News: Open City Documentary Festival 2019 Awards

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Open City Documentary Festival is delighted to announce the winners of the 2019 festival awards,

OPEN CITY AWARD
WINNER: SEBASTIAN BRAMESHUBER for MOVEMENTS OF A NEARBY MOUNTAIN.

The Open City Award is given by the Open City Jury to the film that exemplifies an author in control of their subject matter, craft and story – matching content and form in a powerful and persuasive fashion. 

Nominated for the Open City Award were: Many Undulating Things (Bo Wang, Pan Lu, 2019, USA, South Korea, Hong Kong, China); Movements of a Nearby Mountain (Sebastian Brameshuber, 2019, Austria); MS Slavic 7 (Sofia Bohdanowicz, Deragh Campbell, 2018, Canada); and The Crosses (Teresa Arredondo, Carlos Vásquez Méndez, 2018, Chile).

It was awarded to Sebastian Brameshuber for Movements of a Nearby Mountain. About their choice, the jury said that “the winning film exemplifies an assured coming together of form and content to craft an intimate portrait of a character whose daily life illuminates a global conversation about labour, movement and capitalism.

From the patient gaze of the camera to the perfectly paced, rhythmic cadence of the edit, there is a precise intentionality in each element of the visual and sonic landscape. This elegant economy of form holds space for the imaginative and poetic dimensions of myth and the tactile materiality of work.”

The jury consisted of Karen Alexander (independent curator), Erika Balsom (lecturer, critic), Lucy Cohen (filmmaker, Kingdom of Us) and Steven Eastwood (filmmaker, ISLAND), and is chaired by Tabitha Jackson, Director of the Documentary Film Program at the Sundance Institute.

EMERGING INTERNATIONAL FILMMAKER AWARD
WINNER: BURAK ÇEVIK for BELONGING.

The Emerging International Filmmaker Award is presented to a first or second time feature filmmaker who displays new and exciting approaches to storytelling, and who exhibits commitment to their choices and a clear directorial vision.
Nominated for the Emerging International Filmmaker Award “>were:Belonging (Burak Çevik, 2019, Turkey, Canada, France); Chez Jolie Coiffure (Rosine Mbakam, 2018, Belgium); Elections (Alice Riff, 2018, Brazil); and Last Night I Saw You Smiling (Kavich Neang, 2019, Cambodia, France).

This award was presented to Burak Çevik for Belonging. About their choice, the jury said this. “A provocative approach to documentary, this emotionally unsettling film struck us as a vivid way forward and inspiring for what documentary can be.” 

The jury was: Greg de Cuir Jr (critic, curator), Yasmin Fedda (filmmaker, Queens of Syria), Edward Lawrenson (filmmaker, Uppland), and Kevin B. Lee (critic, filmmaker), and was chaired by Tereza Šimíková, the Head of CPH:FORUM at CPH:DOX. 

BEST UK SHORT AWARD – BRITISH SHORT DOCUMENTARY
WINNER: STROMA CAIRNS for IF YOU KNEW

This award is given to the short film that demonstrates the most engaging, innovative and compelling approach to short-form documentary — a film that would best represent UK talent at an international level and that demonstrates promise for the filmmaker’s future career.

Supported by the British Council, the Best UK Short Award nominees for 2019 were: A Protest, A Celebration, A Mixed Message (Rhea Storr, 2018), Chiyo (Chiemi Shimada, 2019), Country Girl (Ellen Evans, 2019), E-Ticket (Simon Liu, 2019), I Have Sinned a Rapturous Sin (Maryam Tafakory, 2018), If You Knew (Stroma Cairns, 2019) and The Circle (Lanre Malaolu, 2019).

The jury for this award was: Patrick Hurley (Director of Marketplace & Talent, Sheffield Doc/Fest), Daisy Ifama (filmmaker, editor), Onyeka Igwe (artist and researcher), and Daniella Shreir (Founder-Editor, Another Gaze), and it was chaired by Brett Story (filmmaker, The Hottest August).

This award was presented to Stroma Cairns for If You Knew. About their choice, the jury made this statement. “The jury awards the Best UK Short Award to a tender and embodied depiction of a non-hearing world. The jury especially appreciated the film’s attention to sonic detail and the pacing of images, elegantly producing a complex sensorial experience for the audience, and delicately rendering for them a small glimpse into the relationship between two brothers.”

The jury also gave a Special Mention to Maryam Tafakory for I Have Sinned a Rapturous Sin, stating that “the jury also wishes to recognise Maryam Tafakory with a special mention for I Have Sinned a Rapturous Sin, for its artful composition and formal ambition. This short exhibits exciting talent.”