Awards at the 17th Festival of Slovenian Film

AWARDS

The Vesna Award for Best Feature and the Teleking Award for Best Live Action Feature

A Fight For
Directed by: Siniša Gačić
Produced by: Tramal Films

Explication: The full length documentary film A FIGHT FOR is a convincing and stirring document of our time. The film focuses on the images and events in front of the Ljubljana stock exchange during the efforts for profound changes in the Slovenian and global society. Siniša Gačić, the director of the convincing documentary about our times, managed to unveil the very essence of the protest and portray the protagonists, diversity of their ideas, their actions, as well as their catharsis and feelings of powerlessness.

 
The Audience Award
Sailing to Paradise
Directed by: Blaž Završnik
Produced by: Sever&Sever d.o.o.
Co-produced by:  Restart d.o.o.
 

The Vesna Award for Best Short Film
The Springtime Sleep
Directed by: Dominik Mencej
Produced by: UL AGRFT
Co produced by: RTV Slovenia

The Vesna Award for Best Direction
The Springtime Sleep
Directed by: Dominik Mencej
Produced by: UL AGRFT
Co produced by: RTV Slovenia
 

The Vesna Award for Best Script
Dominik Mencej
(The Springtime Sleep)
Produced by: UL AGRFT
Co produced by: RTV Slovenia
 
Explication of all three awards: The author of the film THE SPRINGTIME SLEEP Dominik Mencej is a mature and exceedingly creative filmmaker with a profound understanding for his film characters. Throughout the story he creates situations in order to let all of these characters develop fully. Thus the creative team and actors ensure that the film as a whole comes to life convincingly. The jury is unanimous in its decision that the short film THE SPRINGTIME SLEEP represents an achievement deserving the Vesna Awards for Best Short Film, Best Direction, and Best Script.
 

The Vesna Award for Best Actress
Anja Novak
The Springtime Sleep
Directed by: Dominik Mencej
Produced by: UL AGRFT
Co produced by: RTV Slovenia
 
Explication: Jasna in the film THE SPRINGTIME SLEEP is a demanding role, calling for the creation of a character exhibiting a complex mix of emotional and psychological conditions within a short film form. Anja Novak as Jasna is confident and very convincing.
 

The Vesna Award for Best Actor
Jernej Kogovšek
(The Tree)
Directed by: Sonja Prosenc
Produced by: Zavod Monoo
Co-produced by: RTV Slovenia, Nuframe, Staragara

Explication: The character of Alek in the film THE TREE is a thoughtful depiction of growing up in a cruel environment where a boy pays for his transformation into a man with his life.

The Vesna Award for Best Photography
Mitja Ličen
(The Tree)
Directed by: Sonja Prosenc
Produced by: Zavod Monoo
Co-produced by: RTV Slovenia, Nuframe, Staragara

Explication: The photography in the film THE TREE represents a meticulous aesthetic element, decisively co creating the surrealistic world of the film story.
 

The Vesna Award for Best Music
Janez Dovč
(The Tree)
Directed by: Sonja Prosenc
Produced by: Zavod Monoo
Co-produced by: RTV Slovenia, Nuframe, Staragara

Explication: The music in the film THE TREE and its thoughtful integration in the dramaturgy of the story manages to create an elaborate and complex musical landscape, which becomes the inner world of the protagonists, a memory of the unattainable time without fear.

The Vesna Award for Best Editing
Sašo Podgoršek
(Vashava)
Directed by: Sašo Podgoršek
Produced by: Zavod EN-KNAP

Explication: In the dance film VASHAVA the graphic, sound and dance elements are combined to create what is probably the last story of the cooperation between the filmmakers, Sašo Podgoršek, and dance group En-Knap. The harmony of all elements that make up a convincing whole was made possible by the creative process of editing, which is one of the most important film elements of the film VASHAVA.
 

The Vesna Award for Best Student Film and the Restart Award for Best Student Film
Shoes from Trieste
Directed by: Gregor Božič
Produced by: Deutsche Film- & Fernsekakademie Berlin (dffb)
Co-produced by: Arte Geye

Explication: SHOES FROM TRIESTE is a careful and thoughtful miniature. On one hand it is based on ethnology, while on the other hand it builds on a meticulously depicted social environment, where all of the characters are convincing and involved in their social as well as natural environment. Although the film was created (partly) as a student film, it demonstrates a lot of professional knowledge and substantial creative considerations.
 

The Vesna Award for Best Documentary
Foster Mom
Directed by: Miha Možina
Produced by: UL AGRFT
Co-produced by: RTV Slovenia

Explication: The documentary film FOSTER MOM is a multi layered, sincere and well rounded film narrative. From scene to scene, with maturity and sensitivity, the director Miha Možina reveals the traumas of innumerable unhappy family destinies, which frequently pass from generation to generation.
 

The Vesna Award for Best Animated Film
Prince Ki-Ki-Do: The Swamp Monster
Directed by: Grega Mastnak
Produced by: OZOR, zavod za gibljive slike

Explication: The animated film PRINCE KI-KI-DO: THE SWAMP MONSTER is a witty tale with minimalist graphics.

The Vesna Award for Best Production Design
Peter Perunović
(The Springtime Sleep)
Directed by: Dominik Mencej
Produced by: UL AGRFT
Co produced by: RTV Slovenia

Explication: The production design in the short film THE SPRINGTIME SLEEP creates a convincing film landscape, which does not merely function as scenery but as an active protagonist – a whole world to look at.
 

The Vesna Award for Best Minority Co production
Barbarians
Directed by: Ivan Ikić
Produced by: Sense Production
Co-produced by: Restart Production, OR

Explication: A strong and well balanced story of the feature debut BARBARIANS consistently analyses the vicious circle and hopelessness of the people from the edge of society.
 

The Vesna Award for Best Makeup
Mojca Goroganc Pertushevska
(Inferno)
Directed by: Vinko Möderndorfer
Produced by: Forum Ljubljana
Co-produced by: Kinorama, Sektor Film, Delirium, RTV Slovenia

Explication: The makeup design in the film INFERNO deals with the challenge and demonstrates a wide range of knowledge and skills precisely and consistently throughout the film narrative.

The Vesna Award for Best Sound
Julij Zornik
(Inferno)
Directed by: Vinko Möderndorfer
Produced by: Forum Ljubljana
Co-produced by: Kinorama, Sektor Film, Delirium, RTV Slovenia

Explication: The multi layered and technically perfect sound in the film INFERNO represents a precisely structured whole, resulting from the work of the team with an excellent ear for film sound.
 

The Stop Magazine Actress or Actor of the Year
Ajda Smrekar
(Sailing to Paradise)
Directed by: Blaž Završnik
Produced by: Sever&Sever d.o.o.
Co-produced by: Filmski center, Restart d.o.o.

Explication: The members of the Stop magazine jury – journalist and editor of the Stop film pages Marjana Vovk, film critic Bojan Kavčič and director Matevž Luzar – decided that the title of the Stop Magazine Actress or Actor of the Year 2014 should go to Ajda Smrekar for her role of Lučka in the romantic comedy Sailing to Paradise. Ajda brings freshness and energy into this feature film. With the right dose of charming peskiness she wins over the audience and develops her character from beginning to end. In the moment when Lučka appears in the film she takes the reins into her own hands and provides the momentum to the film story until the end.
 

The Slovenian Art Cinema Network Award
What about Mojca?
Directed by: Urša Menart
Produced by: Sever&Sever d.o.o.
Co-produced by: RTV Slovenia

Explication: The Slovenian Art Cinema Network consists of 27 city cinemas striving to promote high quality art films as widely as possible.

At this year's Festival of Slovenian Film we are honoured to give the first Slovenian Art Cinema Network Award, representing our joint promotion for the film.

This year's expert jury, consisting of Petra Božič (Odeon Art Cinema, Izola), Mateja Lapuh (Ptuj City Cinema) and Matjaž Marinič (Domžale City Cinema) selected a film from among eight features in the competition section. The film incites the viewers to deliberate and reflect critically on the issue of Slovenian films through representative female roles. With professional dedication and respectful attitude the author of the documentary focused on the frequently overlooked role of women. The film excels due to its clear outline and mounting rhythm, which the director spices up with humour and deliberations about the past as well as the future of female roles.

We believe that this film will be able to rekindle the interest in the Slovenian film cinematography, and therefore the award goes to the documentary What about Mojca? by the director Urša Menart.
 

The Association of Slovenian Film Critics and Publicists
The Tree
Directed by: Sonja Prosenc
Produced by: Zavod Monoo
Co-produced by: RTV Slovenia, Nuframe, Staragara

The jury of the film critics consisted of Zemira Pečovnik, Tina Poglajen and Tesa Drev

Explication: The FIPRESCI jury members who reviewed the live action features decided to give the award to the film which is not only daring in its motive and symbolic dimensions, but which also excels due to its film story on all the levels – direction, acting, photography, production design and music. The FIPRESCI Award goes to The Tree.