Queen of cotton, by Sudanese filmmaker Suzannah Mirghani, won the Best Feature Film award at this year’s Thessaloniki Film Festival.
The winners of this year’s festival competition were announced this afternoon. The jury for this year’s international competition was chaired by filmmaker Elegance Bratton, Thania Dimitrakopoulou (head of sales at The Match Factory) and cinematographer Frederick Elmes.
Presenting the award to Mirghani, Bratton said: “From the first moment we watched it, this film found a place in our hearts. In a world racked by genocide and war, this film reminded us what is truly important and what we are fighting for: our families and our communities.”
Set in a cotton-growing village in Sudan, the film follows Nafisa, who lives a simple life, picking cotton and learning from her grandmother. The arrival of a young Sudanese businessman threatens to change their way of life.
Accepting the award today, Mirghani said: “I would like to thank the Festival and the jury. This award means much more than you think, especially in these troubled times of war and genocide, for a film featuring actors displaced from their homes in Egypt and seeking refuge. It is encouraging to still be able to make art in such dark times and to be recognized. I would like to thank the film’s co-producer and my mentor, Annemarie Jacir, who knows it better than anyone. meaning and importance of this film everyone, I would also like to thank the cast and crew of Sudanese origin, who are in a state of war and looking for a way out.
Scroll down to see the full list of winners from this year’s festival.
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION PRIZE
The prize for the best feature film “Alexandre d’or – Theo Angelopoulos”, accompanied by a cash prize of 10,000 euros, was awarded to the film:
Queen of cotton by Suzannah Mirghani
COSMOTE TELEKOM, major sponsor of the festival, supports the Silver Alexander Prize with a cash reward of 5,000 euros. The prize was awarded to:
Breaking wave by Aristotle Maragos
Best Actor Award:
Harry Melling for his performance in Back seat by Harry Lighton
Best Actress Award:
Sabrina Amali for his performance in Mayson by Nancy Biniadaki
Best Artistic Achievement-Cinematography Award:
Director of photography Giorgos Karvélas for his work in Breaking wave by Aristotle Maragos
The Best Screenplay Award:
Yvonne Görlach for his work in Karla by Christine Tournatzès
MEET THE NEIGHBORS+ PRICES
The Meet the Neighbors+ competition section includes first-time or second-year films from 36 countries across Southeast Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East. From this year, the “Silver Alexander” Best Director Award is renamed “Silver Alexander – City of Thessaloniki Award” as the Municipality of Thessaloniki funds the award, demonstrating its strong support for the Festival.
The jury is composed of:
Ali Abbasi (filmmaker)
Sofila (actress)
Kirsten Niehuus (Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of DFFF [German Federal Film Fund] and expert in film financing)
Prize for best feature film “Alexandre d’or – Michel Demopoulos”:
The last one for the road by Francesco Sossai
The Silver Alexander – City of Thessaloniki Award for Best Director, accompanied by a cash prize of 5,000 euros:
Roqia by Yanis Koussim
Best Actor Award:
Pierpaolo Capovilla & Sergio Romano for their performance in The last one for the road by Francesco Sossaï
Best Actress Award:
Manuela Martelli for his performance in God won’t help by Hana Jušić
The best artistic achievement:
God won’t help by Hana Jušić
>> FRONT FILM PRICE
The Film Forward international competition section presents the work of daring new filmmakers who question our relationship to narrative and aspire to renegotiate it through their first or second films, beyond the boundaries of cinematic genres.
The jury is composed of:
Constanza Macras (choreographer)
Christos Massalas (filmmaker)
Valeria Wagner (programmer of the Zurich Film Festival)
The “Golden Alexander” Best Feature Film Award, accompanied by a cash prize of 8,000 euros:
1001 frames by Mehrnoush Alia
The “Silver Alexander” Best Director Award, accompanied by a cash prize of 4,000 euros:
Before/After by Manoël Dupont
The prize for best artistic achievement:
The water timeline by Kristen Stewart
A Special Mention is awarded to the actors:
Jeremy Lamblot & Baptiste Leclère for their performance in Before/After by Manoël Dupont
