The best film of the 50th FEST is ‘Nitram’, directed by Justin Kurzel, decided by the international jury of the Main Competition Programme, chaired by actor Miloš Biković.
According to Biković, at the 50th FEST, there were more outstanding films that deserved to be awarded than there were awards, and that whatever decision the jury made, it would not be absolutely fair.
- The time when artists are censored and banned is absurd, in which ‘Cats’ are banned is insane, and it is dangerous to ban and censor artists – said Biković and added that for ten days FEST had been an oasis of freedom and opportunity to communicate and speak about what most of the films had spoken about.
According to the jury, which included Tamara Dragičević, Đerđi Raduli, Argyris Papadimitropoulos and Toni Gojanović, a film dealing with the essential and important challenges of lack of communication between people and the devastating lack of love, creating a unique world with exceptional characters and original and authentic visual language was awarded.’
According to the jury's decision, the award for Best Director goes to the film ‘Sisterhood’ (Sestri) directed by Dina Duma. She was awarded for ‘the skill of guiding and directing young actors and remarkable storytelling through the lens’, and it was stated that ‘the film managed to tell the story of a very important social theme of our time and to initiate a dialogue.’
Upon receiving the award, the young Macedonian director Dina Duma said that she was especially happy to be in front of the FEST audience because her film had been ‘conceived’ right in Belgrade, at FEST four years ago.
- This film was made as a result of cooperation at this festival within the FEST Forward programme and I am glad to be here after four years to receive this award – said Duma.
Famous producer Dean Devlin received the Honorary Belgrade Victor Award for the Outstanding Contribution to Cinema. American producer and screenwriter, who wrote and produced the great Hollywood hits such as ‘Universal Soldier’, ‘Stargate’, ‘Independence Day’, ‘Godzilla’, ‘The Patriot’, and who shoots numerous American series in Serbia, is the largest investor in the film and television industry in our country.
- Thank you very much. When they told me that I would receive this award, I was really honored, yet very surprised. The films and TV series I did during my career were not meant to win awards or gain criticism, my idea was to entertain people. That the viewers of my films and series could escape from everything for an hour or two – Devlin said and emphasized:
- The biggest award in my life is the recognition coming from ordinary people who tell me what my work means to them. However, I received one of the most precious awards in Belgrade. While I was working here on the film ‘The Deal’ and sitting in a restaurant for lunch, a young girl and her mother approached me. A 20-year-old girl asked me in the middle of Belgrade if I was Dean Devlin. I was in shock, yet I said I was. Both she and her mother got nervous, and then she said: ‘We don't want to bother you and interrupt your lunch, but we just wanted to tell you that your series ‘Leverage’ is very important to us.’ I thanked them and added that people had said all kinds of things about my series, yet no one had ever told me that it was important to them. I asked why it was important, and she said: ‘At the time your series was shown, my family and I were going through tough times, yet we would gather every week for your series. The whole family, everyone – grandma, grandpa, uncles, aunts, brothers, sisters – we would sit and watch the series together. That hour watching television was a time when hope returned to us.’ It is the most impressive recognition and the award I have ever received. But those are Serbs. That is who you are! - said Devlin in front of the full hall of the Kombank Hall and added:
- For the past four years, I have done several films and series here and I am starting a project that will keep me here for a long time. I am grateful to you for the warmth and support you have given me, and this award means more to me than I can express. Thanks to the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Culture, Film Center Serbia, and, of course, the City of Belgrade, Dean Devlin pointed out.
The Belgrade Victor for Best Screenplay went to Yvan Attal and Yaël Langmann, for the film ‘The Accusation’ (Les choses humaines) by Yvan Attal, according to the jury's decision, ‘for extremely detailed analysis on a very complex topic and which allowed us to identify with different characters without losing tension and a balanced view of human ability to communicate from different perspectives.’
Best Actress award at the 50th FEST went to Suzanne Jouannet for her role in the aforementioned ‘The Accusation’ directed by Yvan Attal, for ‘creating a rich inner world in a more than convincing and impressive way.’
The award for Best Actor went to Caleb Landry Jones for the film ‘Nitram’ directed by Justin Kurzel ‘for a powerful and complex performance, so convincing that it erased the line between film and reality.’
The award for Best Debut of the 50th FEST went to director Sonja Tarokić for the film ‘The Staffroom’.
As the jury stated, the award went to ‘a director who was brave enough and dared to place so many different characters in one room, at the same time managing to create such an original film, which can serve as a metaphor for the state of today's society.’
Tarokić thanked the jury and FEST via video message for the award and the invitation to the Belgrade festival.
Special Mention award of the 50th FEST went to Aleksey German Jr. for the film ‘House Arrest’ (Delo).
‘A silenced, forbidden, isolated and excommunicated individual who strives for his ideas and beliefs and is therefore ready to pay the price in an unjust world,’ the jury said in a statement.
The international jury of the FEST Focus programme, consisting of Ljubica Luković, Filip Đurić and Strahinja Madžarević, presented Best Film award to the film ‘The World After Us’ (Le monde après nous) directed by Louda Ben Salah-Cazanas. As the jury states, the director with ‘surprising maturity, precisely implemented vision, manages to capture the spirit of the generation in his debut film in a witty and honest way’.
Director Louda Ben Salah-Cazanas thanked for the award via stage projection screen and said that he was sorry that he had not been able to come to FEST due to the French promotion of his film.
The jury of the FEST Focus programme especially wants to praise and single out the film ‘Heroes’ directed by Goran Nikolić, which ‘exudes an original and courageous vision, and can be a guide for young filmmakers to rely more on their ideas than on production conditions.’
- I would especially like to thank the jury for the special recognition which shows that authenticity and uncompromisingness are not qualities that have been forgotten in this country, said director Goran Nikolić and added that the biggest award for his film would be if it inspired even one person who wanted to make films to persevere.
The FEDEORA Jury Award for the best film in the international selection went to the film ‘The Accusation’ directed by Yvan Attal.
The jury for the ‘Milutin Čolić’ Politika Daily Newspaper Award composed of: Dubravka Lakić, critic, Miloš Avramović, director and producer, and Nemanja Ćeranić, director and last year's winner of this award for the film ‘Loan Shark’, unanimously decided that this award for the best film in the national selection in programmes of the 50th 2022 FEST belong to the director Stefan Arsenijević for the film ‘As Far as I Can Walk’.
‘For the extraordinary acting performance, the visual atmosphere of film images of a high European standard and for the directing skills with which one of the important themes of our continent is connected with a miniature love story that has reached epic proportions,’ said the jury.
- It is always very emotional when you are recognized and receive an award in your country and city. It is a special honour for our film to receive an award named after the founder of FEST at the jubilee 50th FEST – said the award-winner Stefan Arsenijević.
The Nebojša Đukelić Foundation Award went to the film ‘Darkling’ directed by Dušan Milić.
The jury consisting of Biljana Srbljanović, Goran Terzić and Dragan Petrović believes that the film ‘Darkling’ directed by Dušan Milić is a flawless study of the genre, based on primordial human fears of the unknown, which could be overcome if there was a social effort to get to know the unknown.
‘This film transcends local, political and ideological borders and establishes a connection with feature films of an important subgenre from the entire history of cinema and thus fully connects the contemporary personality of Nebojša Đukelić, whose name this award bears,’ the jury said in a statement.
- Although I have already received this award for the previous film, I am honored. I did not know Đukelić personally, yet he greatly influenced my work – Dušan Milić pointed out while receiving the award.
Ivan Karl, City Secretary for Culture and president of the FEST Board, and Jugoslav Pantelić, artistic director of FEST and director of the Yugoslav Film Archive, declared the 50th FEST officially closed.
- We hope that the next 51st FEST will be held in a better world without war and without diseases, and that we will, as before, look forward to what FEST has been providing for 50 years – said Pantelić, thanking the jury and guests and audience for another splendid FEST.
The curtain at the 50th FEST was closed by the RTS Symphony Orchestra with the music of the famous composer John Williams with scores from film hits such as ‘Star Wars’, ‘Indiana Jones’, ‘Superman’, ‘Harry Potter’ ...
Actors Miloš Biković, Tamara Dragičević, Katarina Radivojević, Toni Gojanović, as well as producer Dean Devlin, Jonathan English, costume designer Ivana English, director Stefan Arsenijević, director Miloš Stojanović, actor Fredrik Wagner, director Argyris Papadimitropoulos and many others paraded on the last red carpet of the 50th FEST in the Kombank Hall.
