Expectations are always high at the Filmworks Film Festival (FWFF) awards ceremony. In this edition, especially, even more, since there were three years of waiting, due to the pandemic.
In its 11th. Edition, the festival screened the short films produced in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 by students of the International Film Academy (AIC). In all, there were 58 films, divided into 16 sessions that took place on November 29th and 30th. Both the exhibition and the award attracted a large audience to the Museum of Image and Sound (MIS), a partner institution of the AIC, reaching the capacity of the exhibition hall.
For Vanessa Prieto, coordinator of the AIC technical courses, this year’s works positively surprised the festival judges: “Cinema is a collective art, an affective art, and that’s what we see happening every day at school, colleagues coming together to make films. Partnerships that saw bridges to the market and films creating wings”.
The winners were chosen by the judges Bebeto Abrantes, Ricardo Martensen, Pedro Dantas, Flávia Rocha, Steven Richter, Bruno Risas, João Paulo Campos, Fernando Severo, Lídia Mello and Nina Galanternick (find out more about the jury here).
Diversity of topics
Vanessa Prieto and professor Dicezar Leandro led the presentation on the night of the awards. The joy with the possibilities that open up with the new government in 2023 can be seen in enthusiastic speeches by students and teachers.
The films presented at the 11th edition of the FWFF formed a very varied selection of themes and language, including themes about gender and identity, homophobia, labor relations, fairy tales and pirates. “Our students are always challenged to look at the historical moment in which they are inserted and ask questions. So, issues such as disputed narratives, structural racism, political polarization, mental health issues appeared in many films of this generation. But also hope, laughter and love as a form of struggle”, says Vanessa.
Among the distinguished guests at the festival, Lina Chamie, Júlio Wainer, Sabrina Greve, Antonio Vanfill, Eduardo Chatagnier, Veronica Saez, Teresinha Cipolotti, among others; Luma Reis, producer at Instituto Iniciar, AIC’s social partner; Julien Sappa and Vinicius G. Alves from the advertising agency Regular Switch (who made the beautiful festival poster!)
In addition to the trophy, the winners received prizes provided by the partners Cannon, CTAV, Elitecam, Iguale, Link Digital, Mia Shimon, Mistika and Mubi. Check the list of awarded films.
The winners
New Vision Award
“The Butterfly Paradox”, by Luiz Felipe Iagalo
Free Cinema Award
“I’m waiting for you to come back”, by Marina Lavarini
Best Documentary
“Don’t Sleep With Me”, by Natália Mota, Karen Oliveira, Luis Emilio Cáceres
Premio Out of Competition
“Cantareira”, by Rodrigo Ribeyro
Best Art Direction
“Retrato”, by Gisele Sartini
Best sound
“Everything We Dreamed of Last Year”, by Gabriel Franco Coelho
Best Editing
“Cartas de Vilas”, by Lucas Lyrio
Best Leading Performance
“Static”, by Mariana Neris
Best Supporting Performance
“I Don’t Want To Forget” by Barbara Ricciardi
Best Screenplay
“Chameleons”, by Camila Jaquiel
Best Photography
“Solicita Alma”, by José Vitor Gomes and Igor Gus Santos
Best Direction
“Jorge”, by Bruno Laíso Félix m
Best movie
“Carnival Sunday”, by Luis Kiko Mazzoni
Honorable Mention Performance
“Carnival Sunday”, by Vera Valdez
Honorable Mention Film
“Motocas”, directed by Jorge Henrique de Paula
*photos by Fernanda Muller and João Cayres