Danish director Lea Glob’s Apolonia, Apolonia has won best film in the international competition at the 35th edition of International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), running 9-20 November.
The award, which comes with a €15,000 euro cash prize, was confirmed on Thursday evening in a ceremony at ITA (International Theatre Amsterdam) that was streamed live.
Apolonia, Apolonia, backed by HBO Max and ARTE and sold by CAT&Docs, follows brilliant young artist Apolonia Sokol over a period of 13 years. It was produced by Sidsel Siersted for Danish Documentary Production.
“This film has characters who breathe life and take us on a journey, opening us up to the worlds of culture and art, of business and politics, of the mechanics of a success story. It is infused with love,” stated the jury members comprising filmmaker Pirjo Honkasalo, IFFR head Vanja Kaludjercic, Egyptian auteur Yousry Nasrallah, director and editor Mary Stephen, and critic and festival programmer Yoshi Yatabe.
The IDFA Award for best directing in the international competition went to crowdpleaser Much Ado About Dying from UK filmmaker, Simon Chambers and produced by David Rane of Soilsiu Films. The Irish-UK made film covers the last months of the director’s flamboyant, Shakespeare-loving uncle, David. The award comes with a prize worth €5,000.
Also in the international competition, the IDFA Award for best editing (worth €2,500) went to Mario Steenbergen for Petra Lataster-Czisch and Peter Lataster’s documentary Journey Through Our World. The intimate film was shot in the directors’ home and back garden during the pandemic and also picked up the award for Best Dutch Film. The IDFA Award for best cinematography – international competition went to Paul Guilhaume for Paradise.
In the Envision Competition, the best film award worth €15,000 went to Angie Vinchito for Manifesto, one of the most hotly debated films in the festival. This is a found footage film featuring extreme videos shot by Russian teenagers and posted on social media. “The filmmaker blew us away with his ability to structure and edit the found footage of these individual voices into a powerful collective choir,” said the jury of producer Rosa Bosch, The Match Factory executive Thania Dimitrakopoulou, Polish director Pawel Lozinski, visual artist and filmmaker Juanna Manna, and artist Kidlat Tahimi.
Meanwhile, the award for best directing (worth €5,000) in the Envision Competition went to Roberta Torre for The Fabulous Ones, while the prize for outstanding artistic contribution (worth €2,500) went to Ishtar Yasin Gutiérrez for My Lost Country.
UK director Darren Emerson won the IDFA DocLab Award for Immersive Non-Fiction, worth €5,000, for his VR deep dive into 1980s rave culture, In Pursuit Of Repetitive Beats. The other main DocLab Award, for digital storytelling, went to Taylor McCue for He Fucked The Girl Out Of Me, an interactive story about Ann, a trans person who becomes involved in sex work with deeply traumatising results. This category also carried a €5,000 award.
Among several special mentions was Mark Cousins for The March On Rome.
Full list of 2022 IDFA winners
IDFA Award for Best Film - International Competition
Apolonia, Apolonia, dir. Lea Glob
IDFA Award for Best Directing - International Competition
Much Ado About Dying, dir. Simon Chambers
IDFA Award for Best Editing - International Competition
Journey Through Our World, Mario Steenbergen
IDFA Award for Best Cinematography - International Competition
Paradise, Paul Guilhaume
IDFA Award for Best Film - Envision Competition
Manifesto, dir. Angie Vinchito
IDFA Award for Best Directing - Envision Competition
The Fabulous Ones, dir. Roberta Torre
IDFA Award for Outstanding Artistic Contribution - Envision Competition
My Lost Country, dir. Ishtar Yasin Gutiérrez
Special Mention - Envision Competition
Notes For A Film, dir. Ignacio Agüero
IDFA DocLab Award for Immersive Non-Fiction
In Pursuit Of Repetitive Beats, dir. Darren Emerson
Special Jury Award for Creative Technology
Plastisapiens, dirs. Miri Cherkhanovich and Edith Jorisch
IDFA DocLab Award for Digital Storytelling
He Fucked The Girl Out Of Me, dir. Taylor McCue
Special Jury Award for Creative Technology
His Name Is my Name, dirs. Eline Jongsma and Kel O’Neill.
IDFA Award for Best Short Documentary
Away, dir. Ruslan Fedotow
Special Mention - Short Documentary
The Porters, dir. Sarah Vanagt
IDFA Award for Best Youth Film (14+)
Home Is Somewhere Else, dirs. Carlos Hagerman and Jorge Villalobos.
IDFA Award for Best Youth Film (9-13)
Ramboy, dir. Matthias Joulaud
Special Mention - Youth Film|
Jasmin’s Two Homes, dirs. Inka Achté and Hanna Karppinen
IDFA Award for Best First Feature
The Etilaat Roz, dir. Abbas Rezaie
Special Mention - First Feature
Guapo’y, dir. Sofia Paoli Thorne
IDFA Award for Best Dutch Film
Journey Through Our World, dir. Petra Lataster-Czisch and Peter Lataster
Special Mention - Best Dutch Film
Inside My Heart, dir. Saskia Boddeke
Beeld & Geluid IDFA Reframe Award
Private Footage, dir. Janaína Nagata
Special Mention - Beeld & Geluid IDFA Reframe Award
The March On Rome, dir. Mark Cousins
IDFA Forum Award for Best Pitch
Niñxs, dir. Kani Lapuerta
IDFA Forum Award for Best Rough Cut
The Tuba Thieves, dir. Alison O’Daniel
IDFA DocLab Forum Award
We Speak Their Names in Hushed Tones, dir. Omoregie Osakpolor.
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