Awards
Awards
Unveiling of the
Winners of the
42nd edition
of Le FIFA
The International Festival of Films on Art (Le FIFA) is pleased to announce the winners of its 42nd edition, which runs until March 24 in theatres and from March 22 to 31 online. This year, 13 feature films and 14 shorts were in the International Competition, and 6 feature films and 13 shorts were in a new section: the National Competition. They competed for one of eight prizes awarded by the jury: the Grand Prix, the Jury Prize, the Best Essay Award, the Best Portrait Award, the Best Canadian Feature Film Award, the Best Short Film Award, the Best Canadian Short Film Award and the Best Canadian Work Award.
“It is with great pleasure that we announce the winners of the 42nd edition of FIFA. Our warmest thanks to all the members of the Jury for accepting our invitation to participate in the selection of this year’s winners”, said Jacinthe Brisebois, FIFA Director of Art Film Programming.
BEST SHORT FILM PRIZE
THE GREAT ENDEAVOR directed by Liam Young
United States, Australia | 2023 | 9 min | No dialogue
“Through a unique creative approach, THE GREAT ENDEAVOR presents striking ideas in an artistic and cinematic style that encourages audiences to think about solutions to climate change.”
SPECIAL MENTION
Portugal, Angola | 2023 | 20 min | Portuguese | Subtitles: English
“Through the language of photography and performance, between reality and fiction, the film succeeds in conveying how deeply the memory of a past of suffering weighs on the new generations, who nevertheless manage to find hope in poetry and art to write a new history.”
Available online from March 22 to 31
BEST ESSAY PRIZE
GHOSTS OF BAGGOTONIA directed by Alan Gilsenan
Ireland | 2022 | 1 h 25 min | English
“Poetic and ambitious, this film stands out for the beauty of its images, the hypnotic rhythm of its editing and its profound knowledge of a place and a bygone era that still resonates today. For its ability to transport reality into a spectral world and its unique work on the relationship between literature, sound and images.”
Available online from March 22 to 31
BEST PORTRAIT PRIZE
AN OWL, A GARDEN AND THE WRITER directed by Sara Dolatabadi
France, Switzerland, Iran | 2023 | 1 h 23 min | Persian | Subtitles: French
“With patience and delicacy, this intimate film plunges us into the daily life of an artist whose false simplicity masks a courageous life. whose false simplicity masks a courageous and resilient life dedicated to political art in a repressive political context. For the sensitive perspective it offers on a visionary writer and inspirational family man.”
Available online from March 22 to 31
JURY PRIZE
THE ARTIST’S DAUGHTER directed by Margarita Linton
Israel | 2022 | 1 h | Russian, Hebrew | Subtitles: English
“The result of a courageous and original approach, this film bears witness to a rigorous sense of direction and a singular ability to artistically confront personal issues. For its ability to transform the portrait of an artist in his absence into a moving and pertinent self-portrait of a filmmaker who frees herself from a father figure as admired as he is harmful.”
Available online from March 22 to 31
GRAND PRIZE
LA RICERCA directed by Giuseppe Petruzzellis
Italy | 2023 | 1 h 2 min Italian | Subtitles: English
“At once modest and surprisingly wide-ranging, this film opens as a portrait of a man with a strange passion of a man with a strange passion. Step by step, the anecdotal subtly gives way to a profound on the world, the history of humanity and the very notion of art. For his ability to explore all the facets, both aesthetic and philosophical, of an obsession obsession that is transformed — or not — into an artistic project.”
Available online from March 22 to 31
BEST CANADIAN SHORT FILM PRIZE
ART ROBOTS directed by Mathieu Fortin
Canada | 2023 | 5 min | No dialogue
“For its great technical mastery and the originality with which it tackles a timely subject, this film has captivated the jury while sparking fascinating exchanges. Visually remarkable, it boldly ventures into a narrative reminiscent of fable or tale to question, with humor, the boundaries of art, subjectivity, and existence. We particularly applaud the way in which the film’s form mirrors its content, thus reflecting upon its own subject matter. Finally, we stand before a work that has the power to reach us, both intellectually and emotionally, through unexpected avenues.”
Available online from March 22 to 31
BEST CANADIAN FILM PRIZE
THE GEOGRAPHIES OF DAR directed by Monique LeBlanc
Canada | 2023 | 1 h 13 min | English | Subtitles: French
“Visually polished, this film is a vibrant tribute to the power of fiction as a gateway to our empathy, our resilience, our consideration for the marginalized and the disenfranchised. You’ll come away from the experience steeped in its light, with a desire to look at and read the world better. A world away from self-righteousness, this film, like its subject, is never complacent. On the contrary, it is a call to the heart, and a reminder that art and literature have a real power to elevate. In this way, it is both poetic and political. A work of depth and sincerity, this portrait is not just of a writer with a singular career path, but of the infinite potential of our humanity.”
Available online from March 22 to 31
Trophies of the 42nd Edition
The International Festival of Films on Art is committed to promoting Quebec’s artistic creation and wishes to highlight the talent of local artists. For the design of the 42nd edition trophies, the choice fell on Makiko Hicher, ceramist. By collaborating with the artist, Le FIFA wishes to pay tribute to the richness of Quebec’s crafts.