14/07/2003 - Ferzan Ozpetek triumphs at premier Czech event with best film, direction and a shared best actress award for Giovanna Mezzogiorno

Director Ferzan Ozpetek and producer Tilde Corsi were virtually submerged in awards during the final evening of the Karlovy Vary festival when their latest feature, Facing Windows [+see also:
trailer
interview: Ferzan Ozpetek
film profile], was greeted with an ovation after it triumphed at the Czech Republic’s premier film event.
. It is also thanks to the work of the Italian member of the jury, Felice Laudadio (the artistic director of Europa Cinema & TV) that three of the Czech event’s five most important awards will come to Italy: best film, direction and a shared best actress award for Giovanna Mezzogiorno.
France’s Sylvie Testud was the other winner for her contribution to Fear and Trembling [+see also:
trailer
film profile] directed by fellow Gaul, Alain Corneau. The best actor nod went to Denmark’s Bjorn Kjellman for Se til venstre, der er en svenster (Old, New, Borrowed and Blue) by Natasha Arthy. Babusya by Lidia Bobrova, a Russian-French co-production, received a special mention from the jury as did Fear and Trembling and Hungary’s A Rózsa énekei (Rose´s songs).

The Italian selection at Karlovy Vary, supervised by Italia Cinema in collaboration with Anica included numerous recent productions like Francesco Patierno’s Pater Familias [+see also:
interview: Francesco Patierno
film profile], which screened in the prestigious section of first films compiled by the film critics of Variety, "Ten to Watch". However attention was firmly upon the films in competition, and Italian sales company, Celluloid Dreams, will be most satisfied with the business done. "This is a wonderful result," said Giovanni Galoppi, the president of Italia Cinema "one which makes us proud because at its first international showing, Facing Windows has confirmed the success it obtained in Italy. The coming months will see us working side-by-side with the director and the producers at a series of major international appointments like Paris (where Facing Windows showcased at the first edition of "Paris Cinéma"), Toronto, New York and even Saint Petersburg where we hope to see this title included in the Italian section put together by Italia Cinema and ICE (Italian foreign trade institute) to celebrate the 300th birthday of the historical Russian city."