“Agent of Happiness” by Arun Bhattarai and Dorottya Zurbó wins the Best Film Award of the International Competition of the 20th edition of Biografilm, which ended today in Bologna. This was decided by the jury composed of Ted Hope, Massimo Cantini Parrini and Signe Byrne Sørensen.
The motivation of the Biografilm jury on “Agent of Happiness”
“It is a film of great beauty – we read in the motivation -. He grounds his aesthetic in the subject and offers a disciplined and personal portrait of the participants. The attention paid to light and space and the treatment of the house and landscape are accompanied by enormous aesthetic respect – a special pleasure. It is also a film that slowly digs deep into its subject and through personal and very honest encounters with people – men and women, young and old – who are given time to talk about their lives and their desires to reveal the issues in game in state politics. The film highlights the issue of borders and how citizenship granted to some and not others can keep those denied passports in a state of perpetual captivity.”
Biografilm hosted the preview screening of “Turn in the Wound” by Abel Ferrara
On the occasion of the awards ceremony, the Festival screened the Italian premiere of “Turn in the Wound”, the documentary by director Abel Ferrara on the war in Ukraine, with the voice of Patti Smith.
Abel Ferrara: «The war in Ukraine is a catastrophe for Europe»
«The war in Ukraine is a catastrophe for Europe – said the director -. And in this tragic scenario, diplomacy does not work as it should, so much so that we mainly talk about armaments. The history of the Second World War has not taught us much, unfortunately. It seems like the world needs a bloodbath every now and then. My position is pro-life. The first commandment of our civilization should be: do not kill.”
Ferrara’s interview with Zelensky
The director of the cult film “The Bad Lieutenant” also interviewed President Volodymyr Zelensky: «He is a personality who impressed me. It is clear from his words that he is very convinced that he is on the right side. There was no need for him to convince me of his position: I am American and the concept of freedom is in my DNA.”
«Death and destruction can only be fought with contrary actions»
Abel Ferrara then observed: «Ukraine is Europe, it has the same European values. It should not be considered just as a battlefield but as part of Europe.” And he concluded by saying that «Death and destruction can only be fought with contrary actions, love, compassion, empathy, poetry. And also with films or literature.”
The awards: Hera Nuova Talenti to “Life is Beautiful” by Jabaly
The Hera “New Talents” Award for the best first work of the International Competition went to “Life is Beautiful” by Mohamed Jabaly, a film, explains the motivation, “which captures today in all its joys and sorrows, guided by a filmmaker discovering his life, his community and his art form. The energy and spirit are contagious and remind us of the joy of creativity. A director who is totally confident, yet vulnerable in his art, showing us glimpses of the world that society encourages us to forget – particularly real life in Gaza in times of crisis. “Life is Beautiful” expands on the meaning of family and home and how there will always be those who are fortunately willing to welcome people, even if the larger society does everything it can to keep these people from fitting in. Boundaries may be set by Them, but our hearts and minds will always cross them.”
Special mention Hera Nuova Talenti to “Sindrome Italia” by Mengozzi
The Hera “Nuovi Talenti” Special Mention, however, goes to “Sindrome Italia” by Ettore Mengozzi, since “it is important that for a first work the director has chosen to explore the very little talked about theme of carers in Italy and show the sacrifice of those who give up their loved ones to work in the families of others. The film is an intimate and delicate story of the personal stories of two women, very different from each other, but united by the same drama.”
The Manifesto Award returns to Biografilm
This year too, the Manifesto Prize was awarded, attributed to the best Contemporary Lives film by the Jury made up of representatives of some realities that stand out in the area for the social impact of the projects they carry out, specifically: Chiara Dalle Molle (Arca di Noè), Eleonora Zavatti (Women’s House to Avoid Violence in Bologna), Elia Caiconti (Cassero LGBTI+ Center), Stefano Boring (Trans Group), Blerta Hoxha (Next Generation Italy), Claudia Sciommeri (Period Think Tank), Marta Melina (SMK Videofactory), Lucia Imbriaco (WeWorld).
The jury assigns it to “Stray Bodies – Corpi errant” by Elina Psykou
The prize was awarded to “Stray Bodies” by Elina Psykou because “the entire selection of Contemporary Lives offered us documentaries capable of shaking consciences, sparking debates, showing us contradictions and sometimes opposing points of view, through powerful stories, which tell us about violence, oppression and suffering, but also about life, desire, self-determination, rebellion. Biografilm’s Manifesto award goes to the film which, according to the jury, has the greatest potential to generate a change in those who watch it, which is the ultimate goal, we believe, of the documentary with a social theme. We decided to award Stray Bodies by Elina Psikou for the following reasons: the documentary addresses the theme of self-determination by intertwining it with other sub-themes such as health protection, freedom of choice and its link with economic privilege, the different accessibility to rights within the different states of the European Union, the growing threat of oppressive and sovereignist policies in Europe. “Stray Bodies represents an opportunity to bring to collective attention the importance of the right to self-determination and to rethink Europe as a place of shared progressive thought”.
The four prizes of the Biografilm Italia section
The jury of the Biografilm Italia section, composed of Mattia Colombo, Simona Dolce and Sara Ferro, awarded four prizes.
It won the Best Film Bper Award | Biografilm Italia 2024, award for the best film of the Biografilm Italia Competition, “The Roller, the Life, the Fight” by Elettra Bisogno and Hazem Alqaddi, since “in a historical moment in which many people are forced to leave their homes and their countries and escape elsewhere, ‘The Roller, the Life, the Fight’ is an intimate exploration of the effects that journey generates. Hazem’s epic becomes an opportunity to discover up close the problems he is forced to face, the daily joys and the search for freedom. He is not alone on this journey: Elettra, the gaze of the room and ours, supports him, encourages him, loves him. And the room, constantly close to both of them, is their mutual declaration of love.”
The Bper Special Mention to “Romina” by Lo Muzio and Petrolini
The Bper Special Mention | Biografilm Italia 2024 goes to “Romina” by Valerio Lo Muzio and Michael Petrolini. The jury established that the film “is striking because it shows the suburbs of Bologna but chooses to do so through the personal story of a girl like many others and of her passion for boxing, and of the community that revolves around her, populated by faces that are difficult to forget. The many stories of inclusion that make up the fresco create an authentic and vital cross-section of Bolognina, making it a symbol of many Italian suburbs. It is a political manifesto completely devoid of rhetoric and ideologies”.
Hera New Talents Award for Biografilm Italia to “Che ore sono” by Puglielli and Basso
The Hera “Nuovi Talenti” Award for the best first work in the Biografilm Italia section goes to “Che ore sono” by Tito Puglielli and Marta Basso, with the following motivation: “A community in which the protagonists, although closed, build a world of relationships and rules within which they seek their identity. The title tells of the infinite repetitiveness of time that does not change, waiting for the other to notice them. It is precisely two young directors who do it, finding the right distance between themselves, the camera and the protagonists of the film. The respectful gaze on this reality of invisible people reveals, with affection, their humanity”.
