EIFF blog: For your (re) Consideration

To warm applause and a staccato litany of SLR shutters, host Grant Laughlan announced the welcome reprisal of the Edinburgh International Film Festival Awards. While not every favourite achieved acknowledgement at the ceremony, in a selection of 120 new features and 146 shorts, even nomination was a formidable achievement. What’s more, the essence of recognition was restored to its rightful place at the core of this year’s festival. Yes, the beating heart which drives Edinburgh Film Fest has well and truly been jolted back to life by 2012 festival director (and artistic defibrillator) Chris Fujiwara. 

Best Film in the International Short Film Competition

Trainspotting actor Ewan Bremner first offered a warm-toned and eloquent appraisal of two special commendations in this category: Craig Webster’s Carbon, and The Waves by Miguel Fonseca. The award was then presented to Dinosaur Eggs in the Living Room, Brazilian director Rafael Urban’s “gripping story about love, fidelity, aging and loss.”

Jury: Javier Porta Fouz, Erwin Houtenbrink and Ewan Bremner. 

British Short Film Competition

Festival director Chris Fujiwara made special mention of an acting commendation for Tom Phillips’ turn in Fun Times, a "fresh, vigorous, virile performance reminiscent of the British New Wave of the 1960s.” He then presented the award to The Making of Longbird, a “curious and wonderfully metaphysical film that questions the search for answers to the creative process.” Director Will Anderson was there to collect his prize with a profusion of appreciation and humility.

Jury: Gerald Peary, Edith Bowman and Rita Azevedo Gomes 

The McLaren Award for New British Animation

A focus for new British shorts, the McLaren Award recognises the spirit of creativity in animation. Decided by an audience vote, the winning film was again Will Anderson’s The Making of Longbird. 

Feature Film Award: The Inaugural Student Critics Jury Award

The inaugural Student Critics Jury Award went to South Korean filmmaker Jang Kun-jae’s delicate drama Sleepless Night. Juror Genevieve Bicknell first asserted the difficulty of the decision for the amateur critics, then their conclusions, “our choice was of a young filmmaker, who has a refined talent. He has created a simple yet compelling story of modern romance, in which the unremarkable becomes remarkable.”  

Jury: Genevieve Bicknell, Jonathan Glen and Liam Nolan 

Best Film in the International Feature Competition

Grant Lauchlan made clear the jury’s acknowledgment of the “outstanding, challenging and brave selection of films” that comprised the International Feature category. Special mention was made of Gastón Solnicki’s documentary Papirosen, “a real paradigm; why cinema remains relevant.” However, unanimously, the prize was awarded to Chinese director Mao Mao’s Here, Then, which the director collected from Innes & Gunn managing director Dougal Sharp.

Jury: Elliott Gould, Julietta Sichel and Lav Diaz 

Best Performance in a Feature Film

Two standout performances were recognised for the Best Performance category, those of Andrea Riseborough and Bríd Brennan for their roles in Shadow Dancer. Director James Marsh collected the awards on behalf of the actors, explaining, “Bríd was the first person I cast, and subsequently built the family around her, so it’s particularly rewarding that she receive this.” 

Jury: Jim Broadbent, Kiki Sugino and Tiina Lokk 

Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature Film

Red Road actor Kate Dickie took to the stage to present the final award, to Penny Woolcock’s One Mile Away, “A brave and honest film tackling a huge problem with sensitivity and skill.” Woolcock’s work documents an effort towards conciliation between rival gangs in Birmingham. The director left the ceremony’s audience with optimistic words. “If you’re brave and you believe in something – and you persevere – you can get somewhere.”

Jury: Jim Broadbent, Kiki Sugino and Tiina Lokk