The film
An Orange from Jaffa
, directed by Palestinian Mohammed Almughanni, won the International Grand Prix at the 46th Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival, the largest event of its kind in the world, the organizers announced on Saturday.
The short film tells the story of Mohammed, a young Palestinian, who is desperately looking for a taxi to allow him to cross a checkpoint to join his mother who is waiting for him on the Israeli side.
Director, screenwriter and cinematographer, Mohammed Almughanni was born in Gaza in 1994. He studied directing at the National Film School in Lodz, Poland, before working on numerous films in Cuba, in the Territories Palestinians, in Denmark or China.
His works include
Blacklisted
(2021),
Son Of The Streets
(2020),
Falafala
(2019).
Attendance record
The National Grand Prize went to Frenchwoman Julia Kowalski, for her film
I Saw the Devil's Face
.
Born in France to Polish parents, Julia Kowalski questions her relationship with her country of origin through her films, constantly refining her favorite themes: the working environment, adolescence, family, sexuality, alternating between fiction and documentaries.
His first feature film,
Spit the Heart
, was presented in 2016 at Cannes in the ACID selection.
I saw the face of the devil
, halfway between fiction and documentary, tells the crazy story of a young Polish woman experiencing a crisis of belief.
The grand prize of the “Lab” competition went to
AliEN0089
by Chilean Valeria Hofmann.
Some 133 short films, chosen from 9,400 registered films, were in competition in this 46th edition marked by budgetary constraints, and by a reduction in the number of programs in its competitions.
One of the highlights of this festival was the award ceremony for the best VR (virtual reality) film, the first in history:
Emperor
by Marion Burger and Ilan J. Cohen.
This edition, which saw a record attendance of 166,000 entries, was particularly dedicated to women, and more particularly to 24 European directors.
The jury responsible for deciding between the winners was made up exclusively of women (eleven).