The 23rd Documentary Film Festival – DFF – is concluding on Wednesday, 31 March. At the 23rd DFF’s virtual closing ceremony an international jury consisting of Nataša Bučar, Dragan Barbutovski and Nivyabandi Ketty will present the Amnesty International Slovenia Best Human Rights Film Award.
The closing ceremony will stream on www.fdf.si, DFF’s Facebook page and Cankarjev dom’s YouTube Channel.
Winner of the Amnesty International Slovenia Award
The international jury consisting of Nataša Bučar, Dragan Barbutovski and Ketty Nivyabandi bestowed the Amnesty International Slovenia Award to Petite fille by Sébastien Lifshitz.
Petite fille
By: Sébastien Lifshitz
France, Denmark, 2020
Jury statement
The documentary by Sébastien Lifshitz is a sensitive and in-depth study of the distress of a transgender person struggling with a sense of conflict between her biological sex and the gender she identifies with. The distress is all the more frightful because of the fact that the person in question is an eight-year-old child, a little girl dealing with violent social rejection in order for her otherness to be accepted. Fortunately, the girl has the support of her family, primarily her fighter mother – who overcomes her own doubts to put her daughter's happiness first. Featuring excellent photography, the film paints a very moving portrait of a little girl; fully utilizing the camera’s sensitivity to observe her playing children's games and in dance classes, while giving voice to her mother who slowly reveals the everyday realities associated with whether or not her child has the right to be happy.
The film has deeply touched us, its strong message has pierced our hearts. It thus merits recognition as the winner of this year's Amnesty International Best Human Rights Film Award.
Special Mention
The Special Mention goes to The Case You by Alison Kuhn.
The Case You
By: Alison Kuhn
Germany, 2020
Jury statement
The film focuses on five actresses at the beginning of their careers sharing their experience of abuse and manipulation suffered during the auditions for the film. Young German director Alison Kuhn places them in the safe setting of a theatre stage where the telling of their personal stories and experiences mixes with anger and a determination to break through the toxic environment of film, theatre and television castings where many things are permitted under the guise of art. It is an important cinematic work that takes a behind-the-scenes look at filmmaking, a world that is often far from romantic and professional.
The jury awards the Special Mention not only to the film, but also to all the Slovenian actresses who have recently bravely spoken about their experience of abuse in the vulnerable milieu of artistic creation.