14 feature films in competition, all Hungarian premieres, 6 feature films out of competition, 9 classical movies in the PORT.hu CineClassics section, 19 short films, 10 documentaries, 15 animated movies, 3 exhibitions, 3 workshops, conferences, several professional meetings – issues of the 8th Miskolc International Film Festival which ended on 25 September. Due to the achievements of the last 8 years, Jameson CineFest has become the best film festival in Hungary.
Jameson CineFest’s main prize, named after the Miskolc born Oscar winner director-screenwriter Emeric Pressburger, was awarded to Karl Markovics’s movie Atmen (Breathing), and the award was received by Thomas Schubert, the film’s leading actor. It is Markovics’s, one of Austria’s most famous and most popular actors’ first work as a director, and it is the official Austrian Oscar nominee. Austria received the jury’s grand prix either: the film Michael arrived to Hungary straight from Cannes, and it is the first direction of Markus Schleinzer, Michael Hanekes casting director.
Emeric Pressburger Prize: Atmen
Max Zahle’s Raju proved to be the best short film and its award was offered by Daazo.com. The best documentary was Viktor Oszkár Nagy’s Két világ között (Caught Between Two Worlds). The best animated film’s award, which is wearing the name of Attila Dargay for the honouring of the animation artist with Miskolc origins, was offered by KEDD Animation Studio and it went to A Lost And Found Box of Human Sensation. FICC, the International Federation of Film Societies favoured Christian Schwochow’s Die Unsichtbare (Cracks In The Shell) and honoured this production with the Don Quijote Award. Film New Europe’s award went to Adrian Sitaru’s Best Intentions as the best (Hungarian-Romanian) coproduction, and the award was received by Emőke Vágási co-producer.
Best Short Film – Daazo.com Prize: Raju
This year, in Miskolc International Film Festival, international ecumenical jury awarded the films for the first time, and it is a very important step in enhancing the festival’s international reputation. They also awarded Atmen, a film which due to receiving the film critics’ award, either, could bag three awards at once.
Grand Prix Spécial: Michael
The ever improving PORT.hu CineClassics film historical program series, with the patronage of legendary director István Szabó, screened a complete István Szőts retrospective. In the Miskolc Galery, an exhibition and conference commemorated the great director of the Emberek a havason (People in the Alps) which was shot 70 years ago. The audience could visit a large-scale Krzysztof Kieslowski and Tamás Major exhibition; furthermore, there was a film forum held on the transformation of film industry’s support system, and roma workshop and a three-day cinema conference were also organized. And, of course, several concerts and parties were hosted by the festival – staying faithful to the Jameson CineFest traditions.
