"La Civil", a Belgian-Romanian-Mexican co-production directed by Teodora Ana Mihai, has won the Ecumenical Jury Prize of CHF 5,000 at the 36th Fribourg International Film Festival. The prize money is donated by the ecumenical campaign of the Swiss Church Aid HEKS/EPER/Bread for all and the Fastenaktion and “Partner sein”.
The festival's Grand Prix went to Maryna Er Gorbach for "Klondike", as did the Critics' Choice Award and a recommendation from the Youth Jury. The film is set in eastern Ukraine in 2014, after the beginning of the Russian war against the country. It was already awarded the Panorama Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the Berlinale 2022. The Youth Jury Prize went to the Egyptian film "Amira" by Mohamed Diab, which was chosen by the INTERFILM jury in Venice 2021 to receive its Award for Promoting Interreligious Dialogue.
Two years ago, at the FIFF press conference, there was strong consternation and tears were wiped from the eyes because instead of presenting the programme, the cancellation of the planning had to be announced, but at the announcement of the new programme at the beginning of March in the Crapule Club, a relaxed and joyful atmosphere prevailed again.
"For the FIFF team, the joy of a return to normality means a return to the extraordinary, the extravagant, the crazy, the unforgettable! We have prepared ourselves to convey strong and real emotions, to point out the important issues of today and to be inspired together by talents from all over the world," summed up artistic director Thierry Jobin.
127 films from 58 countries from all continents were on the programme in total, showing a unique insight into productions from a world that has gone off the rails and says a lot about the state of our planet, for example in the homage to Afghan cinema or with unknown films from Angola in the section "New Territory". Other sections covered topics such as "After the Apocalypse" (genre cinema), "Context culture" (Decoded), "Gjon's Tears, Albania and Kosovo" (Diaspora) and finally Pierre Richard (Sur la carte). At the heart of the festival were the 12 feature-length films in the international competition, from which the Ecumenical Jury, among others, chose its prize-winner. The festival opened on 18 March with the film Escape from Mogadishu by Ryoo Seung-wan.
Link: Homepage of the festival