The Ecumenical Jury in Cottbus 2018, from left: Chris Deacy, Barbara Schantz-Derboven, Guido Convents, Franz Günther Weyrich (© FilmFestival Cottbus, Thomas Goethe)
"Ayka" by Sergei Dvortsevoj won the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the 28th Film Festival Cottbus 2018. The film by the Kazakh director also received the main prize of the festival, the "Lubina" for the best film. The special prize for best director was won by "Podbrosy" (Jumpman) by Ivan I. Tverdovskij. The jury of international film critics (Fipresci) awarded "Teret" (The Load) by Ognjen Glavonić, "Cold War" by Paweł Pawlikowski won the Audience Award.
The festival opened on 6th November. Already on Monday, November 5, the 16th Cottbus FilmSchau took place, a short film competition to support the cinematic new generation, which is regarded as an unofficial kick-off of the festival. The main prize won "So nah, so fern" (So close, so far) by Alexandra Grafke. The jury, which included INTERFILM's jury coordinator Hans Hodel, awarded the Special Prize of the Foundation for the Sorbian People to "Naturschutzgroßprojekt Lausitzer Seenland" (Protected Lusatian Lakeland Project) by Leon Babucke.
Link: Festival Website
Awards
In an unconventional kinetic and visceral style of filmmaking the director tells the story of a Kyrgyz migrant woman, Ayka, in Moscow. In depicting the exploitation, abuse and hardship of illegal migrants, the film gives a face to the faceless. The audience is challenged to discover the sufferings of the marginalized.
