Winners of EBS International Documentary Festival announced

Movies

Published: 29 Aug. 2022, 16:27

Winners of EBS International Documentary Festival announced

The EBS International Documentary Festival (EIDF) announced on Aug. 29 that Swedish Filmaker Magnus Gertten’s “Nelly & Nadine” (2022, above) took the Grand Prix in the Festival Choice (Competition): Global section. [EIDF]

The EBS International Documentary Festival (EIDF) announced Monday that Swedish Filmaker Magnus Gertten’s “Nelly & Nadine” (2022) took the Grand Prix in the Festival Choice (Competition): Global section.

The documentary film tells the story of two women who arrived in Malmö, Sweden, after they were emancipated from Ravensbrück concentration camp in Germany at the end of World War II. It centers around a Chinese woman named Nadine, who is a diplomat’s daughter who ran a literature salon in Paris and was arrested while helping the Jews, and Belgian opera singer Nelly. After the war, the two women lived in Venezuela and remained dedicated to each other while keeping their romantic relationship a secret from their families.

Dutch director Maasja Ooms’ “Jason” (2021), the final part of her trilogy about the dark sides of the Netherlands’ youth welfare system, won the Special Jury Award and Audience Award in the Festival Choice (Competition): Global section. The film follows a young man named Jason and his struggles to overcome his traumatic childhood dealing with domestic violence and sexual abuse.

In the Festival Choice (Competition): Asia category, Chinese filmmaker Wei Shengze’s “The Fading Nomads” (2021) about a Mongolian nomadic family living in China’s borderland region of Xinjiang took home the Grand Prix.

“Beirut: Eye of the Storm” (2021) by Lebanese director Mai Masri took the Special Jury Award and “Makeup Artist” (2021) by Iranian filmmaker Jafar Najafi won the Audience Award in the Festival Choice (Competition): Asia sector.

The EIDF Youth Eye Award was newly created this year. Twenty-four high school and college students studying film served as the jury and selected Thai documentary “Scala” (2022) by Ananta Thitanat as the winner.

BY HALEY YANG [yang.hyunjoo@joongang.co.kr]