EAST SILVER

Silver Eye Awards Go to Documentaries from Poland and Austria

31. 10. 2015

Author: Barbora Holková

For the seventh time at Jihlava International Film Festival, Institute of Documentary Film announced Silver Eye winners at the Closing Ceremony. Winners are granted prize money of EUR 1 500 and year-round festival service of East Silver Caravan. The awards are supported by MEDIA Programme / Creative Europe. The holders of the awards are three extraordinary documentaries from East Silver Market, selected in three categories.

Silver Eye winners 2015:

Best short documentary:
Snails (Grzegorz Szczepaniak, Poland, 2015)

Best mid-length documentary: Casa Blanca (Aleksandra Maciuszek, Poland, 2015)
Special Mention: Prison System 4614 (Jan Soldat, Germany, 2015)

Best feature-length documentary: Over the Years (Nikolaus Geyrhalter, Austria, 2015)
Special Mention: Drifter (Gábor Hörcher, Germany, Hungary, 2014)

The winners were selected by international jurors ranging from sales agents, distributors, festival and alternative distribution specialist:

Short documentary jury:
Isis Graham, Influence Film Club, Sweden, Film Fund Representative
Diane Henderson, Edinburgh IFF, UK, Film Festival Representative
Melissa Lindgren, Tempo Documentary Festival, Sweden, Film Festival Representative

Mid-length documentary jury:
Sara Garcia Villaneuva, Play-Doc, Spain, Film Festival Representative
Maja Lindquist, Doc Lounge and Nordisk Panorama, Sweden, Alternative Distribution Platform & Film Festival Representative
Stuart William Sloan, Second Chance Cinema, UK, Pop-up Cinema

Feature documentary jury:
Vincent Lucassen, Under the Milky Way, Austria, Video on Demand
Barbara Orlicz-Szczypuła, Krakow Film Festival, Poland, Film Festival Representative
Julianne Rooney, The Frontline Club, UK, Film Club Representative
Katrina Schelin, DOXBIO, Denmark, Distributor

The jury statements:
Best short documentary: Snails
A quirky, humorous films with a score to die for. Told with respect to its characters whose passion – “joie de vie” – shines through. The Silver Eye Award for best short film goes to “Snails”.

Best mid-length documentary: Casa Blanca
A film that portrays the love between a son and a mother who are equally depending on each other, a fresh take on a traditional story told in a very subtle and clever way. The award goes to Casa Blaca by Alexsandra Maciuszek
Special Mention: Prison System 4614
The jury also wants to give a special mention to a film that approaches a controversial topic from a humanist, humorous and even tender point of view. The special mention goes to Prison System 4614 by Jan Soldat

Best feature-length documentary: Over the Years & Special Mention: Drifter
In making our decision, the jury came unanimously to two films. These films stylistically differ -- one takes an observational approach to its subjects while the other is dynamic in response to its character's chaotic and fast-paced life. The common thread of these two powerful films is their intimate portrayal of character and emotion.
For honourable mention, we would have chosen Drifter. In this film, director Gabor Hörcher discovers an extraordinary young character living on the edge of society, and portrays his experiences with an unbelievable presence and sensitivity. The film maintains masterful camera work while closely observing dramatic, life-changing events.
For the feature length winner we have selected Over the Years by Nikolaus Geyrhalter. Over The Years is sensitive and attuned to the unique characters it follows, capturing their everyday lives with stunning imagery and rhythmic narrative. The ten year shooting period displays a technical craftsmanship that supports the themes of ageing, transition, and resilience.


All the winners of Silver Eye got, apart from the Award by Czech designer Tereza Durdilová, a financial prize in the amount of 1 500€ and the year-round distributional support of East Silver Caravan (worth another 1 500€), helping them to reach more than 120 international film festivals. The Awards are supported by MEDIA Programme / Creative Europe.

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