On August 25, the winners if 12th Wiz-Art International Short Film Festival were announced. Gran-Prix goes to CHRISTMAS GIFT by Romanian director Bogdan Muresanu.
The winners were selected by international jury: Nadia Parfan from Ukraine, Sarah Dombrink from Germany and Jannik Dahl Pedersen from Denmark – as well as our audience.
26 films were competed for the jury and audience attention: 10 films in National and 16 in International Competition.
Grand Prix
“The Christmas Gift” (“Cadoul de Craciun”) by Bogdan Muresanu
Jury statement: “The winner of this years “Grand Prix” is a film that uses the medium in a beautiful and entertaining way to tell an important story. The film takes you on a journey back in time, and presents a situation so scary and unbelievable that you find yourself laughing. History is at the center of the story, but the plot is coming from the films relatable characters. It really hooks you into the situation, and keeps surprising you. The filmmakers show a lot of courage by intricately satirizing their own country’s history. And through that they tell the story of oppression in a universally relatable way. It’s a political film. It’s a personal film”.
Special Mention
“In Joy” by Maryna Roshchyna
Jury statement: “We want to give a special mention to a film, that impressed us by how it tells a story about both the hardships, but also the lust for life of a young mother in a very nuanced and delicate way. The accomplished writing and directing in this film makes it feel very natural while grasping the complexity of life and resolving situations with an original approach that kept us interested”.
Best writing in the International Competition
“The Christmas Gift” (“Cadoul de Craciun”) by Bogdan Muresanu
Jury statement: “The film that we’ve decided to award the prize “Best script” is a film about a family that is thrust into a new situation. The innocence of a child’s imagination, suddenly shows the dangers of the society the family is living in. Actual events are used as the backbone to tell a fictional story, and through that it tell us something new, but in a very relatable way. It lets you look back in history, and learn from it. The audience is constantly surprised by the turns the story takes, but understands the characters choices. It’s a film where you feel like it makes the most of the story it has chosen to tell”.
Best Directing – International Competition
“The Summer And All The Rest” (“L’été et tout le reste”) by Sven Bresser
Jury statement: “The winner of the “Best directing” – award is a film that seems like it wouldn’t have existed without its director. The depiction of friendship, the yearning for another life and coming to terms with saying goodbye to the past moved us deeply. The acting is real, but at the same time animated; the beautiful cinematography and sound give the film lightness and sensibility – it all fits together, without ever feeling constricted. Small intimate moments make room for the audience to put themselves into the characters. And we loved it”.
Best Film National Competition
“Deep Love” by Mykyta Lyskov
Jury statement: “In this visionary film thriving with creativity, a whole doomed and apocalyptic world is created, inviting the audience to escape into mayhem and big feelings without leaving their place. While addressing contemporary societal issues in Ukraine and globally, this artistically rich film opens up different layers in a very humorous way. Some we could not quite fathom, but felt very intrigued about and made us want to rewatch it right away to discover more. We applaud this courageous film and it’s creator’s daring and curious choices”.
AUDIENCE CHOICE INT. COMPETITION
“ANNA” Dekel Berenson
AUDIENCE CHOICE NT. COMPETITION
“PLUS ONE” Myroslava Klochko
