The Award Winners of HUMAN IDFF 2020
At tonight’s Award Ceremony at Vega Scene, this year’s winners of the HUMAN award for best Norwegian documentary and the HUMAN Rights Human Wrongs Film Award for best international human rights focused documentary were announced. In addition, and for the first time, Kulturdepartementets menneskerettspris for norsk kortfilm, was handed out. We congratulate the filmmakers!
HUMAN International Documentary Film Festival would like to thank all filmmakers, producers, jury members and not least the audience for elevating this year’s festival to new heights, both for the films, conversations and audience numbers. Thank you for showing that documentary film is stronger and more relevant than ever!
You can see the two winning films of the Norwegian and International competitions Sunday night 21:00 at Vega Scene Sal 1 & 2.
The two nominees and the winner of the Kulturdepartementets menneskerettspris for norsk kortfilm 2020 appear immediately after the award ceremony 20:15 in Sal 3 at Vega.
The Norwegian Competition Program
This year eleven new Norwegian documentaries have competed for the HUMAN Award 2020 and 50 000 kr. The winning film also qualifies for an Amanda nomination for best documentary.
The Jury of the Norwegian Competition Program 2020 is Karsten Meinich, Tommy Gulliksen and Corinne van Egeraat
JURY STATEMENT IN GENERAL ON THIS COMPETITION
It has been a great joy to watch this year’s Norwegian Competition program at the HUMAN festival, a selection of 11 widely different yet equally fascinating films. They’ve opened windows into larger (and sometimes smaller) worlds, and reminded us about all the things the binds us together as human beings, rather than what divides us. At the same time, a somber mood rests over these films, as the filmmakers also show the willingness to investigate and understand the darker sides of our existence. All in all, we’d like to commend the many brave storytellers within this year’s selection – several of them young, talented filmmakers we’re excited to follow in the future – and we’re thankful for this opportunity to dive into and discuss all of these films.
Winner: iHuman
Dir: Tonje Hessen Schei
Prod: UpNorth Film
Jury statement:
In a strong competition program, it was particularly one singular work that for all of us in the jury excelled. This film is capable of engaging on such a deep level that one re-evaluates one’s perspective on the world. With tremendous dedication and willingness to pursue and discuss every single thematic thread in a daunting and complex dimension of our world, the filmmaker presents both philosophical and interpersonal issues that we can all identify with. In addition, the film’s content is expressed in ambitious visual ideas, that make the visual language as engaging as the film’s thematic discourse. With a high degree of difficulty in both the conventional, well-known storytelling techniques used, as well as in the distinct, original artistic choices made, the filmmaker succeeds in creating a magnificent documentary, where one of our most fascinating (and frightening) technological developments is explored and discussed. It makes us wiser about such a big question as how to live together as humans on this earth in the future.
This year’s main prize in the Norwegian competition program at the HUMAN festival 2020 goes to the film iHuman and director Tonje Hessen Schei.
Jury statement:
The jury is glad to be able to award an honorable mention to a film that really excited all of us. It´s a blessing for a filmmaker to discover such a unique story as this. The hard work and persistence of the director really comes through, and the jury is deeply impressed with the way the story is told and presented. Some of the scenes are jaw-dropping and the plot twists make this film a great cinematic experience.
Our honorable mention goes to The Painter and The Thief and director Benjamin Ree.
The International Competition Program
Ten international documentary films focusing on human rights issues were competing for the HUMAN Rights Human Wrongs Film Award, and 30.000 kr given by Amnesty International Norway and The Norwegian Helsinki Committee. We wish with this award to highlight filmmaker’s efforts to make human rights issues known to a wider audience.
The international jury this year has been Nora Sveaass, Gediminas Andriukaitis og Mohamed Jabaly.
Jury statement on The International Competition Program
The jury want to thank the Festival for the honor shown to us by appointing us to this very challenging and not at all easy task – namely to choose between these very strong films and topics.
And we want to congratulate the festival for an amazing programme and a strong selection of human rights documentary films from different parts of the world. The program includes films on very complex, brutal and specific challenges facing the world today, in fact, they are very relevant global issues. We also want to commend the festival organizers for not only shedding light into these issues and describing the problems and challenges but actively engage both film makers and public in important debates – and also stimulating participants to take the discussions out into the world. And in a time where human rights are under pressure, defending human rights is often risky and where the discussions on these issues may be actively oppressed or evaded, the festival contributes in a very important way.
In particular we want to commend the way in which the festival has portrayed very strong and diverse human rights defenders and their courageous work in fighting for human rights and dignity and combating violations and impunity – and it has given us an insight in the everyday life of human rights defenders – the farmer as in Maxima, the lawyer as in the Advocate, the herb grower as in Fever, the priest as in behind the blood, as a journalist in Radio Silence and prison for profit, and as a filmmaker and father in Midnight travel.
Winner: Behind the Blood
Dir: Loretta van der Horst
Jury statement:
The main award goes to a great film, that shows in a dramatic way the complexities of the violence that people are living under, in too many parts of the world.
The film is very well made, it is have been well researched and the film takes us into a situation where the lines between evil and good are blurred and it is very hard to grasp, depicting lives where violence is part of the daily social fabric where also perpetrators must be seen as victims – and where the need for justice and ways out of the violence is urgent but in large parts absent. The film speaks very directly to those of us who see it – and raises strong emotions, and involves us in the topic in a very direct way. At the same time there is the need to plant hope and keep up the human spirit. The filmmaker manages to shed light into this ongoing humanitarian crisis, in a very courageous and emphatic way. The Human Rights, human wrongs film award goes to “Behind the blood” by Loretta van der Horst.
Honorable Mention: Of Land and Bread
Dir: Ehab Tarabieh
Jury statement:
The film that we give a special mention has a uniqueness in its footage – it is used to document the everyday life of people living under occupation and severe discrimination. What it means to every day be confronted with heavily armed soldiers, and the fear it creates, something which is so well depicted in the film. Showing the eyes of the children, the distress the parents feel by not being able to protect them from violent exposures and threats. The scenes were shot by people who live these lives and skillfully combined by the filmmaker, resulting in a disturbing and unforgettable experience.
Our special mention goes to “Of land and bread” by Ehab Tarabieh and the organization B´Tselem.
Kulturdepartementets menneskerettspris for norsk kortfilm 2020
In addition, and for the first time, Kulturdepartementets menneskerettspris for norsk kortfilm, will be handed out at this year’s Awards Ceremony. This award goes to the winner film’s director and consists of 50 000 NOK given by the Norwegian Ministry of Culture, with the objective to inspire and encourage Norwegian filmmakers to address human rights issues on film and to uncover human rights violations.
You can watch the winner films the same night (Kulturdepartementets menneskerettspris for norsk kortfilm 2020) or Sunday night (The HUMAN Award 2020 and The Human Rights Human Wrongs Film Award 2020).
The jury consisted of Martha Otte, Izer Aliu and Cora Alexa Otte.
Vinner: Mobil
Kulturdepartementets menneskerettspris for kortfilm 2020 gikk til regissør Truls Krane Meby for kortfilmen MOBIL. Filmen aktualiserer hva det innebærer å være på flukt og mottakerlandenes menneskerettslige ansvar.
Mobil handler om Walid, en mindreårig flyktning fra Syria som nå bor i Lofoten. Familien hans befinner seg ved en grense i Ungarn uten penger til videre fremkomst. Walid forsøker å hjelpe dem over EU-grensen via telefon fra Norge. Publikum følger Walid rundt i postkort-vakre Lofoten mens han forsøker å finne løsninger for trygge ruter og måter å skaffe penger til menneskesmuglerne på. Walid spilles av Jawad Alkadhmani og filmen er produsert av Mer Film. Foto er av Benjamin Loeb.
Truls Krane Meby (1986) er en prisvinnende filmskaper fra Lofoten som tidligere har laget kortfilmene God Maskingeværlyd, Verdensvevede kropper og Alle er til stede.
Juryens begrunnelse:
«Mennesker på flukt til Europa har ført til en aktualisering av spørsmål rundt mottakerlandenes menneskerettslige ansvar. Å krysse hav og kontinenter har blitt et farefullt prosjekt og filmen aktualiserer spørsmålet om flyktningers menneskerettslige vern: Hva ligger i asylretten? Hvilket ansvar har nasjonalstater for å sikre flyktningers ferd på tvers av grenser? Bør asylretten internasjonaliseres?
Mobil er en godt fortalt og nydelig fotografert fiksjonsfilm. Juryen ønsker derfor å fremheve dens kunstneriske kvalitet. Billedbruken skaper en spesiell og til tider overraskende ramme for fortellingen – havet utenfor Svolvær blir analog til Middelhavet, Lofoten blir et postkort fra Beograd. Dette er en film som åpner for innlevelse med og refleksjon omkring det å være flyktning.”
Vinnerfilmen fikk sterk konkurranse fra The Dry Valley regissert av Julia Dahr og Julie Lunde Lillesæter og The Future of Iraq regissert av Thee Yezen Al-Abaide og Truls Muri.
Hele 29 bidrag var nominerte.
We congratulate all the winners and have opened ticket sales to the winning films in the Norwegian and International competition program on Sunday 21:00 at Vega Scene, sal 1 & 2.
The two nominees and the winner of the Kulturdepartementets menneskerettspris for norsk kortfilm 2020 appear immediately after the award ceremony 20:15 in Sal 3 at Vega.
