The film tells of the struggle for happiness in an archaic world. The heroine experiences severe trials and has to sacrifice her happiness to save the ones she loves which clearly shows how the male-made rules of a patriarchal order determine women's choices. Finally, the film opens up a spiritual path to overcoming centuries-old traditions.
37th International Film Festival Warsaw
08.10.2021 to 17.10.2021
Warsaw
Eröffnungsfilm: Captain Volkonogov Escaped
The Ecumenical Jury at the 37th Warsaw International Film Festival awarded its prize to "Virgjëresha Shqiptare" (The Albanian Virgin) by Bujar Alimani, a co-production of Germany, Belgium, Albania and Kosovo. It also awarded a Commendation to "Ringu wandaringu" (Ring Wandering) by Masakazu Kaneko from Japan. The Grand Prix of the Festival went to "Miracol" (Miracle, Romania, Czech Republic, Latvia) by Bogdan George Apetri, the Best Director Award to Roberto Plá and Laura Santullo for their film "El otro Tom" (The Other Tom, Mexico).
On 8 October, the 37th Warsaw International Film Festival opened with the film "Kapitan Volkonogov bežal" (Captain Volkonogov Escaped) by Nataša Merkulova and Aleksej Čupov, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival. In the International Competition, 15 films were competing for the festival's awards, including the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury. The festival has four other competition sections (for first and second feature films, documentaries, shorts and the "Free Spirit" competition) and also shows films in the "Special Screenings", "Discoveries" and "Polish Classics" series. The closing film was the Bulgarian-French co-production "Women Do Cry" by Vesela Kazakova and Mina Mileva.
The Ecumenical Jury Warsaw 2021 with award winner Bujar Alimani (2nd from right; © IFF Warsaw)
Awards
The Albanian Virgin
Directed by:
2021
Ring Wandering
Directed by:
2021
A film like a window opening into the rich tradition and heritage of the Eastern world that a young man searches for.The film shows the desire of young people to help others, revealing the secret of happiness, a secret that can be felt but neither objectified nor captured. By preserving, sharing and celebrating human values, the film operates on a high artistic level.
