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AKE DIKHEA? 2023: AWARDS AND HONORABLE MENTIONS NOW PUBLIC!

30.10.2023

The jury of AKE DIKHEA? 2023 – Benita Bailey, Pamela Cohn and Delaine Le Bas – found their favourite films! Also the Audience Choice Award and an Honorable Mention by the Artistic Director are clear now. Check out the awards and honorable mentions now:

Best Feature Film

Citizen Miko
By Robin Kvapil
Czech Republic ● 2022 ● 75’

Jury Statement:
Our jury gives this award to a film that shows the undeniable power of one individual to change many, many lives — those of his own family, as well as dozens of strangers he’ll never meet. The director follows his main protagonist from the humble circumstances of his own life to the halls of European political power, all the while infusing the story with an exhilarating portrait of a generous, fully awake, and driven human being, one who means to change the world one truckload at a time. The jury gives the Best Feature Film award to Robin Kvapil’s “Citizen Miko”.

Best Short Film

Chavo
By Alecio Araci
Sweden ● 2023 ● 15’

Jury Statement:
This ground-breaking short film explores the intersectionality of identity and trauma, celebrating the diversity within the Roma community and queerness. It addresses themes of self-acceptance, love, grief, and intergenerational relations, fearlessly tackling taboos. With its poignant storytelling, authentic representation, and emotional depth, viewers are captivated by the twists and aesthetic brilliance. Every detail in the film tells a story, shedding light on lesser-discussed hierarchies within the Roma culture. By doing so, the film reflects back to the community a new narrative. The director said, this film is a means for himself to heal. We, the jury, believe this film gives audiences of the Roma community, the LGBTQ+ community, and all other communities the opportunity to heal as well. The prize for the Best Short Film of the 7th International Roma Film Festival goes to “Chavo”.

Audience Choice Award

Matthew Mark Luke John
By Tom Wilson
Romania ● 2018 ● 70’

As an International Festival of Romani Film, we are especially happy that the film “Matthew Mark Luke John” won the Audience Choice Award. The feature film was shot in Romania in a Romani village of which over the half of its population migrated to Germany and found a new home in Berlin. These are people very active at RomaTrial, the association organizing AKE DIKHEA? since 2017. More than 15 young people originally from this Romanian village supported our festival as volunteers. We were happy that most of the audience of the screening of “Matthew Mark Luke John” came from the Romani community and that they made their voices be heard!

Jury Special Mention to the Ensemble Cast

Three Thousand Numbered Pieces
By Ádám Császi
Ensemble Cast: Kristóf Horváth, Franciska Farkas, Edmond Oláh, Rómeó Pápai, Cristopher Pászik, Norbert Varga
Hungary ● 2022 ● 93’

Jury Statement:
As the jury we discussed how we need to work together to “decolonise our imaginations” to quote the festival and the spaces we are in. For the film which we found outstanding on so many levels, these are the questions which we hand back to the director to discuss further and address and so therefore we give a Jury Special Mention to the ensemble cast of Three Thousand Numbered Pieces for their outstanding contributions.

Short Film Honorable Mention

Lavina
By Farzad Samsami
Norway ● 2022 ● 18’

Jury Statement:
Our jury wanted to recognise this beautiful fictional family portrait with an Honourable Mention —not only for the director’s accomplished script filled with painful silences and halting declarations of love and his adept and sensitive direction, but also for the deeply nuanced and moving performance from its lead, played by Angel Jansen, a young talent to watch. The Honourable Mention for a Short Film goes to Farzad Samsami’s “Lavina”.

Honorable Mention by the Artistic Director

Fifteen Minutes
By Sejad Ademaj
Germany ● 2022 ● 13‘

Statement of the Artistic Director:
The film not only brings my personal story to the screen, but also my long-standing political concern: the right to stay for Roma in Germany and a stop to the deportation of people who were born and raised here. And especially in times of the planned tightening of asylum laws and the upcoming massive deportations of many different people, this film is more important than ever. “Fifteen Minutes” shows in an authentic and empathetic way how a political decision can turn a happy everyday moment into a disaster for an entire family.