21e Festival international Signes de Nuit - Paris / 29 Septembre - 8 Octobre 2023
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Sylvain L’Espérance |
Canada / 2021 / 1:22:00 |
From images drawn from 125 years of cinema and left to speak for themselves, a new memory emerges that shows us our ambiguous, deep but often violent relationship with animals. Through this closeness, the film has us rediscover our own related destinies.
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Jury Declaration:
The Main Award goes to “Animal Macula” by Sylvain L’Espérance. “Animal Macula” revolutionizes the documentary landscape, plunging viewers into a profound odyssey of human-animal interplay, traversing continents and cultures. Its deliberate omission of verbal discourse confronts the conventional reliance on words, underscoring a primal, unspoken connection. Seamlessly integrating archival footage and evocative imagery, the filmmaker compels audiences to grapple with their place in the natural order, constructing an experiential cycle that shatters traditional documentary constraints. This documentary’s innovative amalgamation of visuals and sound in a symphonic tapestry sets an unprecedented standard, while its exhaustive research into the ontological dimensions of human-animal relationships showcases a depth and intellectual rigour that solidifies it as an epoch-making masterpiece in its genre. |
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SIGNS AWARD
The Signs Award for Documentary honors films, which express in an original, convincing and sensitive way the perturbing aspects of reality.
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Guillermo Quintero |
Colombia / 2023 / 1:10:00 |
In the Serranía de la Macarena, in the north of the Colombian Amazon, lies “Río Rojo”, a mythical river that runs through the middle of the forest, also called “the river of the seven colors”. Young Oscar, grandmother Doña María and the Indian Sabino live peacefully in the region, in communion with nature. But this area, once preserved by the conflict with FARC, is now victim of its beauty and threatened by the arrival of new visitors.
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Jury Declaration:
The Signes Award goes to “Rio Rojo” by Guillermo Quinetro. “Rio Rojo” asserts itself as a cinematic tour de force and an ethical mandate, thrusting viewers into the heart of the Colombian Amazon to underscore urgent environmental imperatives. With methodical research and mesmerizing visuals, the film unveils the intricate layers of this authentic region, constituting a resounding imperative for action. Its astute contrast of natural splendour with environmental desolation, combined with a well-calibrated duration, engraves an indomitable impression, compelling audiences to acknowledge their collective duty to safeguard our invaluable natural treasures. This cinematic masterpiece also possesses a unique ability to evoke ontological depth, adding a layer of profound significance to its portrayal of the Colombian Amazon.
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NIGHT AWARD
The Night Award for Documentary honors films, which represent reality in an ambivalent and enigmatic way, avoiding stereotypes of representation and simple conclusions.
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Lars Ostenfeld |
Danemark, Germany / 2022 / 1:25:00 |
On the frozen borders of Greenland, three daring and committed glaciologists explore the ice core to answer one of the most pressing questions of our times: how fast is the ice sheet melting? Into the Ice is an enlightening adventure, a scientific film about one of the greatest challenges of the not-so distant future: the inevitable rise in sea levels.
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Jury Declaration:
The Night Award goes to “Into the Ice” by Lars Ostenfeld. “Into the Ice” vigorously portrays our civilization’s inexorable slide towards an apocalyptic conclusion, presenting a reality that is both enigmatic and ambivalent. The film’s breathtaking visuals of glaciers and crevasses starkly highlight the impending crisis, creating a compelling and urgent narrative. It staunchly advocates for ecological preservation and impels viewers to confront the imperative of sacrificing for the well-being of both humanity and nature. With clear and incisive scientific information, the film demands immediate and resolute action to avert irreversible catastrophe and secure a future for generations to come. |
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EDWARD SNOWDEN AWARD
The Edward Snowden Award honors films, which offer sensitive (mostly) unknown information, facts and phenomena of eminent importance, for which the festival wishes a wide proliferation in the future.
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Aliaksei Paluyan |
Germany, Belarus / 2021 / 1:30:00 |
For many months we have been following the events in Belorussian streets after the presidential election. Protests, clashes with the police, mass arrests without any chance for a consensus between the parties. Three actors from the underground theatre in Minsk are trying to find themselves in this chaos. Outside their performances, they live regular lives, have families and work, while the stage offers an escape from everyday life and a possibility to express opposition against the authoritarian government. For many years they protested against the authorities through art and now they have decided to join thousands of people in the streets. Their courage will be tested.
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Jury Declaration:
The Edward Snowden Award goes to “Courage” by Aliaksei Paluyan. “Courage” fiercely embodies the resolute spirit of Belarusian citizens, offering an unyielding testament to their relentless battle for political expression. Through astute storytelling and masterful cinematography, the documentary navigates the intricate web of this historic struggle, effectively interweaving personal narratives with fervent political undertones. Its potent message transcends borders, constituting an urgent call to arms for democracy, liberty, and fundamental human rights, solidifying its status as an imperative cinematic masterpiece that unequivocally demands global attention and action.
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How I Survived the Pyongyang Film Festival 3D
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Martin Hans Schmitt |
Germany / 2022 / 01:15:00 |
The animated documentary “How I Survived the Pyongyang Film Festival 3D” describes the personal experiences of the documentary filmmaker Martin Hans Schmitt, who took part in the Pyongyang International Film Festival in 2018. It is a travel film, during the course of which it gradually reveals how the dictatorship of Kim Jong-Un shapes the lives and thoughts of North Koreans right down to the smallest private niche, and also gradually influences the filmmaker too, increasingly creating the impression that we are observing a real-life satire.
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Jury Declaration:
The Special Jury Award goes to “How I Survived the Pyongyang Film Festival 3D”. “How I Survived the Pyongyang Film Festival Treaty” boldly showcases the filmmaker’s audacious venture, risking their life to capture images in a perilous and tightly controlled environment. The innovative use of 3D photos, dynamically transformed into animated films, offers a vivid perspective, enabling us to reimagine life in Korea, otherwise hidden from view. The documentary illuminates not only the intricacies of a public film festival in North Korea but also the filmmaker’s unwavering commitment to portraying everyday life under a regime marked by unyielding oppression. Through its darkly humorous yet acerbically insightful lens, the film adeptly navigates the omnipresent influence of dictatorship on every facet of North Korean society, cementing its status as a compelling and impactful work.
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