61st International Film Festival Locarno
August 6-16, 2008

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The Ecumenical Jury at the Filmfestival Locarno awards its prize, which includes 20.000.- CHF given by the Catholic Church and the Reformed Churches in Switzerland to assist distribution of the film in Switzerland, to

Mar Nero (Black Sea)
directed by Federico Bondi, Italy/Romania/France 2008

Motivation:
A tightly woven tale concerning Gemma, an aging Italian woman who has recently lost her husband.  With great reluctance she slowly accepts her Romanian migrant caretaker, Angela, into her life. We follow Gemma as Angela helps her to overcome her grief, opening her eyes towards an unknown future.
Set against the economic and political issues reflecting Romania’s integration into the European Union, this is an emotionally satisfying film about tolerance, acceptance, forgiveness, and hope.

Synopsis:
Angela, a young Romanian who leaves her husband and her country to go to Italy to earn some money, is looking after Gemma, an elderly invalid. The latter has limited mobility, suffers constantly in her joints and from numerous problems due to her old age. Querulous and quick-tempered, she finds Angela’s presence difficult to deal with. Incapable however of managing alone, she is forced to accept assistance, as the only other option is an old people’s home. The recent death of Gemma’s husband Nedo adds to her pain, making her all the more capricious and aggressive. The days go by, and Angela does the shopping, cooking, cleaning. Despite the widow’s difficult personality, she manages to remain calm and sweet-tempered. Over the weeks, the women learn how to live together and bear with one another, even discovering they have several things in common. They go to Florence to lay flowers at Nedo’s grave. A genuine bond develops between the two women, both of whom have had to deal with bereavement; Angela also lost a loved one, her mother, when she was a child. Unfortunately Angela, who is still very much in love with her husband, with whom she hoped to have children, has had no news of him since she left. He seems to have disappeared into thin air. Seeing no reason to remain in Italy and save up for a dream that now seems unlikely, Angela decides to go home to find her partner. Unwilling to understand, and very selfish, Gemma initially stands in her way, but ultimately supports her in this trying time and decides to go with her to Romania. Shot in both Italy and Romania, constantly moving between the two languages, Mar Nero brings together two generations and two cultures with a touch of poetry, offering a nuanced and sensitive portrayal of the two women.

In addition, the Ecumenical Jury awards a Commendation to

Yuriev den' (The Day in Yuriev)
by Kirill Serebrennikov, Russia/Germany 2008

Motivation:
«Yuriev Den» tells the story of an opera singer on her journey back to her Russian roots with her son who disappears while they stay in the town of Yuriev.  This event completely changes her life. In her desperate search for her son she becomes a ‹mother› to the poor, the sick, and others who are lost.
The film is filled with references to Christian iconography, Russian literature and its film tradition. Its high artistic quality and its symbolic and numerous metaphorical images make this film open and challenging. 

Synopsis:
Lyuba, a beautiful, sophisticated opera singer, takes a few days off to visit her home town Yuriev, with her son. She left Russia several years before to pursue her international career. Her son, who follows her around the world, reproaches her for not showing enough interest in him and devoting her life only to her art. When they arrive in Yuriev, it proves to be a quite inhospitable place, where time seems to have stopped several decades ago. The locals view these strangers with distrust, fail to answer their questions, making it clear they are not welcome. Before leaving again, mother and son decide to visit a church bell-tower, deeming it the only monument worthy of interest. As they rest on a bench, Lyuba dozes off for a moment, and when she wakes, Andrei has disappeared. She shouts out his name, looks everywhere for him, returns to the church, seeking help from local people who don’t respond. As she cannot find him she decides to move in with a local woman to continue her search. Over the days, Luyba changes: her personality toughens, she no longer wears make-up, and dresses more simply. She even decides to work as a hospital cleaner and takes food to prisoners, taking care of those who are forgotten by her country. Through numerous literary references - characters cite famous Russian authors in their everyday conversations, drawing on the history and culture of their homeland - Yuriev den' features a woman who, after losing her child, becomes a mother to all the orphans, a mother to a country long abandoned. (Festival inforamtion)

Members of the Ecumenical Jury :
Alexander Deeg, Germany
Felipe Espinoza Torres, Mexico
Douglas Fahleson, Ireland
Serge Molla, Switzerland (President)
Astrid Polz-Watzenig, Austria
Sham P. Thomas, India

The jury members are appointed by INTERFILM and SIGNIS, The Catholic World Organisation for Communication.

For reading the report by jury member Douglas Fahleson on the SIGNIS website please click here.

The Jury at the Ecumenical Reception, left to right:
Astrid Polz Watzenig, Douglas Fahleson, Serge Molla,
Alexander Deeg, Sham P. Thomas, Felipe Espinosa Torres