On November 21, the awards ceremony of the 11th Breaking Down Barriers International Disability Film Festival was held at the Oktyabr (October) movie theatre in the center of Moscow. The main events of the Festival, organized by the Disabled People’s Organization Perspektiva, took place 18-21 November in three cinema halls of the Cinema Park movie theater in the Central Children's Mall.
“Thank you very much to all our jury members for working so hard! There was a record number of films this year, and for many members of the jury this came as a real surprise. Many thanks to all participants, partners, volunteers, and friends. Thanks to all of you, our Film Festival was a big success”, – said Denise Roza, the Festival director, and the head of the Disabled People’s Organization Perspektiva.
At the closing ceremony, the winners in 17 nominations were announced, as well as two special prizes. The list included both Russian and foreign films. The winners received the Festival award, a certificate, as well as additional gifts from the Festival's partners.
Here is the full list of winners:
- Best Feature Narrative Film – "The Special" (directed by Ignacio Márquez, Venezuela)
- Best Short Narrative Film – "Detach" (directed by Yi Wang, China)
- Best Feature Documentary – "Imperfect" (directed by Brian Malone, Regan Linton, USA)
- Best Short Documentary – "At Night I Walk" (directed by Helena Malak, France)
- Best Animation – "Behind the Fence" (directed by Maria Kogan-Lerner, Russia)
- Best Film That Shatters Stereotypes – "Crutch" (directed by Sachi Cunningham and Chandler Evans (Vayabobo), USA)
- Most Uplifting Film – "The Artist and the Power of Thought" (directed by Elder Fraga, Brazil)
- Best Film About Love – "65 Rose" (directed by Davide Del Mare, Italy)
- Best Film for Kids – "Louis' Shoes" (directed by Theo Jamin, Kayu Leung, Marion Philippe, Jean Geraud Blanc, France)
- Best Film About Kids – "Zulali" (directed by Hayk Ordyan, Armenia)
- Best Film Made by Young People – "A Big Story of a Little Man" (Team of authors: Anastasia Ilyina, Yulia Makhovskaya, Anastasia Tikhonova, Russia)
- Best Film About Disability Activitsm – "Not Going Quietly" (directed by Nicholas Brukman, USA) and "Lida" (directed by Konstantin Reich, Russia)
- Best Director – "Scars" (directed by Alex Anna, Canada)
- Best Cinematography – "Theo and the Metamorphosis" (Damien Odoul and Sylvain Rodriguez, France)
- Best Actor – Juan Manuel Montilla "El Langi" for his role in the film "Trying" (Spain)
- Best Actress – Miriam Garlo for her role in the film "Deaf" (Spain)
- Audience Award – “Only I Am Normal” (directed by Anton Bogdanov, Russia)
- Special Jury Prize – "Breathe" (directed by Gulnaz Galimullina, Russia)
- Special Jury Prize – "Only I Can Hear" (directed by Itaru Matsui, Heath Cozens, Japan)
- Grand Prix – "Paralympian" (directed by Aldiyar Bayrakimov, Kazakhstan)
“We all are so different, and everyone has the right to self-determination. The whole path of civilization is one from intolerance to acceptance. The Breaking Down Barriers Film Festival breaks down these barriers with such enthusiasm, passion, and wit. It helps us to be kinder and more accepting of each other", – said Nikolai Lebedev, a well-known film director and the Festival's jury chair.
The Festival aims to educate members of the community about people with disabilities, about the challenges they face and the achievements they make. But more importantly, the festival features authentic stories that are moving and entertaining, that make you laugh and cry and empathize with the main characters. The event brought together more than 2,000 film makers and viewers - with and without disabilities - from Russia and around the world: Japan, Brazil, Argentina, Spain, Kazakhstan, and many other countries.
A special guest was Her Serene Highness Princess Victoria Romanovna. Presenting the award for the most uplifting film, Princess Victoria explained:
“I am very happy to be here today! These films are incredible. They’re magical. Each film makes us dream, believe, they give hope to people all over the world. And of course, they support us when we are going through difficult times.”
The event was hosted by a famous TV MC, fashion historian Alexander Vasiliev and a theater and theater and film actress Anastasia Denisova. In addition to the awards, the audience enjoyed performances from the Center for Creative Industries of the Moscow State Technical University, the Samoilov Ballet, the Nedoslov Theater of Deaf Actors, the Krug 2 Theater, jazz musicians, Oleg and Natalia Butman, and the bass guitarist Alexei Zavolokin.
We thank all the partners for their help in organizing the event!
