Belarus drama MOTHERLAND wins in Documentary Category
The 19th annual edition of SEEfest, co-presented by ELMA, concluded on Wednesday evening at the Regal Cinema LA LIVE with an awards ceremony followed by the premiere of BLACKBIRD BLACKBIRD BLACKBERY, a quirky love story charmer from Switzerland-based Georgian auteur Elene Naveriani. The juries of the 19th annual South East European Film Festival (SEEfest) (seefilmla.org), which ran May 1 – May 8, 2024, awarded films in seven competition categories.
SEEfest 2024 Jury Awards:
Best Feature Film, Grand Jury Prize: Guardians of the Formula by Dragan Bjelogrlić (Serbia-France). Jury members, producers Cara Warwick and Tenia Watson, and actor Marlene Forte awarded the top prize unanimously, citing ‘a prime example of great storytelling, great acting, and wonderfully lensed film, ’ with Honorable Mention for Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry, by Elene Naveriani (Georgia/Switzerland). This jury also awarded Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor to Alexander Trifonov, in Bulgarian drama THE TRAP, by Nadejda Koseva.
Guardians also wowed the jury for Best Cinematography in Feature Film with industry peers, cinematographers Hana Kitasei, Ueli Steiger ASC, Jacek Laskus ASC, PSC whose statement cited Ivan Kostić’s ‘camera and lighting used to perfection throughout this wrenching drama, bringing us deep into the heart of the story,’ with Honorable Mention for Cinematographer Matthias Pilz and his work in Bosnian teenage drama EXCURSION.
Two more awards went to Bjelogrlić’s film: Audience Award, and Barco HDR Master LightSteering Color Grade Prize.
Best Documentary jury, including writer/director Binnur Karaevli, director Yangzom Brauen, and writer and educator Hans-Martin Liebing awarded Belarus drama MOTHERLAND by Alexander Mihalkovich & Hanna Badziaka ‘about courage and determination of mothers against an entrenched military system,’ with Honorable Mention for Hungarian NARROW PATH TO HAPPINESS by Kata Oláh.
MOTHERLAND Cinematographer Siarhiej Kanaplianik was awarded Best Cinematography in Documentary Film by jury members: cinematographer Dallas Calkins; producer Paul Dokuchitz, and Academy Award® nominated documentary filmmaker Roko Belić. Honorable Mention was given to Cinematographer Ivo Miko, THE THIRD END OF THE STICK (Slovakia).
Best Short Fiction award was given to student Oscar® winner from Austria, INVISIBLE BORDER directed by Mark Siegfried Gerstorfer, with Honorable Mention for German-Bosnian DIGNITY KEEPER by Sandro Rados. Jury for this award included filmmakers Dunya Djordjevic, Tonatzin Mondragon and Shelby Baldock.
Best Short Documentary award went to the portrait of Ukrainian displaced children coping with new life in Germany, WAKING UP IN SILENCE by Mila Zhluktenko & Daniel Asadi Faezi, with Honorable Mention for SELF-PORTRAIT ALONG THE BORDERLINE by Anna Dziapshipa (Georgia). Jury members included student Oscar® winner filmmaker Jean Chapiro, Golden Globe nominated film composer Carlo Siliotto, Emmy-nominated and Eddie-winning producer/editor Inbal Lessner ACE.
Best Short Animation award was given to the remarkable 27, by Flóra Anna Buda (Hungary) with Honorable Mention going to Slovenian OCTOPUS BANANA HOTCHPOTCH, by Milanka Fabjančič. This jury included animation producer Vani Saraswathi Balgam, artist Khalid Farquharson, and storyboard artist Ryan Rosendal.
Link to jury members on the festival website is located at: https://seefilmla.org/2024-festival-jury/
Other festival awards:
Bridging the Borders Award, given by the jury of Cinema Without Borders awarded Best Documentary Film to NON-ALIGNED: SCENES FROM THE LABUDOVIC REELS by Mila Turajlić (Serbia), and Best Narrative Film to CLARA by Sabin Dorohoi (Romania).
Barco HDR Master LightSteering Color Grade Prize:
GUARDIANS OF THE FORMULA by Dragan Bjelogrlić (Serbia)
LIBERTATE (FREEDOM) by Tudor Giurgiu (Romania)
MOTHERLAND by Alexander Mihalkovich & Hanna Badziaka (Belarus)
Audience Awards
Feature Film: GUARDIANS OF THE FORMULA by by Dragan Bjelogrlić
Documentary Film: NON-ALIGNED: SCENES FROM THE LABUDOVIĆ REELS by Mila Turajlić
Full program lineup of the 2024 SEEfest is available at: https://seefest2024.eventive.org/films
About the South East European Film Festival (SEEfest):
SEEfest presents cinematic and cultural diversity of South East Europe to American audiences and creates cultural connections through films, artistic and social events. SEEfest program and activities are supported, in part, by the California Arts Council, a state agency; Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture; by a grant from the Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles; ELMA Foundation for European Movies in America, and with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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AWARDS of SEEfest 2024
BEST FEATURE
GUARDIANS OF THE FORMULA by Dragan Bjelogrlić (Serbia/Slovenia/Montenegro/Macedonia/France)
Honorable Mention: BLACKBIRD BLACKBIRD BLACKBERRY by Elene Naveriani (Georgia/Switzerland)
Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor: THE TRAP, Alexander Trifonov (Bulgaria)
BEST DOCUMENTARY
MOTHERLAND by Alexander Mihalkovich & Hanna Badziaka (Belarus/Sweden)
Honorable Mention: NARROW PATH TO HAPPINESS by Kata Oláh (Hungary)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY IN FEATURE FILM
Cinematographer Ivan Kostić, GUARDIANS OF THE FORMULA (Serbia/Slovenia/Montenegro/Macedonia/France)
Honorable Mention: Cinematographer Matthias Pilz, EXCURSION (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY IN DOCUMENTARY FILM
Cinematographer Siarhiej Kanaplianik, MOTHERLAND (Belarus/Sweden)
Honorable Mention: Cinematographer Ivo Miko, THE THIRD END OF THE STICK (Slovakia)
BEST SHORT FICTION
INVISIBLE BORDER by Mark Siegfried Gerstorfer (Austria)
Honorable Mention: DIGNITY KEEPER by Sandro Rados (Germany)
BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY
WAKING UP IN SILENCE by Mila Zhluktenko & Daniel Asadi Faezi (Ukraine)
Honorable Mention: SELF-PORTRAIT ALONG THE BORDERLINE by Anna Dziapshipa (Georgia)
SHORT ANIMATION
27 by Flóra Anna Buda (Hungary)
Honorable Mention: OCTOPUS BANANA HOTCHPOTCH by Milanka Fabjančič (Slovenia)
Other Festival Awards:
Bridging the Borders Award – given by the jury of Cinema Without Borders
Best Documentary Film: NON-ALIGNED: SCENES FROM THE LABUDOVIC REELS by Mila Turajlić (Serbia/ France/Croatia/Montenegro/Qatar)
Best Narrative Film: CLARA by Sabin Dorohoi (Romania)
Barco HDR Master LightSteering Color Grade Prize
GUARDIANS OF THE FORMULA by Dragan Bjelogrlić (Serbia/Slovenia/Montenegro/Macedonia/France)
LIBERTATE (FREEDOM) by Tudor Giurgiu (Romania)
MOTHERLAND by Alexander Mihalkovich & Hanna Badziaka (Belarus/Sweden)
Audience Awards
Feature Film: GUARDIANS OF THE FORMULA by by Dragan Bjelogrlić (Serbia/Slovenia/Montenegro/Macedonia/France)
Documentary Film: NON-ALIGNED: SCENES FROM THE LABUDOVIĆ REELS by Mila Turajlić (Serbia/ France/Croatia/Montenegro/Qatar)
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