánchez (Spain)

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(Translated from Spanish)

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