March 28th – April 2nd, 2017 / Cinema Muzeul Țăranului & Cinema Elvire Popesco / the 7th edition

Awards

BIEFF Jury statement:
By combining 2D, 3D animation and documentary, 489 Years provides an immersive experience of the North/South Korean border known as DMZ. Instead of using 3D animation techniques to build an alternative reality, Kwon creatively opens a virtual space of a 'real' yet fantastic territory in order to give access to an otherwise forbidden area. By conceiving computer generated images as a possible extension of documentary material, 489 Years also constitutes a contemporary and powerful reflection on the very nature of the image and on the new frontiers of imagination as well as narration.

Award for Best Filmmaker (offered by Cinelab România) – 1,500€, in post-production services

DIOGO COSTA AMARANTE
for SMALL TOWN (Portugal, 2016, 19')

BIEFF Jury statement:
With a very poetic and narrative montage, using a format that goes beyond cinemascope, Diogo Costa Amarante dares to approach the questions of death and consciousness within the setting of a mother-child relationship. Creating a fragile balance between philosophical thought and restrained emotionalization, he leaves space to his own imagery and its perception.

Award for Best Visual Concept (offered by Cinelab România) – 1,500€, in post-production services

SUMMER (France / Belgium, 2016, '7)
by RONNY TROCKER

BIEFF Jury statement:
Starting from an existing photograph, Summer reenacts and reinterprets a given situation with ideomatic 3D animation. Alternating still and moving image, as well as the point of view of bystander and subject, it opens up the original iconography of the photograph; Ronny Trocker challenges the spectator’s perception but also questions - if not subverts - the sensationalism of current media.

Award for Best Romanian Filmmaker (offered by the Romanian Filmmakers' Union) – 1,000€

LUIZA PÂRVU & TOMA PEIU
for SISYPHUS 2.0 (Romania / USA, 2016, 7')

BIEFF Jury statement:
Sisyphus 2.0 transfers an ancient Greek parable - or rather its adaptation in French existentialist literature - to an endless stream of surveillance camera recordings, documenting the everyday’s attempt to give a meaning to life. Plain images of the daily routine turn into the representations of a purely restless resilience of the human being.

Special Mention of the Jury

A BRIEF HISTORY OF PRINCESS X (Portugal / France / UK, 2016, 7')
by GABRIEL ABRANTES

BIEFF Jury statement:
A Brief History of Princess X brings together two historical characters - Constantin Brâncuși and Princess Marie Bonaparte - and virtuously depicts their encounter. We are awarding the Special Mention of the jury for the ability to condensate a deep artistic and social parable in a precisely constructed narrative, managing to combine the seriousness of its topics with a sharp humorous approach.

Audience Award

As always we were very interested to know how our audience receives our selection. The competition for the Audience Award has been very tight this year, more than half of the films being very close in number of points to the 1st place. We are very happy to offer the BIEFF 2017 Audience Award to two films.

PEEP SHOW (Italy, 2016, 8')
by RINO STEFANO TAGLIAFIERRO

and

I MADE YOU, I KILL YOU (France / Romania, 2016, 14')
by Alexandru Petru Bădeliță