Radmila Djurica

The 10th Miskolc International Film Festival that ended on Saturday held 17 features in the competition program, 8 features in the open eye program (3 Central European premieres), 5 film classics in the CineClassics program, a Sundance Channel selection, also Kechiche retrospective, workshops, American film Showcase, master classes, DunaDock program, conferences, an international film market, several meetings for professionals. The Grand Prize of the Festival, named after the Miskolc born Academy Award winner director Emeric Pressburger went to Katrin Gebbe’s Nothing Bad Can Happen (Tore tanzt). The film won the FICC prize as well. The Prize of the jury, named Adolph Zukor prize after the Hollywood producer who was born near Miskolc and who founded the Paramount Pictures went to Cannes Golden Camera winner Ilo Ilo, directed by Anthony Chen. The Ecumenical Jury and the international FIPRESCI jury awarded Ilo Ilo. As so, Chen’s film won three awards and an outstanding ovation from the audience. The prize for the best short feature went to the Israeli film Welcome and Our Condolences by Leon Prudovsky. The prize for best documentary went to the Polish We will be happy…One day, while the prize for best animation, named after the Hungarian animation director Attila Dargay, went to Péter Vácz’s The Rabbit and the Deer.

Year 2013 honors Oscar winner British screenwriter Emeric Pressburger born in Miskolc and was presented by Ian Christie a film historian, BBC broadcaster and university professor, along with the screening of the Archers' A Matter of Life and Death. 10^th Jameson Film Festival year 2013 honors ISTVÁN SZABÓ who has received a Lifetime Achievement Award, which proves the importance for the audience in Central Europe: CineClassics were presented on three evenings  István Szabó's and Klaus-Maria Brandauer's with their three masterpieces. The 10th Jameson Cinefest MISKOLC IFF 2013 also presented an American independent film and Sundance Channel with the film premiered on festival, for instance starring Robert Redford about staying alive in the Indian Ocean in All is Lost directed by J.C.Chandor. Redford is a man standing alone against the big great ocean, not being aware of the unpredictable and dangerous vast of water.  More of American Independent is California Solo directed by American independent filmmaker Mashal Lewy with extraordinary Roberts Carlye’s struggle against alcohol and drugs. Then the film The East by Iranian Zal Batmanglij and produced by Ridley Scott, kind of confused and American type of Hollywood ending film. Also, the fantastic independent film about young Allen Ginsberg and his first introduction to people alike and him in person, Jack Kerouac Kill Your Darlings directed by John Krokidas. One of the entertaining and very well done films. The festival is closed with another American independent Nebraska directed by Alexandar Payne, as one of the most promising achievement coming from US.

And then, the festival introduced British film, among the all others For Those in Peril in main competition directed by Paul Wright, film about exceptional desperation and pain of the mother, who has lost the son at the sea and brother who at the end goes mad out of grief and guilt, also about small communities who often reject and blame people in grief rather then help. One of the entertaining parts of the festival for me was indeed quirky SF comedy The World's End by Edgar Wright about couple of Sisters of Mercy fans meeting an aliens and robots in a small village of England. In addition to British films, there is Metro Manila directed by independent film director Sean Ellis, very interesting and unpredictable as it starts as drama, and gradually increasing the tension as two Philippines hard workers run out of options to make sufficient money and survive. The film has very specific buildup, and by the ending it is somewhat obvious that the author coming from UK. In addition, of course the main representatives of the French film, there is always good and welcomed François Ozon’s Jeune&Jolie (Young and Beautiful) and Golden Palm winner  La Vie d’Adele - Blue Is The Warmest Colour directed by Abdellatif Kechiche, along with retrospective of Kechiche’s other films on festival.

As FIPRESCI Jury member on 10th Jameson Miskolc International Film Festival named after Jameson Irish Wiskey I can say that five juries functioned just beautifully together. We have had a lot of laughs and lot of Jameson Irish Whiskey as well and after 10 days of hard work all the juries (5 different juries all together 18 of us) selected two films: due to a striking performance of the actors Katrin Gebbe’s Nothing Bad Can Happen (Tore tanzt) and just as well skillful and wonderfully and cinematically clear Ilo Ilo directed by Anthony Chen. Other films considered for the awards were for instance Italian Miele directed by Valeria Golino and Serbian film Circles (Krugovi) directed by Srdan Golubovic.