THE CAMERA OF DAVID AWARDS 2021

The Camera Of David Foundation - Organizer of the Warsaw Jewish Film Festival AWARDS Mr. MARIAN TURSKI with the HONORARY CAMERA OF DAVID:

"We would like to award your services and most valuable contribution to the revival of Jewish life in Poland, restoration of social capital in our country and ceaseless fight against xenophobia and anti-Semitism. We are impressed with your public statements, always resonating around the world. Your stance can serve as a model and inspiration for us all and the award is a humble token of our recognition. We thank you for your kindness with which you have been observing our efforts."

INTERNATIONAL JURY AWARDS:

International Jury consisting of HELISE LIEBERMAN, BERND BUDER, WOLFGANG W. WERNER, AGATA RAKOWIECKA, MONIKA GÓRSKA, MARCELL KENESEI, DOROTA SIARKOWSKA, ANDRZEJ CICHOCKI I TADEUSZ STRĄCZEK awards:

GRAND PRIX 10.000 PLN founded by the POLIN Museum:

THE WAR OF RAYA SINITSINA, Israel 2020, dir. by Efim Graboy

Best Narrative Feature: 

SHIVA BABY, USA / Canada 2020, dir. by Emma Seligman

Best Documentary Feature:

THE WAR OF RAYA SINITSINA, Israel 2020, dir. by Efim Graboy

Best Narrative Short: 

PARADISE, Israel 2021, dir. by Asaf Saban

Best Documentary Short: 

TOWARDS THE LIGHT (W STRONĘ ŚWIATŁA), Poland 2021, dir. by Beata Hyży - Czołpińska

JURY SPECIAL MENTION:

NEIGHBOURS (NA GRANICY) dir. by Mano Khalila (Switzerland / France 2021)

@miriamfrompoland dir. by Piotr Szczepański (Poland 2021)

NOTES FROM JURY

THE BEST NARRATIVE FILM: SHIVA BABY directed by Emma Seligman

The jury for the narrative feature section watched six very interesting films, showing various aspects of jewish life in different parts of the world today and in the past. We want to thank all filmmakers for submitting their films to the festival, we acknowledge their achievements, and we wish them all the best for their further career. 

The jury decided unanimously to give the award for best narrative feature film to SHIVA BABY by Emma Seligman from Canada. This film features a jewish group of family and friends, coming together for a traditional shiva meeting in a well-to-do suburban home. The main focus is on young Danielle, supposed to finish highschool, but rather trying to find her own way in life, testing limits, learning about chances and failures, drifting between provocation and boredom. Closely following this girl, in this one location, almost in real time, the film succeeds in letting the audience casually become part of the meeting, wondering what might happen next, reconsidering what we just saw, whom we will encounter in the next room, whether all this is serious or not. A fascinating and entertaining combination of tradition, screwball and borderline behavior, surprising, even frightening sometimes, but also exhilarating, very sexy and deeply moving in it's loving approach to human diversity. A film that makes you reconsider your own beloved prejudices, certainties and convictions.

The jury wants to award a SPECIAL MENTION to the film NEIGHBOURS by Mano Khalil, production from Switzerland and France. The film shows live of 6-year old Sero living in a tiny village in Syria, close to the Turkish border, in the 80's. More and more the barren but beautiful landscape, the warm atmosphere in the family, the moments of humour and love, the friendly neighborhood between Jews, Arabs and Kurds are brutally disrupted by violence, repression and indoctrination. And gradually the only solution seems to be the nightmare of leaving the country and going abroad. An emotional, heartbreaking story about how migrants and refugees are made, not only in the 80s but also today. An outcry against inhumanity.

Helise Lieberman, Bernd Buder, Wolfgang W. Werner

Best Documentary Feature: THE WAR OF RAYA SINITSINA directed by Efim Graboy

The movie centered on an unconventional protagonist. The director has been able to forge a unique bond with her and that is the picture’s main asset. Story of a war heroine forces us to think differently about the Russian "great history". We look at it from the perspective of a woman, whose fight never ceased. We decided to give the award for uncovering the unknown world of the first Russian immigrants to Israel and for giving us the inspiring story.  

Dorota Siarkowska, Andrzej Cichocki, Tadeusz Strączek

THE BEST NARRATIVE SHORT:  PARADISE directed by Asaf Saban

We'd like to emphasise that the movie shows a complex issue of identity ownership in a simple, well narrated story. The identity crisis that the main character is going through is shown in an unpretentious way, with a lot of distance and humorous accents. We felt it was natural, and we liked the use and balance of various tools for cinematic narration. All in all, the movie touched upon complex subjects, but brought down bigger problems in society to the everyday life of a couple of average people. The film had all the advantages, an interesting story, non-obvious characters, interesting relationships, good acting, no standard solutions.

Monika Górska, Agata Rakowiecka, Marcell Kenesei

CONGRATULATIONS !!!

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