The 2021 Docu Talents from the East Award East Award, organised by Ji.hlava IDFF, was handed out August 19 to the Russian project Freedom Squared*, directed by Anastasia Zverkova and produced by Anastasia Alexeeva (Saltstudio).
The jury, composed of Bulgarian producer Martichka Bozhilova, Berlinale selector Sergio Fant, Natalia Arshavskaya from Current Time TV, Filipino producer Armi Rae Cacanindin, and Jarmila Outratová representing Ji.hlava IDFF said in their citation: “We chose this project for its great potential to tackle the topics of solitude and isolation complicated by the pervasive Covid situation. The subject connects universal matters with extremely timely issues of humanity, spirituality and science. The artistic quality of the picture makes us believe that the talented filmmaker can express her vision by dealing with the subject and treating the material well.”
The award is accompanied by a financial prize of 5,000 USD offered together with Ji.hlava IDFF’s partner Current Time TV.
Prizes of the Docu Rough Cut Boutique, organized in association with the Balkan Doc Center:
Movies that Matter Award No Place for You in Our Town, Nikolay Stefanov
IDFA Award Bottlemen, Nemanja Vojinović
DOK Preview Award Cent’anni, Maja Doroteja Prelog
CAT&Docs Award (€2000) Bottlemen, Nemanja Vojinović
HBO Europe Award (€2000) No Place for You in Our Town, Nikolay Stefanov
Avanpost Media Award (in kind post-production services worth €2000)
Cent’anni, Maja Doroteja Prelog
Sarajevo Film Festival Short Film Nominee for the Candidacy for the European Film Academy Award: My Uncle Tudor by Olga Lucovnicova
During the 2021 Docu Talents from the East programme, eight documentaries from Central and Eastern Europe, planned for theatrical release during the upcoming 12 months, and representing Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia, and Slovakia.
Since 2005, Docu Talents has been a launch pad for a number of documentaries by both renowned and emerging directors such as Laila Pakalniņa, Vladimir Mansky, Bartek Konopka, Piotr Stasik, Peter Kerekes, Dmitrii Kalashnikov and Helena Třeštíková. Films presented at Docu Talents in the past had world and international premieres at major film festivals including in Cannes, Berlin, Locarno, Rotterdam and Sundance.
“We have been following the region of Central and Eastern Europe through Docu Talents for 17 years, thus promoting the cinematography which is often omitted by others. And every year the selection confirms to us that there are many new authors to discover”, says Marek Hovorka, director of the Ji.hlava IDFF and curator of Docu Talents.
*In Freedom Squared, a young space medicine scientist goes to Vostok Station (Antarctica), the coldest point on the planet, to observe how the lack of sunlight affects eyesight. But when left alone at the station, lack of communication sharpens his imagination as well. Are we ready for long space flights spiritually as well as physically?
“Our film is about the meeting of oneself in conditions of prolonged isolation. According to the UN research, in 2020, due to the pandemic, 2.6 billion people were isolated. It’s almost a third of the global population. The isolation caused the escalation of suicides, cases of domestic violence and family conflicts. Obviously, loneliness in isolation has become a serious challenge for humanity,” says director Anastasia Zverkova, before asking, “Is a human-being ready to conquer space not only technically, but also spiritually? Maybe the way to deep space lies through inner space? Definitely, it’s the right time to think about it.”
