The 17th Verzió International Human Rights Film Festival gave the following awards during its closing ceremony November 22.
Human Rights Film Award: Welcome to Chechnya (USA, d. David France)
Student/Debut Film Award: Sonny (Poland, d. Paweł Chorzępa)
Best Hungarian Film Award: Give Me Shelter (Hungary, d. Mihály Schwechtje)
Audience Award: Terminal Stage (Hungary, d. Ilona Gaal and Balázs Wizner)
Human Rights Special Award: The Earth is Blue as an Orange (Ukraine, Lithuania, d. Iryna Tsilyk)
Student/Debut Special Award: Stunned, I Remain Alert (Brazil, d. Lucas H. Rossi dos Santos and Henrique Amud)
This year, over 20,000 viewers attended the festival virtually which, says the festival, exceeds both the number of previous Verzió festival attendees and the expectations of the organizers, with virtual visitors coming not only from throughout Hungary, but from around the world, especially the US, Romania, the United Kingdom and Austria.
Winners:
The winner of the Human Rights Film Award was chosen by a student jury. Their citation for Welcome to Chechnya noted how: “David France’s documentary […] speaks of a great danger that any unprotected minority might face due to the global rise of authoritarian practices.” The winner of the Human Rights Film Award received a prize of €1,000.
The Student Jury also handed out a special award to The Earth is Blue as an Orange, saying: “The film’s depiction of daily intimate scenes of a family in war-torn Ukraine sheds light on processing the trauma of war through creative filmmaking.”
For the first time, a jury comprised of international experts gave a separate award to the best film in the Hungarian competition. The €1,000 prize for the best Hungarian documentary was awarded to Give Me Shelter. Mihály Schwechtje’s film follows social worker Renáta Toszeczky as she carries out her everyday duties as manager of a Hungarian women’s shelter.
The Student/Debut competition was evaluated by an international jury comprised of Nenad Puhovski, Teréz Vincze and Giedre Žickyte, all renowned in the field of film. The winner, Sonny, is a film about family, conflict management and the power of forgiveness. The director of the award-winning film, Paweł Chorzępa, received €1,000 to support his professional advancement.
A Student/Debut Special Award was given to Stunned, I Remain Alert, in which Brazilian journalist Dermi Azavedo witnesses the ghostly return of the past to the present while using archive footage to recall his former career.
The Audience Award was given to Terminal Stage by Ilona Gaal and Balázs Wizner, which follows the last three days of a terminally-ill cancer patient in a hospice, and guides the viewer through the spiritual process of reconciling with death. This award was given by viewers who voted on the festival website. As a result, the film will be included in the School Verzió program, and will be nationally available for high schools and/or film clubs following the festival.
