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On 20 October, at Sala Marconi in Città del Vaticano, the International Jury of Religion Today 2010, composed of Clementine Ederveen (Lotus Film, The Netherlands), Dror Shwartz (Jerusalem Cinematheque), Steve Warne (producer, Australia), Ahmed Zamal (director Dhaka International Film Festival, Bangladesh) and Zohreh Zamani (filmmaker, Iran), confered the following awards:
Religion Today Award "In the Spirit of Faith": NO GREATER LOVE (Michael Whyte, doc, UK 2009) A journey of faith in which we gently research the everyday life and inner sanctum of a nuns' convent that's notable for its restrictions on speech in the service of devotion. The sisters' humanity is revealed and the value of inner reflection is thrown into relief. A powerful message for those of us who inhabit fast societies that militate against the possibility of wisdom and the love of God. Beautifully crafted, this almost monochromatic documentary is anything but stereotypical. An amazing achievement, given that it was also edited and shot by the director alone. Best Film: LOURDES (Jessica Hausner, film, Austria/France 2009) A journey of faith in which a paralysed girl makes a pilgrimage to Lourdes - the French village famous for the possibility of miracle cures. Superbly directed and performed, it walks a tightrope between the celebration of the miracle of love which enables her to dance again and the question as to why a merciful God does not grant such opportunities to all. Special Mention: MEKAEL (Jamshid Bahmani, film, Iran 2010) A jewel-like film in which doubting villagers long for the truth as to whether or not a mother's son has, or has not, really returned home from a war. A mystical journey of both hope and faith, in which a mother's love for her son keeps him alive. Reality or fantasy? Best Short Film: SALIM (Tommaso Landucci, short film, Italy 2009)
A heart-warming story of a young Muslim boy who escapes from the police after a robbery and seeks refuge in a Catholic church, where he spends the night. The director's vision culminates in a touching scene in which, the next morning, the boy and a priest, unaware of each other's presence, pray to their God. Best Documentary: IN THE SHADOW OF BUDDHA (Heather Kessinger, doc, India/US 2010) Through the ageless smile of a group of Buddhist nuns, the director takes us on a journey of faith revealing their spiritual presence. The longing of the older nuns to dedicate their lives to the teaching of the Buddha only becomes a reality through the younger generations. The film celebrates the essence of Buddhism in a scene in which sparkling young nuns debate the value of impermanence. Special Mention: OUT OF CORDOBA: AVERROES AND MAIMONIDES IN THEIR TIME AND OURS (Jacob Bender, doc, US/Spain 2010) A journey of hope, impeccably researched, in which we accompany an American Jew who is searching for historical examples of societies that have tolerated the coexistence of Muslims, Jews and Christians and encouraged intellectual and artistic collaboration. This, in the wake of September 11th 2001 and the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. It explores how the Muslim and Jewish philosophers/scientists Averroes and Maimonedes developed interpretations of their faiths which welcomed interfaith dialogue and closed the doors to fundamentalists. A timely message for sure. This year a special prize has again been awarded by a SIGNIS jury (World Catholic Association for Communication), composed of Andrea Sponchiado (Italy), Margarida Ataìde (Portugal) and Dulce Araujo Evora (Capo Verde).
Signis Award: ZEN AND WAR (Alexander Oey, doc, The Netherlands 2010) For its clear narrative and effective visual language showing how the principles of Zen were suppressed during the war between Japan and China. A reminder of how religious faith can easily be blinded by nationalistic causes. Signis Special Mention: HALAKEH (Avigail Sperber, film, Israel 2008) For the way in which it captures the contrast between religious fundamentalism and a more balanced view of faith through the intense interpretation of the actors, especially a young boy. Other prizes were awarded by the special juries in the cities of the Festival: Journeys of Faith. Journeys of Hope Special Jury of Young People from Pergine Valsugana PREZZEMOLO, SENSA PILE SENSA CURENT ELETRICA (Sandro Gastinelli e Marzia Pellegrino, doc, Italy 2008) Dialogue and Peace Inter-religious Jury Trento - Don Silvio Franch ONE YEAR WITH SOHEIB BENCHEIKH (Michèle Bourgeot, doc, France 2009) Religion and Society Special Jury of Journalists from the city of Trento RELIGION.COM (Ron Ofer e Yohai Hakak, doc, Israel 2010) Special Mentions - AMEN (Stefano Cattini, doc, Italia 2009) - COURAGEOUS AGAINST MARX AND MIELKE (Gerold Hofmann, doc, Germany 2009) Women and Religions Special Jury of Arco IN THE SHADOW OF BUDDHA (Heather Kessinger, doc, India/US 2010) Rites and Beliefs Trento Special Jury - in memory of Massimo Prevedello THE WAY OF TAO (Yves de Peretti, doc, France 2010) Schools and Communication Special Jury of Students from the city of Bolzano LA RETTA VIA (Roberta Cortella; Marco Leopardi, doc, Italy 2009) Young people and Communication Special Jury FSC Università Pontificia Salesiana JESUSITO DE MI VIDA (Jesùs Perez-Miranda, short film, Spain 2009) Fraternity Special Jury of Nomadelfia WHEN A LINE OF LIGHT SHINES (Shahriar Pourseyedian, doc, Iran 2009) Special mention SEMPRE PIU' IN LA': AL CUORE DELLA MONGOLIA (Carlo De Biase, Paola De Biase, doc, Italy 2010)
e-mail segreteria: segreteria@religionfilm.com - e-mail ufficio stampa: religion.today@gmail.com