Sergei Loznitsa\u2019s ‚Mr. Landsbergis‘ triumphed in International Competition, while Karim Kassem\u2019s ‚Octopus‘ won Envision Competition.<\/b>
\nSergei Loznitsa\u2019s extensive documentary \u201cMr. Landsbergis,\u201d clocking in at 246 minutes and depicting Lithuania\u2019s \u201csinging revolution\u201d when the country finally broke away from the Soviet Union, has won the Best Film award in the International Competition section, as well as \u20ac15,000, at documentary film festival IDFA in Amsterdam. It marks the second 2021 release for the prolific filmmaker, who has already shown \u201cBabi Yar. Context\u201d at Cannes Film Festival in July. The latter film was also noticed at IDFA and granted the Beeld en Geluid IDFA ReFrame Award for Best Creative Use of Archive\u2019s special mention. \u201cOn every level of craft, the winning film represents a monumental achievement that fully explores the role one man, one nation, and one historical moment can play in the still-unfolding story of the global struggle for freedom and self-determination,\u201d argued jurors Arne Birkenstock, Claire Diao, Elena Fortes, Jessica Kiang and Ryan Krivoshey, admitting that while it\u2019s not easy to bring history to life, \u201cit is even more difficult to make it thrilling, urgent and totally enriching.\u201d A co-production between Lithuania and the Netherlands, \u201cMr. Landsbergis\u201d \u2013 awarded also for Danielius Kokanauskis\u2019 editing \u2013 was produced by Uljana Kim for Studio Uljana Kim, Maria Choustova and Loznitsa himself for Atoms & Void, and Current Time TV. The IDFA Award for Best Directing went to H\u00e0 L\u1ec7 Di\u1ec5m for \u201cChildren of the Mist,\u201d in which she explores the traditions of the Hmong ethnic minority in Vietnam, including the controversial practice of \u201cbride kidnapping.\u201d Finally, Belarusian director Ruslan Fedotow\u2019s journey into the depths of the Moscow metro, \u201cWhere Are We Headed?,\u201d was noticed for its cinematography. \u201cWhen I used to live in Belarus, taking the metro wasn\u2019t just about getting from one point to another. I liked to observe people there,\u201d Fedotow told Variety earlier this week. \u201cIt\u2019s a public space, like a library, a whole different life happening underground.\u201d Fedotow\u2019s film also scored the award for Best First Feature, with \u201cChildren of the Mist\u201d getting special mention. It marked the first time the cross-section awards were presented at the fest, alongside Best Dutch Film (\u201cJason\u201d), the FIPRESCI Award (\u201cMakeup Artist\u201d) and the Beeld en Geluid IDFA ReFrame Award for Best Creative Use of Archive (\u201cUltraviolette and the Blood-Spitters\u201d). In the Envision Competition, Karim Kassem\u2019s \u201cOctopus\u201d (Lebanon, Qatar, United States) proved to be the winner, praised by jurors Andrea Arnold, Joe Bini, Charlotte Serrand and Akram Zaatari for its portrayal of the aftermath of the Port of Beirut explosion and its \u201clanguage of mystery and loss.\u201d \u201cIt was made with great respect towards the subject matter and it felt like a story told from the inside. There are no answers presented, just the questions of life in the face of a disaster,\u201d they added. The film was produced by Karim Kassem and Moustafa Kassem, with Elizabeth Potter handling the sales. In the same section, Pim Zwier was named Best Director for \u201cO, Collecting Eggs Despite the Times,\u201d while the Award for Outstanding Artistic Contribution went to Lindiwe Matshikiza for \u201cOne Take Grace.\u201d Special mention was given to \u201cSkin\u201d by Marcos Pimentel. In the IDFA DocLab Competition for Immersive Non-Fiction, Sacha Wares and John Pring won with their project \u201cMuseum of Austerity,\u201d while the Special Jury Award for Creative Technology went to Marcel van Brakel and Mark Meeuwenoord for \u201cSymbiosis.\u201d The 34th edition of IDFA has run as an in-person event. To date, it has received more than 100,000 cinema visits, and had approximately 3,000 guests in Amsterdam and online. You can find the full list of winners here.<\/p>\n