Leading actress Gabriela Cartol receives the World Cinema Jury Award on behalf of director Lila Avilés for La camarista
On the closing night of World Cinema Amsterdam 2019, the juries awarded various prizes. The World Cinema Jury consisted of manager Hubert Bals Fund Fay Breeman, filmmaker and producer from Indonesia Nia Dinata and Dutch maker of films, television series and commercials Hesdy Lonwijk.
Special Mention
This jury first gave a Special Mention to Divino Amor by Gabriel Mascaro from Brazil. The film will be released on January 9 by Cinemien.
From the jury report: "We feel the need to give a shout out to one outstanding film with a special jury mention. It is rare these days to encounter a new form of cinematic storytelling, that is bold but done with a strong purpose, ever so consistently."
World Cinema Jury Award
The World Cinema Jury Award (an award plus €5000 for the next film project) went to La camarista by Lila Avilés from Mexico. Actress Gabriela Cartol was present and received the prize.
From the jury report: "While cinema is often done on a grand scale to zoom out and present us with complicated plots and twists, tonight we feel the need to zoom in to the imperfect beauty that this film has to offer. It takes us behind the closed doors of an unknown world, that most of the time we take for granted. We were all very taken by the enigmatic main character who slowly reveals the desires behind her shy exterior. The film left a very strong mark in each of our hearts with outstanding scenes that are effectively simple, and contain many thoughtful details."
In addition to our World Cinema Jury Award for the best competition film and the World Cinema Audience Award for the highest-rated audience film, a brand new award has been added this year: the World Cinema Exchange Award, in collaboration with Het Filmgesprek.
World Cinema Exchange Award
This award provides a (further) stage for noticeable films about our views on mankind and the world. The director of the winning film receives € 2,500 for his next film. And the jury chose A Tale of Three Sisters from Emin Alper from Turkey. The film will be released on November 7 by Cherry Pickers.
From the jury report: "This film illustrates in a subtle and raw way the multiple dimensions of what it means to be human. Through the convincing characters and stunning images the film portrays our human struggle to overcome our own limitations. And despite being set in a specific culture the film addresses universal themes. The relatability of the emotions in the film will stimulate discussion among viewers."
World Cinema Audience Award
27 Steps of May by Indonesian filmmaker Ravi L. Bharwani was highly appreciated by the public and won the Audience Award. The director receives an amount of € 5000, also intended for a subsequent film project. Gully Boy and The Swallows of Kabul became second and third respectively.
photo credits: Melanie Lemahieu, Cloud Mine Photography
