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The winners of the International Ethnographic Film Festival OKO were announced 2020
On September 19, the first edition of the OKO International Ethnographic Film Festival came to an end. A jury composed of directors, film critics, actors and folklorists announced the winners of national and international competition programs.
Films competed for prizes in the "Best Feature" and "Best Short" nominations in the international and national categories. The jury composed of directors Mykhailo Ilyenko, Serhiy Proskurna and Vasyl Barkov, actress Rimma Zyubina, film critic Aksina Kurina, singer Katya Chilly and folklorist Olena Ivanovska noted the power of the international program. According to them, Ukrainian films were evaluated in this context and somewhat lost on the background of international colleagues. That is why it was decided to award two first prizes in the category of international short film. The jury also marked several works with special awards.
The first place in the category "International full-length program" was won by the film "Lamalera" by Danish director Carsten Tadi. The spectator is transported to the village of Lamalera, located on the Indonesian island of Lembata, well known for its tradition of whaling. The ancient technique of hunting, passed down from generation to generation, remains the main source of income for peasants. However, times are gradually changing - young people leave the village for work and study, while the whole world demands from the peasants to stop whaling.
Lamalera
Director: Karsten Tadie
Country: Denmark
The diploma in the same category was awarded to the film "Gushegu Exile" by Danish director Emil Norgaard Munch. The film, shot in Africa, tells the story of the fate of Gushega's women in exile. They were expelled from their villages on charges of witchcraft. Over time, women age and weaken, and some get a chance to return home. However, years of separation from family complicate the repatriation process.
Gushegu Exile
Director: Emil Nørgaard Munk
Country: Denmark and Ghana
The winner in the category "National full meter" was Maxim Rudenko's film "Portrait against the backdrop of the mountains." The film, shot with the support of the State Cinema, tells the story of a woman photographer Paraska Plytka-Horytsvit, who for many years photographed people and the place where she lived. After she died, a box with thousands of negatives was found under her bed. Maksym Rudenko's film is a mystical journey in search of a connection between the present and the past, reflected in accidentally found photonegatives.
A Portrait on the Background of Mountains
Director: Maxim Rudenko
Country: Ukraine
The first two places in the short film were shared by the films "Let's Talk About Dreams" by Italian Bruno Rocky and "These Inks Flow Deep" by Canadian director Asia Jungman. "Let's talk about dreams" is a mystical, amazing, unexpected sketch from a distant African radio that broadcasts listeners' dreams. Someone, somewhere, and people say: if you dream of a white man, you will be lucky. Samuel dreamed of Bruno, a white man. They send a tractor to the village to feed everyone by cultivating the land. The tractor journey meets dreams told on the radio, combined with the memories of Samuel, who went to Europe many years ago. Everything is going well, but given that "dreaming" is a language, this language sometimes interferes when it comes to relationships between women and men. "These inks flow deep" shows indigenous tattoo artists from across Canada who are reviving ancestral traditions that disappeared during colonization. Through the film, we learn about practices that were considered lost forever, and how their revival reflects the awakening of indigenous identity.
Talking Dreams
Director: Bruno Rocchi
Country: Italy
This Ink Runs Deep
Director: Asia Youngman
Country: Canada
Diplomas were awarded to three short meters.
"Dinner for Dead Souls" by Italian Ignacio Figus received the award "For talented reproduction of spiritual practice." In Sardinia, there is still a long-standing habit of leaving dinner for their dead on the night of November 1-2, consisting of a complete meal called sos macarrones de sos mortos (pasta of the dead). This documentary, shot in Orun, central Sardinia, with an observational approach, describes the preparation of the banquet and some of the rituals associated with it.
Supper for the Dead Souls
Director: Ignazio Figus
Country: Italy
"La Ramada" by Peruvian director Fernando Torres was awarded the diploma "For feeling the power of the ability to share someone else's loneliness." Jaime Estrada - the last artisan fisherman of the Gulf of La Ramada, one of the most important ports of ancient Peru, with abundant flora and fauna. The beaches of northern Peru are disappearing due to coastal erosion, climate change and urban sprawl. Don Jaime is the guardian of La Ramada and the traditional techniques used by fishermen in the region two thousand years ago. Currently, this beautiful beach exists only in his memory.
La Ramada
Director: Fernando Torres Salvador
Country: Peru
The diploma "Peacekeepers: In the Svanetti Mountains " was awarded to the Ukrainian film "Peacekeepers in the Mountains of Svaneti" directed by Andriy Kirshin and Myroslav Gay. "Shortly after the return of Ukrainian crews to their homeland, the then President of Ukraine received a telegram from the Georgian leadership:" We see your selfless assistance as a continuation of the historical traditions of brotherhood and mutual respect between the two fraternal peoples. We are deeply convinced that, united by pain and joy, they will live forever, passed down from generation to generation.
Peacekeepers: In the Svanetti Mountains
Director: Andriy Kirshin and Myroslav Gay
Country: Ukraine
The winners will receive diplomas and cash prizes in the amount of 25 thousand hryvnias (features) and 13 thousand hryvnias (shorts).
The awards were sponsored by the MEGOGO online cinema.
International feature films competition winners
1st prize «Lamalera», Karsten Tadi (Denmark, 54 min.)
Diploma «Gushegu Exile», Emil Norgaard Munk (Denmark, 53 min.)
Ukrainian feature films competition winners
1st prize «A Portrait on the Background of Mountains», Maxym Rudenko (Ukraine / Україна, 85 min.)
International short films competition winners
1st prize – «Talking Dreams», Bruno Rocchi (Italy, 37 min.)
1st prize - «This Ink Runs Deep», Asia Youngman (Canada,16 min.)
Diploma - «Supper for the Dead Souls», Ignazio Figus (Italy, 16 min.)
Diploma – «La Ramada», Fernando Torres Salvador (Peru, 15 min.)
Diploma - «Peacekeepers: in the Svanetti Mointains», Андрій Kirshin, Myroslav Gai (Ukraine, 25 min.)
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