Oct 20, 2022 - The Bruges International Film Festival would like to thank all their guests for coming out to enjoy a selection of new independent cinema from around the globe at the second edition of its festival, which concluded last Tuesday. A warm thank you also to special guests in attendance, Tuur Oosterlinck, Anthony Pieck, Sid Choudry, Nadine Baboy, Pien van Grinsven, and Glenn Dumortier.
This year, the festival was privileged to receive over a thousand entries, of which only 19 made it to the final official selection. Bruges IFF is pleased to share with you today the 2022 award winners, as chosen by the jury panel:
Best Narrative Feature Film: EASY TIGER (BELGIUM) BY KAREL TUYTSCHAEVER. “An intimate portrait of a vulnerable man during a true and insurmountable romance.”
Best Narrative Short film: OUSMANE (CANADA) BY JORGE CAMAROTTI. “Ousmane, a newly arrived immigrant living in Montreal, faces a challenging situation when he meets an elderly disoriented lady at the end of his workday.”
Best Documentary Feature Film: TWO MEN (NETHERLANDS) BY SUZANNE RAES. “Ivo Van Hove is a world famous theatre director. The role of his partner, scenographer Jan Versweyveld is less known. The couple worked together for more than 40 years. Two Men focuses on the microcosm of their collaboration and unravels the story of a love that is uniquely sustained by creating great theatre together.”
Best Documentary Short Film: DEADNAME: SID (BELGIUM) BY ANTHONY PIECK. “Sid lost contact with his father due to a major disagreement that is magnified by the family’s religious beliefs. Fortunately, he can always count and fall back on his friends. They accept him the way he is. Sid goes to great lengths to prove he’s confident in his choice and won’t back down to anyone or anything.”
Best Experimental Film: 2020 (USA) BY TOM BESSOIR. “A film for 2020, a year to remember. 2020 different colors create a flicker film. Music by Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth).”
Best Underground Film: THERE CAN BE NO SHADOW WITHOUT LIGHT (BELGIUM) BY TUUR OOSTERLINCK. “A person becoming self-aware through exploring the sense of hearing and observing light and shadow.”
Best Animated Film: LOSING IT (AUSTRIA) BY SASCHA VERNIK. “After losing the tool he relies on most, a fraud information worker decides to go back in time to prevent it.”
Best Super Short Film: 21 DAYS OF QUARANTINE (GERMANY) BY FREDERIC SCHAEFER. “21 days spent in Hong kong in Quarantine. One room, 21 days, a visual diary.”
Best Dance Film: UN-SPOKEN WORDS OF A HEARTIST - JE SUIS NÉE DANS UN CHAOS (BELGIUM) BY NADINE BABOY, MUHIBA BOTAN. “ Nadine Baboy offers a hybrid poetic work where the dance becomes word. And in the midst of chaos, the word becomes a movement that brings a new breath of hope to humanity in search of reconnecting to the authenticity of its identity. A word is enough to reveal the essential and initiate a movement that brings a new breath to a world that has been forced to hold back its own.”
Best Music Video: FLORE (BELGIUM) BY PIEN VAN GRINSVEN, THOMAS SZACKA-MARIER. “A son has to leave his father in a nursing home, where he has to come to terms with the progression of Alzheimer's disease. But even when they are apart, they cannot let the other one behind.”
Best Connecting Cultures Film: LADY OF THE CITY (IRAN) BY MARYAM BAHROLOLUMI. “Shahrbanoo is a mother of three, who has been sentenced to life in prison for drug transferring. After 11 years in prison, she is released for just a few days to attend her son's wedding. However, this temporary freedom confronts Shahrbanoo with another aspect of her life and that of her family before returning to prison…”
Best Acting: IDOL (AUSTRALIA) BY ALEX WU. “A young Chinese celebrity is called into an emergency meeting after a fan of his commits suicide.”
Congratulations to all!
Today, a new Call for Entries has been launched on FilmFreeway for the next edition, which will take place 30 Oct – 1 Nov 2023. Submit your film now here.
ABOUT BRUGES INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
The Bruges International Film Festival showcases innovative independent cinema by emerging artists from around the world. The festival provides a platform for films with a unique voice and message, regardless of how low the budget might be. Aiming to inspire, motivate and award new talent. Focusing on the art of filmmaking rather than on the box office, the festival aims to introduce quality, non-mainstream films from global filmmakers as well as local talent. By recognizing the important role independent films have in the history of filmmaking, storytelling, and culture, the Bruges International Film Festival wants to help empower the next generation of artists.
Source: Bruges International Film Festival, 20 October 2022.
