A psychological struggle in which signs of hope and solidarity give the characters the strength to survive. Based on a true story, this film leads us into the heart of an existential journey through the darkness of confinement and dictatorship. A movie that subtly juggles between darkness and light.
33rd Festival international du Films de Fribourg
15.03.2019 to 23.03.2019
Fribourg
FIFF 2019: the Ecumenical Jury with prize winning director Álvaro Brechner (middle; photo: © Jacques Berset)
"Compañeros - La noche de 12 años" (A Twelve Years Long Night) by Álvaro Brechner from Uruguay won the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury in Friborg in 2019. The film also received the Special Prize of the Festival Jury and the Audience Award. The Grand Prix of the festival went to "Las niñas bien" (The Good Girls) by Alejandra Márquez Abella from Mexico.
Films from Egypt and Syria, from Chile, Mexico and Uruguay, from Afghanistan, China, Korea, Bhutan, Vietnam and Ukraine competed in the section for feature-length films of the 33rd Festival International de Fribourg. Their origins from the most diverse non-Western countries of the worldand characterize the festival's profile. Parallel to the competition the festival programme included the series "Diaspora" on exile and interculturality, "Sur la carte de ...", this year curated by South Korean director Bong Joon-ho, "Decrypted", a film selection of French actresses of black African descent and " New Territory "dedicated to films from the Caribbean. The focus on "genre cinema" is dedicated to romantic comedy. One of the twelve films in this series was also the opening film: "How Long Will I Love U" by Su Lun from the People's Republic of China.
Link: Festival website
Awards
A Twelve-Year Night
Directed by:
Volcano
Directed by:
2018
A parable that explores the thin line between mirages and the reality of a collapsed Ukraine. Lukas is progressively seduced by the informal anarchy of a vast and impoverished region. As enigmatic as it may seem, this beautifully elaborated film confronts us with our quest for the meaning of life.
