On Wednesday, 27 March the Movies that Matter Festival announced the winners of its 16th edition during the award ceremony at Theater Aan het Spui in the Dutch city of The Hague.
The Grand Jury Fiction Award, worth € 5.000 was awarded to Mexican comedy-drama ‘Radical’ by Christiopher Zalla and starring Eugenio Derbez..
Statement from jurors Marnie Blok, Fatih Abay, Elaheh Nobakht : “We as a jury were unanimous. Although we argued along the way about a possible winner – and did not always agree, when this film came along – we looked at each other and knew, we have a winner. For this film addressed issues such as social class, gender, authority, inclusion and empowerment in a superior mix of humor and emotions. The performances of the young cast members are impressive. This film addresses the very important basic human right to education,gives hope for a new generation to stand up and highlights the utmost importance of dedicated teachers.
Special mention: ‘Terrestrial Verses’ by Ali Asgari & Alireza Khatami
The jury also paid tribute to director Agniezska Holland for her film ‘Green Border‘.
The Grand Jury Documentary Award for € 5.000. was awarded to Asmae El Moudir’s acclaimed ‘The Mother of All Lies‘.
Statement from Jury members: Lukasz Konopa, Anadil Hossain and Don Edkins: “We would like to highlight a film that brings to the fore an undocumented massacre and the retelling of this event to honor the victims and their families, and bring healing and closure to an open wound. The Mother of All Lies by Asmae El Moudir (Morocco) is innovative, angry, funny and compassionate. It addresses generational trauma and the power of stolen memories, through a family and community forced to confront a painful, and unresolved past. Using a hybrid form of storytelling which takes a bold and creative approach the filmmaker takes us on a journey to excavate emotions and artefacts to confront human rights violations and freedom of speech in her country. Recreating a miniature stage for her characters to revisit this unspoken tragedy, this deeply personal film allows the memories and actions from that time to begin a cathartic healing. The filmmaker displays a dexterity and ingenuity with which she weaves through a complex narrative and we are intrigued to see where this will take her in future endeavors.”
Special mention: ‘Soundtrack to a Coup D’Etat‘ by Johan Grimonprez.
Activist Documentary Award
Winner: ‘Mediha’ by Hasan Oswald & Mediha Ibrahim Alhamad
Special mention: Our Land, Our Freedom by Meena Nanji & Zippy Kimundu.
Camera Justitia Award
Winner: ‘Kix’ by Bálint Révész & Dávid Mikulán
Special mention: ‘I Shall Not Hate’ by Tal Barda
Dutch Movies Matter Award
Winner: ‘Eddy’s oorlog’ by Joost van der Valk
Shorts Award
Winner: ‘Mast-del’ by Maryam Tafakory
Education Award
Winner: ‘The Mind Game’ by Sajid Khan Nasiri, Eefje Blankevoort & Els van Driel
Special mention:’Waves of War’ (Kleinkinderen van de Oost) by Daan van Citters
Students’ Choice Award
Winner: ‘Photophobia’ by Pavol Pekar?ík & Ivan Ostrochovský