AWARDS OF THE ECUMENICAL JURY

The Ecumenical Jury, appointed by INTERFILM and SIGNIS, gives its Prize of 1.500 € to

Nation Estate
by Larissa Sansour, Denmark/Palestinian Territories, 2012

Statement: This film uses the science fiction genre to cram the whole of Palestine into a skyscraper. All that’s left in its sterile interiors is a nostalgic view of the former home country through the windows. Formally stylized and with a precise eye for detail the film shows a utopia of this unresolved conflict.

In addition, the Jury gives a Commendation to

Yellow Fever
by Ng’endo Mukii, Great Britain, 2012

Statement: The ideal of fair skin tempts many girls and women in Africa to make painful attempts to change their appearance. This film, which was also screened in the Children’s and Youth Film Competition, visualizes the condition of feeling insufficient in an exciting mix of collage, animation and dance, ingeniously addressing the racist causes of this feeling of inferiority and their reinforcement by today’s mass media.

A Certificate for a film in the International Children's and Youth Film Competition in connection with a recommendation for Matthias Film and the Katholisches Filmwerk to buy the film for their catalogues the Jury awards to

Quand ils dorment (When They Sleep)
by Maryam Touzani, Morocco, 2012

Statement: 8-year-old Sara loves her grandfather. When he dies unexpectedly, she looks for a way to say goodbye despite religious conventions. The film addresses a universal theme in a culture foreign to us. Its direct camera and unpretentious narrative style make it convincing. A film that moves both children and adults.

Members of the Jury: Daniel Gassmann (Switzerland), Irina Grassmann (Jury President, Germany), Fr. Petr Vacík, SJ (Czech Republic), Eberhard Streier (Germany)