Paz Encina’s ‘EAMI’ wins top prize at Rotterdam 2022

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EAMI

Source: IFFR

‘EAMI’

Paz Encina’s ecological drama EAMI has won the Tiger Award, worth €40,000, at the 51^st International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR).

The jury said the Paraguayan drama placed a spotlight “on the global massacres of indigenous tribes”. The film depicts the violence committed against the Ayoreo-Totobiegosode people, who lived in the Northern Paraguayan Chaco but were displaced by rampant deforestation.

It marks the second narrative feature of Paraguayan auteur Encina, whose 2006 debut Paraguayan Hammock won the Fipresci prize when it premiered at Cannes in Un Certain Regard.

Paris-based MPM Premium handles sales of EAMI, which is a co-production between Paraguay, Germany, Argentina, the Netherlands, France and the US.

IFFR hosted its awards ceremony virtually this afternoon (February 2), after having to move entirely online due to the pandemic.

Two special jury prizes, each worth €10,000, were awarded to Excess Will Save Us by French filmmaker Morgane Dziurla-Petit and To Love Again by China’s Gao Linyang.

To Love Again, which marks the debut feature of Linyang and centres on an elderly couple traumatised by past political upheavals, also picked up the Fipresci prize.

The VPRO Big Screen Award went to Kung Fu Sohra by France’s Mabrouk El Mechri. As well winning a guaranteed theatrical release in Dutch cinemas, a €30,000 prize is awarded, shared equally between the filmmaker and distributor.

As previously announced, Thai cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom was honoured with the third annual Robby Muller Award, named after the late Dutch cinematographer and granted to an “image maker” who has “created authentic, credible and emotionally striking visual language through their work”. He is known for his work with Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Miguel Gomes and Luca Guadagnino.

IFFR continues until February 6 as an online-only edition and the festival plans to screen films selected for its Tiger, Big Screen and Ammodo Tiger Short competitions in Dutch cinemas later this year and will invite filmmakers to present their works.

IFFR festival director Vanja Kaludjercic said: “Even though we were forced to host our 51st edition online, we were determined to provide the competition filmmakers who trusted us with their films with a visibility platform to press and industry. We cannot wait to share these outstanding films with our audiences later in the year, in the way they were intended: on the big screen in the presence of the filmmakers.”