Apart from the audience, the prizes were awarded by members of the “big” jury – actor Goran Grgić, director and producer Bobby B. Grubić, screenwriter and writer Bojana Babić, cameraman and director of photography Davor Bjelanović and director Goran Dević, and members of the “small” jury, the self-proclaimed Stardusters consists of students from Sisak and Petrinja secondary schools – Josipa Brandić, Karla Korečić, Lucija Tuškanec and Maks Heinemann, who awarded the Award for the best student film. Martina Mladenović and Anja Kavić, selectors of the competition program, also awarded the traditional Selectors Award.
Among the 38 films in the competition, the audience gave the highest rating to the documentary film “Punim plućima” directed by Leila Elhoweris, which also won the “small jury” award for Best Student Film. In their explanation, the members of the jury state that this film deals with an especially interesting and educational topic, the shots are very artistic and the natural beauty is so realistically depicted that it takes your breath away.
The Award for the best documentary film at this year’s Star Film Fest was won by the Croatian film “Dear Filip” directed by Filip Zadro, who managed to create a documentary pearl in which the family dynamics of many of us are reflected with minimalist means, using the text of an email and pictures of an apartment.
French director Victor Cesca won the Award for the best feature film “Fortissimo” which in playfull, rhythmicall and stylisticall consistent way guides us through the story like composing music. In the explanation, the jury noted that the director created an exceptional and valuable comedy through the superb performance of the actors, the camera, the editing and the original text.
Croatian film created as part of Restart’s documentary film school “Jeste li osjetili?” directed by Tena Petrović, won the Award for the best experimental film due to its success in creating tension through minimalism and the precise juxtaposition of sound and image.
The Award for the best animated film was won by the Brazilian short film “Cadim” by Luiza Pugliesi Villacae, which through the use of artistic association and the metaphor of a birdcage, presents the author’s poetic search for freedom. The film stands out in the competition for its diversity of artistic expression through simple but effective drawings that evoke the inner state of the characters and their conflict with the environment.
The jury agreed that the winner of the Award for the best regional film (Balkan region) as well as the Stardust Award, which includes a cash prize as an incentive for further creation, is the feature film “My Nikola” directed by Martina Marasović. In the explanation, the jury highlighted the skill with which the film builds a smoldering conflict between the protagonist and her toxic immediate environment, a conflict that threatens to explode every second of the film, but actually explodes cinematically in a cinematically unexpected way.
For its impeccable rhythm and creation of tension and discomfort, the winner of the Award for Best Editing is the experimental film “I You He/ She We You They” by Turkish director Sevin Yamana.
For the most successful lighting, camera movements and scenographic elements used by the cinematographer for the general atmosphere, the Award for the best photography (camera) was awarded to the film “The Uplands” by the Hungarian director Yvonne Kerekgyarto. The camera in this film serves as a tool for telling the story, seamlessly connecting emotions and narrative through its compositions.
The selectors of the Star Film Fest competition program, Martina Mladenović and Anja Kavić, awarded the Selector’s Award to the film “Overthinker” by the Serbian director Nemanja Mladenović for the extremely skillful handling of the film frame and the perfectly blended rhythmic editing. In the explanation, selectors state that the film is driven by a character with whom everyone who has ever written an application for a project, scholarship or festival can identify – that is, all previous and future authors who apply for STAR FILM FEST.
All winners received Star Film Fest star statutes and sponsorship gifts from Croatian Railways, while the awards for the best documentary and feature film were sponsored by Valores. This year’s 10th edition of Star Film Fest took place in Sisak from August 31 to September 2 in Sisak.
