Mezipatra Awarded Films
Prague, 8/11/2009: Closing ceremony in Lucerna Cinema presented winners in three categories. The Main Jury Award for Best Feature Film went to Morrer como un homem by the Portuguese director João Pedro Rodrigues. The Student Jury Award for Best Short Film went to the Israeli film Haboged. The Audience Award for Best Film went to Patrick 1,5.
The Main Jury members were James McKay from the UK, producer of key films by Derek Jarman, Jack Judith Halberstam, renown American gender and queer theorist, brothers Benjamin and Dominik Reding from Germany, the directors of the legendary film Oi! Warning, and Veronika Bednářová, writer for Reflex weekly. In their statement, jury members comment: "The jury considered 12 films from many countries dealing with a wide array of themes and in many different visual styles. We were very impressed with the general high quality of the films we viewed: all stimulated discussion and admiration."
The awarded film is the latest film by João Pedro Rodrigues Morrer como un homem (2009). The film narrates the story of the aging star of a drag show. Tonia is determined to change her gender, under pressure from her younger friend Rosário. However, her religious convictions hinder her final resolution. Her relationship with the unbalanced youngster is proving to be destructive for her; and on top of that, she discovers that she seriously ill. Not willing to face these problems, she compels Rosário to set out together on a trip to his old home, a place he no longer knows how to find. Lost in the magical woods, adventure unfolds, which neither of them expect. The film’s cinematography is influenced by Rainer Fassbinder’s aesthetics and premiered this year at Cannes.
Jury statement: "This year we award the Mezipatra Main Jury Award for Best Feature Film to Morrer Como Un Homem (Joao Pedro Rodrigues, France/Portugal, 2009) in recognition of its bold and original vision. This is obviously a signature film by a unique and talented artist who will go forward to create more exciting queer cinema. Morrer Como Un Homem combines sublime acting with bold plotting and brilliant use of sound to tell a complex and challenging story about drag, desire and death. It is a resonant and unforgettable work of cinema. The jury congratulates the director of the winning film as well as the directors of the other nominated films for their high level of achievement.“
Rodrigues is truly a filmmaker of high achievement. His debut O Fantasma (2000) was nominated for Golden Lion at Venice Film Festival and his 2005 film Odete, which he personally presented at last year's Mezipatra, received Special Mention Cinémas de Recherche at Cannes.
The awarded filmmaker commented the award: "There are festivals where you have to go because of your career. There are other festivals where you go but you soon forget. And there are festivals that stay with you, where you want to go back, where you feel that the people you briefly meet can be your friends. Mezipatra is one of these last festivals. Unfortunately I couldn't go to Prague this year but I'm extremely happy that it was there that my film was awarded with it's first prize since it premiered in Cannes last May. I would like to warmly thank the jury and the festival for this award and for the statement which I think recognizes the fact that there's more about cinema than just storytelling. Cinema should also be a formal experience, a risky formal experience.“
After careful consideration, the jury decided upon an Honorable Mention for the film XXY (Dir. Lucia Puenzo, Argentina, 2007) for its sensitive handling of a difficult subject. In particular the jury noted the outstanding quality of acting by the lead actress Inés Efron.
The Student Jury members, who judged short films, were Jakub Šmíd, a student of film direction at FAMU, Barbora Švarcová, student of CAS at FAMU, Lucie Bakešová, student of religion studies at Charles University, and Václav Kopecký, student of photography at the Faculty of Art and Design at UJEP.
The Student Jury Award for Best Short Film went to the Israeli film Haboged (2009) by Tomer Velkoff. In the film, a steady couple's dinner at home dwindles, after a break-up announcement, into a painful analysis of their relationship and a succession of extreme situations. Jury Statement: "The film Haboged (dir. Tomer Velkoff, Izrael 2009) is an authentic and honest insight into the intimacy of a homosexual relationship and, at
the same time, is capable of speaking to viewers regardless of their own sexuality."
The Audience Award went to, just like last year, a film about gay parenting. The awarded film Patrik 1,5 tells the story of a married couple, Göran and Sven, who are moving into a satellite village. In a short period of time they are to adopt 1.5 year-old Patrick; therefore, they are preparing cozy and caring home for him. However, by the mistake of bureaucratic machinery 15 year-old Patrick arrives; though having the image of an angel, he is a real hooligan. Occurring situation is a hard test for all involved parties. The film is a satire on illusory tolerance of Swedish village and effort of certain gays to imitate heterosexual models. It is a Mezipatra tradition to screen the Audience Award winner at the next edition of the festival.
The awarded filmmakers receive awards in the form of kaleidoscope, which are designed by Zdeněk Vacek and Daniel Pošta.
Mezipatra congratulates all the winners. The festival, which attracted a record-breaking audience turnout of 12 500, is now contitnuing in a form of festival echoes in other towns of the Czech Republic.
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Financial support: Státní fond ČR pro podporu a rozvoj české kinematografie, Ministerstvo kultury ČR, Ministerstvo zdravotnictví ČR, Hlavní město Praha, Česko-německý fond budoucnosti, Goethe-Institut Praha, Francouzské velvyslanectví, Instituto Cervantes, Velvyslanectví Státu Izrael, zastupitelé města Brna za Stranu zelených a Brno 2006
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