Swiss films garner awards at home and around the world
The feature film “Abrir puertas y ventanas” by Swiss-Argentine director Milagros Mumenthaler was the grand winner at the 26th Mar del Plata International Film Festival (November 5-13, 2011) with two awards.
14.11.2011
After having garnered two Golden Leopards for Best Film and for Best Actress from Locarno in August, Milagros Mumenthaler's "Abrir puertas y ventanas" has now won the Golden Astor for Best Feature Film and the Silver Astor for Best Direction in her second homeland of Argentina at the renowned Mar del Plata International Film Festival. The jury at the Duisburger Filmwoche presented the Grand Prize to the film "Carte blanche," which portrays the International Court of Justice in The Hague, with the following statement: "The film itself pursues a strategy similar to that of a court: it is based on eyewitness accounts and preservation of evidence. A classic documentary technique. The film stands out due to its persevering and precise research as well as its commitment. The manner in which Heidi Specogna has portrayed the victims restores their dignity. These images capture the hope that this long wait for justice may be rewarded in the end."
At the 43rd Bolzano Short Film Festival in South Tyrol (November 8-12) Pao Paixao, graduate from the Zurich University of the Arts, won the award for Best Film, endowed with EUR 1,500, for his half-hour fiction film "Prémices." The Audience Prize of the 35th Cinanima International Animated Film Festival in Espinho, Portugal (November 7-13) went to Marek Skrobecki's film "Danny Boy," a Polish-Swiss coproduction.
Moreover, Swiss short films were honoured with awards at the Cinéma Tous Ecran and at the International Short Film Festival Winterthur. In Geneva (November 4-10) the film "Le tombeau des filles" by Carmen Jaquier was presented the "Prix Reflet d'Or," endowed with CHF 3,000, while the "Chasse à l'âne" by Maria Nicollier won the "Prix Taurus Studio," endowed with CHF 2,600. In Winterthur the short animation film "Bon voyage" by Fabio Friedli, a graduate from the Lucerne School of Art and Design, won two awards: for Best Swiss Film, endowed with CHF 8,000; and for Best Swiss Film School Film, endowed with CHF 5,000.
Zurich, November 14, 2011