Winners of Wiz-Art 2018

We laughed, cried and sympathized with those stories. We sympathized their heroes, criticized their vision, came up with new thoughts and ideas. We saw what was hard to see with the naked eye and enjoyed 127 films from all over the world. We defined our winners and entrusted their choice to an international jury.

August 12 the official closing ceremony of the 11th Lviv International Short Film Festival Wiz-Art took place in Kinopalace Teatralna. The Grand Prix of the festival was given to the film by Macedonian director Goran Stolevski “Would you look at her“, the best Ukrainian short film is “Fly fishing lesson” by Cyril Jekov. The winners of the festival were determined by the international jury: Ukrainian producer and program coordinator – Daria Bassel, Swiss director Marc Raymond Wilkins and program selector and consultant Massimiliano Nardulli. In addition to the Grand Prix, winners were also determined in the nominations: “Best Directing” and “Best Script”. Two films of the international and national competition program received Special jury mentions. The winners were also determined by the audience of the festival in both of the programs.

THE WINNERS OF THE 11TH LVIV INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL WIZ-ART

GRAND PRIX

WOULD YOU LOOK AT HER 18’ Goran Stolevski Macedonia 2017

A hard-headed tomboy spots the unlikely solution to all her problems in an all-male religious ritual.

Jury statement: the world needs more brave girls! In a captivating tour the force, we experience the struggle for freedom, respect and understanding of a young woman in a hostile society. An important story, told in masterful visual language.

BEST SCRIPT AND AUDIENCE CHOICE INT. COMPETITION

RETOUCH 19’ Kaveh Mazaheri Iran 2017

In the corner of the home, Maryam’s husband does weightlifting. Suddenly, the weight falls on his throat and puts him between life and death. Maryam tries to save him, but she just decides to stop helping and stand and watch her husband’s death. After she makes sure her husband is dead, gathered her stuff and goes out with her child. During the day, she pretends her husband is got disappeared and she does not have any news.

Jury statement: a script that doesn’t need any retouch and works perfectly as description of the extreme decision of a woman to obtain emancipation.

BEST DIRECTING

I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU, CONNY 31’ Amanda Kernell Sweden-Denmark 2017

It’s minus 30 degrees in a small, forgotten village in northern Sweden. Conny, 20, stalks around with his hoodie up like a restless criminal, not welcome anywhere. Yesterday, in a panic, he deserted his girlfriend just as she was giving birth to their child. Now he has regrets and wants to come back. What will it take for her to forgive him?

Jury statement: the story itself, personal to every human being who ever thought about parenthood, but also performance, camera, rhythm, music and texture merge together into a perfect short film on every level.

BEST UKRAINIAN FILM

THE FLY FISHING LESSON 28’ Cyril Jekov Ukraine 2018

Taras is 35 years old and he lives with his grandmother in an old building in Kyiv. He is in a difficult situation socially and professionally. However, he has a great passion for fly fishing. Taras will try to share his passion with Luda, a young woman he met on Facebook.

Jury statement: to filmmakers who proved that a good script is much more important than a big budget and that independent films rock. To the directors who managed to turn our absurd and sometimes cruel reality into a funny and gentle story with deep and honest characters.

SPECIAL MENTION INT. COMPETITION for camera work

ELA – SKETCHES ON A DEPARTURE 25’ Oliver Adam Kusio Germany 2017

Ela lives in a small provincial town in Poland. Her daily life is stuck in a routine, balancing work and family. But Ela has a dream: Like many young Polish people, Ela, too, wants to escape the tristesse of the council housing estate and move West, into a better life.

Jury Statement: a very brave camera work that underlines the feelings and sensations of the protagonists of the story.

SPECIAL MENTION UA COMPETITION to a new talent in Ukrainian cinema Valeriia Khylko for her performance in Weightlifter

WEIGHTLIFTER 30’ Dmytro Sukholytkyi-Sobchuk Ukraine-Poland 2018

At first glance, this is a story of a true price of victory.

Jury Statement: for a performance that required physical and emotional courage to show how a woman turns from a loving girlfriend into a victim of violence.

AUDIENCE CHOICE NAT. COMPETITION

MIA DONNA 17’ Pavlo Ostrikov Ukraine 2018

The life of forty-six- year-old Oksana changes when her husband Tolik turns into a seven-year- old boy. Doctors are powerless and nobody can turn him back.