The director takes a head on approach, sometimes with the skill of a racing driver, to tackling all the issues faced by changing societies: the roots that define the identities of people and communities, the relationships between generations as well as men and women, the different social, economic and political categories, and the desert environment of Mexico’s Baja California, which plays host every year to a car race watched by thousands of fans. All of which is treated with humour and music for a project that will involve even more petrol heads.
Visions du Réel 2020
17.04.2020 to 03.05.2020
Nyon
Opening film: "Reunited" by Mira Jargil (section Grand Angle)
Instead of April 24th, as originally planned, and not really in the "Village du Réel" in the beautiful town on Lake Geneva, but already on April 17th and virtually, this year's 51st edition of the film festival "Visions du Réel" Nyon was started, due to the restrictions caused by Covid-19. As part of a small virtual opening event, the new festival president Raymond Loretan paid tribute to the festival team's great efforts to realize this exceptional online edition at short notice. Festival director Emilie Bujès as well as representatives of the city, canton and federal government and the main sponsors addressed the virtual visitors. The opening film “Reunited” by Mira Jargil (Denmark 2020) could then be streamed exclusively. Separated by the war, a Syrian mother stranded in Denmark is fighting to be reunited with her two sons, who live in Turkey, and her husband after many years.
The Interreligious Jury appointed by INTERFILM and SIGNIS streamed the 14 long documentaries in the official competition from April 22 to 30 and discussed them online. They honoured the Mexican-American film "Off the Road / Fuera del camino" by José Permar with their award. “Punta Sacra” by Francesca Mazzoleni from Italy won the main prize of the official festival jury for Best Long Documentary, “Anerca, Breath of Life” by Markku and Johannes Lemuskallio from Finland received the award for the most innovative long documentary, and a Special Mention went to the Iranian-Filipino film production "The Silhouettes" by Afsaneh Salari.
Video of the award presentation online (French with English subtitles)
Awards
Off the Road
Directed by:
2020
More about the festival
Annet Betsalel, member of the Interreligious Jury of the Festival Visions du Réel Nyon 2020, reflects on the conditions of an online festival and presents a number of films of the competition for long documentaries.
