The awards of the student film competition program of the 35th Film Festival Herceg Novi - Montenegro Film Festival (FFHN-MFF) will be decided by a jury consisting of: French producer, screenwriter and director Guillaume de Sey, director Nikola Ljuca and screenwriter Dunya kusturica, the organizers announced.
"The competition selection of student films will include short student films (feature, documentary, experimental, animated) with an authentic author's approach and bold visions. In the selection, schools from Southeast Europe are considered, with a special focus on academies and faculties from the region. The program was selected by the screenwriter Maja Todorovic, and the films can be seen in the amphitheater of the Park Hall, in front of the Burovina Palace", say the organizers.
With the production company "Arizona Films", De Sey is involved in more than 60 feature-length art films that are shown at film festivals, European television channels and online platforms. He studied civil engineering at the National Institute of Applied Arts in Lyon. He worked for a decade in the film editorial office of the French television channel "Canal+", where he was the artistic director, and then he also worked in the public broadcaster "France 2", after which he became an independent producer in 2000.
Ljuca is the director of well-known domestic films that were screened at numerous international and domestic festivals, where they won awards. He graduated in film directing at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade. In addition to directing, he also works as a psychodrama therapist and TA advisor.
Kusturica graduated in dramaturgy at the Academy of Arts in Belgrade. She currently works as a translator from French to Serbian, and for ten years worked as a selector at the Kustendorf film festival.
The jubilee, 35th FFHN - MFF will be held from August 22 to 28, under the slogan "We are children of film". Earlier it was announced that this year the festival is awarding awards for life's work, according to the decision of the Council of the manifestation of national importance. Awards are given to the director of photography Bojan Baseli, director Želimir Žilnik and an actress Vesna Pećanac.
The Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Bojan Bazeli, a director of photography from Herceg Novi and Los Angeles, "for a special contribution to cinematography, which is reflected in the extraordinary artistic and craft contributions he achieved during his decades-long Hollywood career."
The award was given to Želimir Žilnik for his outstanding contribution to regional and world cinematography.
"The author's commentary of Želimir Žilnik is wide-ranging and questions complex historical, political, sociological and philosophical intertwinings, which is why his work will always be a current and relevant factor in regional cinematography", explained the Council.
The Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Vesna Pećanac for the artistic significance with which she built her roles during her multi-year career, thus becoming a recognizable element of the region's cinematography.
"The characters of women that we recognize every day, and that Vesna Pećanac characterized in the films of Živko Nikolić, as well as many others on film and in the theater, will remain forever engraved in our personal and collective memories, reflecting an extremely complex social and cultural context and, especially, the position of women in it", the Council of the festival points out.
In addition to the above, in cooperation with JU Crnogorska kinoteka, FFHN will also award two Certificates of Gratitude to film editors Sonja Pekić i Gini Paović. In addition to their many years of fruitful work in the field of FTV editing, they have also earned recognition by the fact that they have been engaged for a long time to take care of our celluloid heritage in the archives of the Cinematheque.
Lifetime Achievement Awards and Certificates of Appreciation will be presented at the opening ceremony of the Festival, at Kanli Kula Fort.
In addition to the aforementioned, prizes will be awarded in three competitive selections - feature, documentary and student film, Grand Prix - Golden Mimosa for the best film, "Živko Nikolić" Award for special contribution to film expression, "Milan Žmukić" Award for contribution to the Festival, Plaque "Zoran Živković" for the Grand Prix of the Festival, the "FEDEORA" Jury Award and the Adriatic Audience Award, which is awarded by the audience within the program of the Network of Festivals of the Adriatic Region.
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