Cotton Queen, by Sudanese filmmaker Suzannah Mirghani, has won the Best Feature Film Award at this year’s Thessaloniki Film Festival.
The competition winners from this year’s festival were announced this afternoon. This year’s international competition jury was led by filmmaker Elegance Bratton, Thania Dimitrakopoulou (Head of Sales at The Match Factory), and cinematographer Frederick Elmes.
Handing the award to Mirghani, Bratton said, “From the very first moment we watched it, this film found a place in our hearts. In a world plagued by genocide and war, this film reminded us of what is truly important and what we are fighting for: our families and communities.”
Set in a cotton-farming 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’d 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 that you can still make art in such dark times and receive recognition. I’d like to thank the film’s co-producer and my mentor, Annemarie Jacir, who knows the significance and the importance of this film better than anyone. I’d also like to thank the cast and crew of Sudanese origin, who are in a state of war and seeking a way out.”
Scroll down to see the full list of winners from this year’s festival.
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION AWARDS
The Best Feature Film Award “Golden Alexander – Theo Angelopoulos”, accompanied by a 10,000-euro cash prize, was bestowed to the film:
Cotton Queen by Suzannah Mirghani
COSMOTE TELEKOM, the Festival Major Sponsor, supports the Silver Alexander award with a cash prize of 5,000 euros. The award was bestowed to:
Beachcomber by Aristotelis Maragkos
The Best Actor Award:
Harry Melling for his performance in Pillion by Harry Lighton
The Best Actress Award:
Sabrina Amali for her performance in Maysoon by Nancy Biniadaki
The Best Artistic Achievement-Direction of Photography Award:
DoP Giorgos Karvelas for his work in Beachcomber by Aristotelis Maragkos
The Best Screenplay Award:
Yvonne Görlach for her work in Karla by Christina Tournatzès
MEET THE NEIGHBORS+ AWARDS
Meet the Neighbors+ competition section includes debut or sophomore films from the 36 countries of Southeastern Europe, the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Starting this year, the Best Director Award “Silver Alexander” is renamed into Best Director Award “Silver Alexander – City of Thessaloniki Award”, as the Municipality of Thessaloniki is funding the award, displaying its solid support to the Festival.
The jury is composed of:
Ali Abbasi (filmmaker)
Sofia Kokkali (actress)
Kirsten Niehuus (President of the Board of Directors of DFFF [German Federal Film Fund] and film funding expert)
The Best Feature Film Award “Golden Alexander – Michel Demopoulos”:
The Last One for The Road by Francesco Sossai
The Best Director Award “Silver Alexander – City of Thessaloniki Award”, accompanied by a 5,000-euro cash prize:
Roqia by Yanis Koussim
The Best Actor Award:
Pierpaolo Capovilla & Sergio Romano for their performances in The Last One For The Road by Francesco Sossai
The Best Actress Award:
Manuela Martelli for her performance in God Will Not Help by Hana Jušić
The Best Artistic Achievement:
God Will Not Help by Hana Jušić
>>FILM FORWARD AWARDS
The Film Forward International Competition Section presents the work of new, daring filmmakers who challenge our relationship with storytelling and aspire to renegotiate it through their debut or sophomore films, beyond the boundaries of film genres.
The jury is composed of:
Constanza Macras (choreographer)
Christos Massalas (filmmaker)
Valeria Wagner (Zurich Film Festival programmer)
The Best Feature Film Award “Golden Alexander”, accompanied by a 8,000-euro cash prize:
1001 Frames by Mehrnoush Alia
The Best Director Award “Silver Alexander”, accompanied by a 4,000-euro cash prize:
Before / After by Manoël Dupont
The Best Artistic Achievement Award:
The Chronology of Water by Kristen Stewart
A Special Mention is bestowed to the actors:
Jeremy Lamblot & Baptiste Leclère for their performances in Before / After by Manoël Dupont