The sixteenth version of Beldocs Intl. Documentary Film Festival has awarded its high prizes to “ThIIIrd,” from Lebanese helmer Karim Kassim, within the International Competition Program, and Tijana Petrović’s “A Field Guide to Coastal Fortifications” within the Serbian competitors program.
“ThIIIrd” is about in an auto restore store in Lebanon, which is a haven for folks to precise their rising despair amidst the financial collapse that surrounds them.
Fest was usually applauded for robust competitors choices that, in line with the occasion’s programmer Igor Stanojević, put a particular give attention to visually placing movies and contemporary expressions by new authors with round 100 movies throughout 12 applications, together with 9 world premieres, and a notable presence of feminine administrators.
In the Serbian Competition, Luka Papić and Srđa Vučo’s doc “Invoked” scooped the award for greatest enhancing whereas “Aurora’s Dream” from director Dragana Jovanović picked up the prize for greatest cinematography.
In the International Competition, the Franco-Belgian doc “Adieu Savuage” from helmer Sergio Guataquira Sarmiento earned the particular point out whereas “Budapest Silo” by Zsófia Paczolay garnered a nod for greatest quick doc, and the “Ardent Other” from director Alice Brygo acquired a particular award.
Finally, accepting the Eurimages Audentia Award for “Smoke Sauna Sisterhood,” Estonian helmer Anna Hints teared up and inspired the viewers to embrace their feelings and vulnerability, dedicating the award to The Sisterhood that has stood by her throughout all of the seven years it took her to make the movie. “We shouldn’t apologize for what we feel in our hearts, and for our experiences. We need to have the courage to share it, and to listen, above all. This is only possible in a safe environment. ‘Smoke Sauna Sisterhood’ presents a safe environment where vulnerability can truly be felt, and that transcends all boundaries and cultures… It was brave to bare both body and soul.”
In that sense, fest chief Marta Prohaska Marković mirrored on Beldocs’ worldwide recognition for its contribution to the sector of female-led filmmaking, mirrored primarily in a better presence of feminine administrators within the occasion’s competitors applications and retrospectives, in addition to quite a few panel discussions, trade actions and program specials devoted to present occasions. “This year’s festival program had 53 films directed by woman, out of a total of 105, and in terms of all the sections of the Beldocs Industry program, the scale was 61% in favor of women,” she tells Variety.
The occasion’s trade arm, Beldocs Industry Days, devoted to the distribution of European movies by means of the promotion of collaborations and co-productions between professionals from Western Balkan nations, Baltic States, South Caucasus nations and Western Europe, featured coaching and venture growth workshops for younger skills, shows of documentary movie initiatives on the Beldocs Pitching Forum, panels and masterclasses.
The high prize within the Beldocs Pitching Forum, the Aljazeera Balkans Award, accompanied by a money prize of €2,000 ($2,152), went to “At the Door of the House Who Will Come Knocking” from Serbian director and producer Maja Novaković (Cineseedlings), which additionally picked up the Forgrade Post-Production Award that features full colour correction and mastering providers.
A number of different prizes have been awarded to a few of the 18 initiatives chosen for each the Docs in Progress and Docs in Development strands of Beldocs Industry Days. The Thessaloniki Intl. Documentary Festival Award, which presents lodging and accreditation for the 2024 version of the pageant went to “Bitter Sugar” from Georgian director Ana Barjadze and producer Irina Gelashvili (Radium Films). The DAE – Documentary Association of Europe Talent Encouragement Award, which incorporates session and free memberships within the pan-European documentary group, went to “Where Do Butterflies Sleep” from Slovenian director Simona Jerala. The Pitch the Doc Award went to “Colors in My Eye” from Serbian director Dragana Latinović and producer Duška Latas (Zid Production). The Pitch the Doc Award – Special Mention went to “Divia” from Ukrainian director Dmytro Hreshko and producers Polina Herman and Anastasia Pugach (UP UA STUDIO). The East Silver Caravan Award, which incorporates one-year pageant distribution assist, went to “Heart Don’t Be Afraid” from Georgian director Ana Kvichidze and producer Mariam Bitsadze (17/07 Productions). The Dok Leipzig XR Award went to “I Am a Cavern of Blood in the Shape of a Mind” from Croatian director Gaia Radić.
The fest closed with a screening of Rennè Miskolci and Bojan Vinulović’s doc “Gru is Here” about Gru, a pioneer of the Serbian Rap scene.
Fest’s creative director, Marko Grba Singh, lauded the vitality of the Serbian doc scene that emerged after the dissolution of Yugoslavia and that has now yielded, despite a war-torn previous and current difficulties, a crop of daring rising voices with a distinguished presence on the worldwide pageant circuit, resembling Mila Turajlić (“The Other Side of Everything”), Ognjen Glavonić (“Depth Two”) and Marta Popivoda (“Landscapes of Resistance”).
“The authors integrate the Yugoslav experience, a review of the trauma of the country’s disintegration with a look into the present, which unfortunately is not bright at all. On that side, I think that domestic authors are very brave because, in addition to the problems that go with every film shooting, they have to deal with many more troubles and objections that are not related to the production itself. Traumatic pasts, dystopian present and uncertain future,” he observes.