THE SUCCESS OF THE BELARUS FRIEND
On the evening of September 4, the awards of the 17th BuSho International Short Film Festival were presented in the Fellini Hall of the Italian Cultural Institute. This year, of the approximately 1,000 works received, 71 short films were included in the competition program, and those interested could watch them in recent days at the Pushkin Cinema and other locations in the capital and the countryside. Following the pre-jury, the works were awarded by 2 juries at the festival, as in addition to the international jury, the Student Jury was present, whose members were Anna Tőkés (MOME), Fanni Várkonyi (METU), Bálint Antal (SZFE) and Kristóf Sólyom (ELTE ), who commented on their decision as follows:
„The point of fiction in this film is not to invent things that never existed. Fiction is a means of access, through our imagination, historical and personal traumas that we are fortunate not to have direct experience of. This film, with its original choice of themes, its well-constructed script and its sensitive performances, takes us into another dark dimension of the 20th century, drawing attention to the fact that our past, whether we know it or not, lives on with us.”
The Student Jury award for Best Fiction goes to: Branka by Ákos K. Kovács, Hungary
„The Best Animation award was given to a film that managed to remain mystical, sensual and universally accessible, all at the same time. Using the tools of animation, it led us through an imaginary yet familiar dystopian world, and told a story of loneliness, friendship, alienation, separation and loss.”
The award for Best Animation goes to: Reduction by Anna Réka Szakály, Hungary
„In a Hungarian reality where everyday life, language, work, family, school are increasingly becoming subjects to stifling political domination, this film achieves one of the noblest goals of the ancient genre of comedy: to give us a chance to laugh at all that makes life difficult.”
The award for the Student Jury’s special mention goes to: Land of Glory by Borbála Nagy, Hungary
This was followed by the awards of the International Jury, first with the presentation of the members this year, Eva Steegmayer, coordinator of the Film Akademie Baden-Württemberg, music director from New York, DJ Mahogany, Hungarian jury member Dávid Géczy, film director, screenwriter and Wolfgang Leis, International Jury Coordinator.
Isti Madarász, the moderator of the evening, first listed the winners who unfortunately could not be present at the awards ceremony! The best animation was the German Mulm, the best cinematographer is Jaime Martínez Soria in the Spanish film Mira by Hugo De La Riva, the best comedy is the American shortfilm David, and the best performance award went to Helena Hentschel from the film Sinking Ships.
Austrian Sebastian Doringer’s film One Left got the BuSho countryside venue Sopron’s invitation with a film screening and an audience meeting. Ákos K. Kovács, the director of Branka, who won his second prize in the evening, will be able to travel to Szeged under the same conditions. The weekly ticket of Sziget has won by the Austrian Anatomie eines Weltverständnisses, Alexander Fischer, with a shooting license for a mini-crew for the 2022 festival. The winners arrived who were able to receive the awards in person, first Gergely Tóth received the special prize of the International Visegrad Fund for the film Listening, then the best experimental film Survivers, by the Spanish Carlos Gómez-Trigo.
At the BuSho Festival, it was awarded 500,000 forints in 2 categories, the first being the best Hungarian animated film, which is in 2021 Incognito by Júlia Lantos. Another cash prize for the best Hungarian fiction short film is the work of Flóra Chilton, Crossroads.
Before the main prizes were announced, Eva Steegmayer came to the stage, summing up the events of the last week on behalf of the international jury: “I would like to thank the organizers for the invitation and the whole week’s work, we had great content days together and I have to say, that I’ve been on many festivals worldwide, but I haven’t come across much of such a quality competition program before. I hope that our Film Academy and the BuSho Festival can work together in the future and that one day I will be able to return to this wonderful city and this great event!”
The moment of announcing the 3 main prizes came.
„A relationship between a photographer and a brutal home boy presented by sensitive visualization of little gestures and emotions results in both finding common ground and to learn from each other. Thus this film promotes tolerance and hope.“
Bronte BuSho prize 2021 goes to: Mutual Heart / Desislav Zherar Atanasov / 14:59 / Fiction / Bulgaria
„A problem that many of us know: A never-wrecking neighbor. In this case, one that plays his bouzouki in the middle of the night. We expect that the situation will end in serious trouble, but the situation takes a turn and both neighbors come to a mutual understanding. A film that leaves you with a smile“
Silver BuSho prize 2021 goes to: Under the Same Roof / Simeon Tsonchev / 25:26 / Fiction / Bulgaria
„Two totally different children, from totally different backgrounds, find a way out of trouble into a friendship, full of humanity. A film that is funny and serious at the same time.“
the Gold BuSho 2021 goes to… Friend / Andrey Svetlov / 20:30 / Fiction / Belarus
Finally, before the award winners were screened, this year's sponsors were thanked that the event was held for the 17th time. National Film Institute, the International Visegrad Fund, the National Cultural Fund, the Hungarian Academy of Arts, the Creative Europe Office, the Austrian Cultural Forum, Italian Cultural Institute, Portuguese Camoes Institute, Goethe Institute, Cervantes Institute and the Spanish Embassy, Cooperation partners are the Carnival Film, Solide Art, Sziget Kft., Mozgóképmás Sopron, Grand Café Szeged and the Media Supporters Film.hu, Filmvilág, Fotovideo and Klub radio.
17th BUSHO AWARDS AND PRIZES 2021
Student Jury Best Fiction: Branka / Ákos K. Kovács / 24:00 / Fiction / Hungary
Student Jury Best Animation: Reduction / Anna Réka Szakály / 10:00 / Animation / Hungary
Student Jury Special mention: Land of Glory / Borbála Nagy / 27:00 / Fiction / Germany/ Hungary
International jury awards:
BuSho Award 2021 BEST ANIMATION – Mulm / Carol Ratajczak, Tobias Trebeljahr / 6:51 / Germany
BuSho Award 2021 BEST EXPERIMENTAL – Survivers / Carlos Gómez-Trigo / 6:30 / Fiction/ Spain
BuSho Award 2021 BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – Jaime Martínez Soria, in the film Mira by Hugo De La Riva
BuSho Award 2021 BEST COMEDY – David / Zachary Woods / 11:40 / Fiction / United States
BuSho Award 2021 BEST VISEGRAD SHORT – Listening / Gergely Tóth / 13:00 /Fiction / Hungary
BuSho Award 2021 BEST PERFORMANCE – Helena Hentschel, in the film Sinking Ships
by Andreas Kessler / 21:25 / Fiction / Germany
BuSho Award 2021 SPECIAL PRIZE OF SOPRON – One Left / Sebastian Doringer / 6:12 / Animation / Austria
BuSho Award 2021 SPECIAL PRIZE OF SZEGED – Branka / Ákos K. Kovács / 24:00 / Fiction / Hungary
BuSho Award 2021 SZIGET SPECIAL PRIZE – Anatomie eines Weltverständnisses / Anatomy of a Worldview / Alexander Fischer / 3:04 / Experimental / Germany
Special Prize of BuSho Festival 2021 for the best Hungarian animation: 500.000,- HUF
Incognito / Júlia Lantos / 8:00 / Animation / Hungary
Special Prize of the BuSho Festival 2021 for the best Hungarian fiction: 500.000,- HUF
Válaszúton / Crossroads / Flóra Chilton / 30:00 / Fiction / Hungary
BRONZE BUSHO prize 2021 – Mutual Heart / Desislav Zherar Atanasov / 14:59 / Fiction / Bulgaria
SILVER BUSHO prize 2021 – Under the Same Roof / Simeon Tsonchev / 25:26 / Fiction / Bulgaria
GOLD BUSHO prize 2021 – Friend / Andrey Svetlov / 20:30 / Fiction / Belarus
See you in 2022 at the 18. Budapest Short Film Festival!
17. BUSHO PRIZE CEREMONY
