Visions du Réel 2015

46. Festival international de cinéma
17.04.2015 to 25.04.2015
Nyon
Interreligious Jury Nyon 2015

© Miguel Bueno

The Interreligious Jury with the festival director, from left: Marc Wehrlin, Daniel Wildmann, Aida Schläpfer Al Hassani, Luciano Barisone, Mirela Vasadi Blasius

The Iraqi film "Homeland" by director Abbas Fahdel, a six hour documentary observing the life of a family in Baghdad one year before and after the Amerian invasion 2003, won the Prize of the International Jury in the competition for long films, and also a Commendation of the Interreligious Jury. As winner of the Interreligious Film Prize the four jury members choose "Mothers of the Gods" (Madres de los dioses) by Pablo Agüero from Argentina.

The 46th edition of Visions du Réel - Festival international de cinéma Nyon was characterised by two themes: freedom of expression and the emergence of exceptional women. Once again Visions du Réel "will be a platform for discussion, debate and total freedom of expression, a place to reflect on the state of the world and the trends penetrating our societies", said president Claude Ruey, when the festival presented its new program. A second focus of the festival 2015 were women, either in front or behind the camera. Resistant, pioneers, artists and bearers of hope, these women brought a particular flavour to the selection. Behind the camera, women represented 40% of the 160 filmmakers selected. In total, 166 films from 54 countries were shown at Visions du Réel in different sections.

© Visions du Réel
Harutyun Khachatryan: Endless Escape, Eternal Return (2014)
A special focus this year was dedicated to Georgia with 15 films, including the film «The Pipeline Next Door» by Nino Kirtadzé, awarded 2005 with the Special John Templeton Documentary Film Prize by the Interreligious Jury. To be mentioned also a workshop called "Atelier" with the Armenian film director Harutyun Khachatryan, who has been in Nyon in1989 for the first time when the festival presented a selection of films of the then Soviel Republic Armenia. Khachatryan is also director of the international film festival „Golden Apricot” in Yerevan, where SIGNIS and INTERFILM are present with an Ecumenical Jury since 2007. In commemoration of the victims of the Armenian Genocide in Turkey 1915 the festival screens the film “Choeurs en exil” by Nathalie Rossetti followed by a discussion with Charles Aznavour, the Armenian ambassador in Switzerland.

 

Auszeichnungen

Prize of the Interreligious Jury Nyon 2015
Madres de los dioses
Mothers of the Gods
Directed by:
Pablo Agüero
Argentina, France
2015

Mothers of the Gods sheds an exemplary light on the impressive spiritual search of five women trying to come to terms with the hardships of their lives while trying to share their newly gained strength with others at the same time. This film is artistically utterly convincing and tells its story in a very subtle way. Mothers of the Gods focuses rather on search than on closure which is, as we think, essential for a dialogue between different belief systems.

Commendation of the Interreligious Jury Nyon 2015
Homeland (Iraq Year Zero)
Directed by:
Abbas Fahdel
Iraq, France
2015

Homeland looks carefully and respectfully at the very challenging situation a family in Baghdad finds itself in shortly before and shortly after the 2nd Iraq War. The film penetrates the viewers’ consciousness and brings us close to the protagonists of Homeland. Visually we become part of their lives. The filmmaker took great risks in making the film and also saw himself confronted with a personal tragedy.

Jury

In Nyon, INTERFILM and SIGNIS appoint an Interreligious Jury with a Jewish, Muslim, Catholic and Protestant member. They award a prize endowed with 5000 CHF  to a film of the competition for long films. The prize money is donated by the Swiss Catholic Church and Médias-pro, the communication department of the Reformed Churches in French-speaking Switzerland.

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