Frammartino’s The Four Times takes first place in Bratislava
The Grand Prix of the 12th Bratislava International Film Festival went to Italian director Michelangelo Frammartino for his 2010 Cannes Directors' Fortnight title The Four Times [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Michelangelo Frammartino
interview: Savina Neirotti
film profile].
The international jury – comprised of festival artistic directors from Karlovy Vary, Paris, Pusan, San Sebastian and Sarajevo – praised the film “for its lyrical evocation of the cycle of life and death.”
The jury awarded the prize for Best Director ex aequo to Bulgarian filmmaker Dragomir Sholev and Romanian director Constantin Popescu. The jury cited the “accurate portrait of generation gap with a peculiar sense of humour” in Sholev's San Sebastian title Shelter [+see also:
trailer
film profile]. The jury singled out Popescu's Portrait of the Fighter as a Young Man [+see also:
film review
film profile], which saw its world premiere in Berlin, for its artistic depiction of the fight for freedom in an oppressed country.
Charlotte Gainsbourg was named Best Actress for best performance in Julie Bertucelli's The Tree [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Julie Bertuccelli
film profile], while Robert Naylor received the prize for Best Actor for his role in Daniel Grou's 10½. Grou's film also received the FIPRESCI Jury Award and the Student Jury Award.
The Award for Best Documentary went to Familia, from Swedish directors Mikael Wiström and Alberto Herskovits.
Finnish director Elina Talvensaari's How To Pick Berries was named Best Short Film for its “attention to small details and textures, and a subtle use of sound build a hypnotic atmosphere.” Irish director David O'Reilly's animated short The External World received Special Mention.
Jan Švankmajer received the festival Award for Artistic Excellence in World Cinematography.
The festival closed November 11 with a screening of Sofia Coppola's Venice winner Somewhere.
The festival now moves on to other towns in Slovakia, with select screenings in Košice November 12-14, Banská Bystrica November 15-16 and Žilina November 17-18.
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