32nd Warsaw Film Festival

07.10.2016 to 16.10.2016
Warsaw
The Distinguished Citizen

El ciudadano ilustre

"Hjartasteinn" (Heartstone) by Icelandic director Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson is the winner of the Ecumenical Jury's Prize in Warsaw 2016. Guðmundsson was also awarded as Best Director by the official festival jury. The Grand Prix of the festival went to "Malaria" by Parviz Shahbazi (Iran).

The opening film of the 32nd Warsaw Film Festival was "The Distinguished Citizen" (El ciudadano ilustre) by Gastón Duprat and Mariano Cohn. The film just premiered in Venice. The Ecumenical Jury judged the 15 films of the International Competition. Other sections are the Competition 1-2 (for first and second feature films), the Documentary Competition, the Short Film Competition and the Free Spirit Competition for innovative films. As Classics from Poland the festival screened three films by Andrzej Kondriatuk who passed away this year.

Link: Festival website

Awards of the Ecumenical Jury

Heartstone
2016

The jury awards its Prize to "Heartstone" for its comprehensive vision of a childhood close to nature in a remote Icelandic village. The film describes the shifting feelings of two friends at the verge of maturity searching for their identity. Adapting to changing social surroundings, their relationship will have to get along with their family members and friends, boys and girls... and ongoing gossip. In a delicate way the director describes the ability for rebirth.