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WACC and Cinema
Films have universal appeal. They are a form of democratic communication in which – in the words of André Bazin – the film-maker is a story-teller, 'the equal of the novelist'. Films tell stories of struggles, endeavours, achievements and failures. They explore relationships and identities – and reveal what it is to be human. |  | WACC partners with the Protestant film organisation INTERFILM and its Roman Catholic counterpart SIGNIS to provide Ecumenical Film Juries at international festivals. WACC and SIGNIS also make an annual award to a film or documentary dealing with human rights. |
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Berlin 2010 |
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| The Ecumenical Jury at the 60th Berlinale awarded its Competition prize to Bal (Honey) directed by Semih Kaplanoglu (Turkey/Germany, 2010). A splendid portrait of the poet as a young child, Bal tells the story of the blossoming of the sensibility in a rural boy, Yusuf, living in the highlands of northeast Turkey. Immersed in a forest of overwhelming beauty, Yusuf´s life points to a connection with nature that provides not only material subsistence but spiritual learning, highlighting issues such as family love and involvement in the community. Bal invites us to go deeper into this forest, on a journey that mirrors the human soul seeking the ideals and people with whom we want to share life. |
In the Panorama, the Jury awarded its prize to the film Kawasakiho Ruze (Kawasaki’s Rose) directed by Jan Hrebejk (Czech Republic, 2009). The film recounts an episode in the life of a distinguished psychologist who deals with memory and who has previously betrayed a friend who was then forced to emigrate. It explores questions of truth-telling and lying, responsibility and forgiveness, both within society and within the family. It emphasises the importance of collective and personal memory in a context of rebuilding a post-totalitarian country.
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| The Ecumenical Award in the Forum went to Aisheen (Still Alive in Gaza) directed by Nicolas Wadimoff (Switzerland/Qatar, 2010). A documentary shot after the end of the Israeli military offensive in Gaza in 2009, the film offers impressions of daily life in Gaza, showing not only the ruins but the beautiful beach, drama classes for children and the reconstruction of a roundabout destroyed by the bombs. Hope and growth blend with the sorrow of lost family members and land cultivated for generations. Life is persistent, like a dandelion growing through cracks in the asphalt.
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Montreal 2009 |
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Ceasefire was honoured with the Ecumenical Jury prize as the best competition film in the Montreal World Festival. The prize was presented to director Lancelot von Naso (Germany) by Jury chairwoman Julia Laggner, an Austrian documentary film maker. Photo (right): The Ecumenical Jury at Montreal 2009 with director Lacelot von Naso and small cineaste (centre). |  |
Iraq. A van travels on an isolated road connecting Baghdad to Fallujah. It is a few days after Easter, 2004. Until a 24-hour ceasefire was agreed to by both sides, U.S. forces and Iraqi Sunni fighters had engaged in a fierce battle for control of the city.The ceasefire would end at dawn. The van on the road to Fallujah is carrying five people with food and medical supplies for a small hospital in Fallujah. What the passengers will not know for several hours is that before the ceasefire, the U.S. had bombed the hospital...
The jury’s citation read '… Ceasefire deserves the Ecumenical prize because of its focus on human suffering in war … von Naso skillfully places the viewer directly into the situation of the protagonists … Ceasefire is a timely film where the physical journey parallels the inner transformation of the characters …. The movie challenges the audience to examine their perspective on the consequences of war and our responsibility in the face of human suffering.'
The Ecumenical Jury gave a Special Mention to Korkoro (Freedom) directed by Tony Gatlif (France) |
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Locarno 2009 |
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 | At the 62nd Locarno Film Festival held 5-15 August the Ecumenical Jury of SIGNIS and Interfilm awarded its Prize to the film Akadimia Platonos directed by Filippos Tsitos, (Greece/Germany, 2009). Through its well-considered mise en scène and deliberate camera work, this film is a detailed observation of simple people in their everyday life in a neighbourhood in Athens. With a sometimes bitter-sweet, sometimes ironical tone, the film criticises naive patriotism and xenophobia, pleading instead for the dismissal of prejudices, a good understanding between cultures and the acceptance of others even if they are different. |
In addition, the Jury awarded a Commendation to Nothing Personal directed by Urszula Antoniak (Netherlands/Ireland 2009). Subtly and by an appropriate timing the film tells a touching story of solitude and relationship. Beautiful images of pristine nature and music reveal the mood and emotions of the characters. The director conveys a strong message of hope for people violated in their lives and struggling for new relations, demonstrating respect for the freedom and independence of the other. |  |
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Cannes 2009 |
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| On its 35th anniversary, the Ecumenical Jury awarded its Prize to Looking for Eric (still - right) directed by Ken Loach (United Kingdom, 2009). The citation reads: "For its great artistic quality and its humoristic, optimistic and humanist approach to the crisis faced by contemporary society. The film portrays values that are often under fire today such as friendship, solidarity, the importance of family and dialogue towards oneself and the other – which the mythical Cantona summarizes in one sentence: 'The best action I remember is not a goal but an assist'." |  |  | The Ecumenical Jury also gave a Commendation to Das Weisse Band (The White Ribbon) – still left – directed by Michael Haneke (Germany, 2009). |
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Berlin 2009 |
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| The Ecumenical Jury awarded its main competition prize to Little Soldier (Annette Oleson, Denmark 2008) which depicts a quest for freedom from a violent past and troubling present. The film portrays a young female soldier back home from a peacekeeping mission. who is struggling to cope with this difficult experience. |
The implications of facing up to violence peacefully are deftly explored in Algerian director Rachid Bouchareb’s London River (2009, Algeria/French/UK) The film (still right) received extremely positive reviews and a commendation from the Ecumenical Jury, especially for the way in which it showed how prejudices can be overcome and mutual respect developed in the midst of tragedy. | 
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Staff ContactPhilip Lee Related Items
SIGNIS-WACC Human Rights Award 2009 'Colima' - Documentary from El Salvador 2009 WACC-SIGNIS Human Rights Award 2008 SIGNIS-WACC Human Rights Award 2007 Celebrating Cinema Media Development 1/2005 Can Movies Be a Moral Compass?
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