Francis Lee wins Edinburgh Award for “God’s Own Country”June 30, 2017 - 14:21 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Francis Lee won the Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature Film at this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival for “God’s Own Country”, as “Glory” landed the best International Feature Film accolade, Variety said. “God’s Own Country,” which was Lee’s directorial debut, opened EIFF in its U.K. premiere, having previously created a buzz at Sundance. The film follows a young farmer who develops an intense relationship with a Romanian migrant worker. “After premiering at Sundance and Berlin it has been wonderful to see how the film has created a real resonance with people and that is why the Michael Powell Award feels so brilliant,” Lee said. The Michael Powell Jury said: “Assured direction with raw and endearing performances result in a film that has an authenticity that is both tender and brutal, a juxtaposition of landscape and emotion, which explores the question of what it means to be a man.” Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov’s “Glory” also had its U.K. premier At EIFF. It follows a railway worker who finds a pile of money on the tracks, and the unforeseen consequences that result. The International Jury said: “Deftly acted, beautifully photographed and directed, we loved this film. The subtlety of the performances and the story-telling was defined with such a lightness of touch which led to the immoral and moral choices having a heavy impact on this Jury.” Valchanov added: “This award is a recognition not only for us, but also for Bulgarian cinema, which is currently on the rise again. Thank you for being there!” Chico Pereira’s “Donkeyote” won the award for Best Documentary Feature Film. “For some of us who live or lived in Edinburgh, it holds an extra special meaning: our formative cinema experiences have been with EIFF, and just to return for our UK premiere is an honor in itself,” Pereira said. “The Full Story” won Best Short Film, and “Poles Apart” best animation. “Piano to Zanskar” by Michal Sulima was recognized at the best EIFF Work in Progress. The festival organizers also announced the most sought after films this year, with “Cars 3,” “Kaleidoscope,” “Paris Can Wait,” and “Song to Song” all featuring. Top stories The creative crew of the Public TV had chosen 13-year-old Malena as a participant of this year's contest. She called on others to also suspend their accounts over the companies’ failure to tackle hate speech. Penderecki was known for his film scores, including for William Friedkin’s “The Exorcist”, Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining”. The festival made the news public on March 19, saying that “several options are considered in order to preserve its running” Partner news | Russia provides info about arrested Armenian ex-MP Russian law enforcement agencies have provided information about the arrest of Tigran Urikhanyan. Lemkin Institue slams Pashinyan's “cryptic engagement with Genocide denial” The Lemkin Institute is alarmed over Pashinyan’s statements “questioning Armenia's legal basis to pursue justice against Turkey”. 41 detained as antigovernment protests continue in Yerevan 41 people were detained in Yerevan as people demanding Pashinian’s resignation stage campaigns of civil disobedience. Armenia votes for UN resolution granting Palestine new rights The U.N. General Assembly voted by a wide margin on May 10 to grant new “rights and privileges” to Palestine. |