A week packed with 300 short films ended on Monday June 9th in Hamburg. The 24th International Short Film Festival screened 214 of almost 4.000 submitted short films in the competitive categories and a further 100 films in non-competitive special programmes. Overall more than 30.000 euros of prize-money were poured out. Awards in the international competition:
”Jury”: Netalie Braun, Bren O’Callaghan, Jens Eder, Miranda Pennell, Holger Tepe.
Jury Award:
”Puppet Boy”, Johannes Nyholm, Sweden 2008, short fiction, 26:36 min.
Jury substantiation
A disturbing and comic reflection on obsession and self-loathing that delivers an unsettling experience for the viewer. What at first appears to be an interview with a reclusive animator develops into a mirthless sequence of humiliations and an exploration of the human condition in the spirit of Gogol. In an inventive and brilliant way the film shifts between fiction and documentary, claymation and live action, evoking feelings of both repulsion and compassion in the viewer. Brilliant.
Francois Ode Award:
”Josh”, Govinda van Maele, Luxembourg 2007, short fiction, 14:40 min.
Jury substantiation:
With great precision and truthfulness the film presents the story of the missed opportunity to free oneself from a repressing life situation. Within 14 minutes the director suggests a complex and believable small-town microcosm full of boredom and lack of ambition, racial and gender resentment. In combination with excellent acting it is exactly the detailed representation of a specific milieu that allows for a deeper understanding of a wider human bewilderment.
Special Mention:
”Mumbler”, Marc Roels und Wim Reygaert, Belgium 2007, short fiction, 22 min.
”Silence”, Sivaroj Kongsakul, Thailand 2007, short fiction, 17:45 min.
”Going to Sleep is Something Absolutely Certain In Life”, Paolo Pennuti, Italy 2007, documentary, 20 min.
Audience Award:
”Puppet Boy”, Johannes Nyholm, Sweden 2008, short fiction, 26:36 min.