The 23rd Belfast Film Festival announced the winners of its 2nd International Film Competition at the closing night ceremony on Saturday 11th November.
The competition celebrates the most exciting new films from around the world that are a first or second feature. Sponsored by Yellowmoon Post Production, prizes were awarded to Best Film, alongside Jury Prizes for Outstanding Craft Contribution and Breakout Performance. The International Film Competition jury was led by award-winning Northern Irish director and screenwriter Aoife McArdle who was joined on the jury by producer Lizzie Franke and writer and film critic Simran Hans.
Jury Statement
“All of the films in this year’s international competition were of an incredibly high standard, and made us very excited about the breadth and vitality of cinema from all over the world. We can’t wait to see what all of these filmmakers do next.
The jury would like to give the breakthrough performance award to Eka Chavleishvili as Etero in Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry. We found Chavleishvili’s radiant portrayal of an older single woman in rural Georgia to be funny, tender and radical in its defiance.
The jury would also like to highlight Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell, and to present Thien An Pham with the outstanding craft award for direction. We loved the way his filmmaking combined rigour, patience and a boldness of vision to create what we collectively felt was a transcendent cinema experience.
And last but not least, our award for Best International Film goes to Mohamed Kordofani’s Goodbye Julia. We were gripped by Kordofani’s taut, graceful storytelling, and moved by the complexity of his characters. We found the film rich with ideas, and fierce in its willingness to grapple with the dividing forces of class, race, religion, and borders.”
Take at look at the winners and their acceptance speeches below:
BEST FILM – GOODBYE JULIA dir. Mohamed Kordofani
BEST CRAFT – INSIDE THE YELLOW COCOON SHELL dir. Pham Thien An
BEST PERFORMANCE – EKA CHAVLEISHVILI IN BLACKBIRD BLACKBIRD BLACKBERRY