MONDAY, MAR. 26: The Bermuda International Film Festival announced the winners of this year’s event.
Two Audience Choice Awards for Best Feature and Short Film were announced at the Wrap Party held at Muse.
The Island President was the most highly rated feature by BIFF viewers — a documentary about the young leader of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed. He became the head of State of the nation urgently threatened by climate change.
It was closely followed by Hystria starring Academy Award nominee Maggie Gyllenaal and Hugh Dancy. Best Foreign Film Oscar nominee In Darkness about Nazi occupied Poland.
The Candidate won the Audience Choice Award in the Shorts category. The US film directed by Burton Grunzer, told about the about an aggressive dealmaker in a Fortune 500 company under threat by a competitor.
The audience agreed with the jury in selecting Tooty’s Wedding as a runner up. In third place was the popular, Trusting Rain, a documentary about Bermuda’s unique methods of water conservation.
Spanish short The Runaway received the Bermuda Shorts Award over 50 other entries. The film, directed by Victor Carrey, will now be considered for the Short Film Live Action Oscar next year.
The jury also gave honorary mentions to Speed of the Past, from France, directed by Rocher Dominique; Grandmothers from the U.K., directed by Afarin Eghbal; Night Shift from Germany, directed by Jan Haering; and Tooty’s Wedding from the UK, directed by Frederic Casella.
Michael K. Frith, BIFF 2012 Juror, said: “I was so delighted to be asked to participate. Thank you, BIFF, for this opportunity. It’s a cliché to say that it’s a cliché to say that the standard throughout was exceptional, but it truly was; we really did have to struggle to select a single winner. The Runaway stood out, simply as an example of the pure joy of filmmaking: the shots, the pacing, the narration, the editing, the sound design — it's just giddy! It’s amazing what it packs into just 11 minutes and how skillfully it takes all these wildly disparate images and ideas and hurtles you toward a climax that weaves them all together. Congratulations to Victor Carrey and his team. I wish them every success when it comes to the Short Film Oscar next year.
“Let me extend my appreciation and admiration to every filmmaker in the competition -- filmmaking is an art form with so many, many elements – writing, designing, acting, shooting, lighting, directing, and on and on -- and getting all of those elements right takes enormous talent and determination. And it was such a pleasure to meet so many of the short filmmakers at BIFF and hear first-hand the stories that led them to this point. On behalf of the Jury, to all the BIFF 2012 short filmmakers -- all the very best for the future! There are sure to be many success stories.”
The BIFF 2012 Jury comprised of Oscar-winning producer, Nik Powell, from the UK; Bermudian Emmy Award-winning illustrator, writer and producer, Michael K. Frith; film academic and critic, Leslie Taubman, Ph.D., from the U.S.; and local film aficionado and host of “Filmmakers' Corner” on Bermuda’s CITV, Keith Caesar.