Father

Source: The PR Factory

‘Father’

Slovak director Tereza Nvotová’s Father has won the Zurich Film Festival’s Golden Eye award for best feature in its main feature film competition, while Swiss director Moris Freiburghaus’s I Love You, I Leave You scooped the top prize in the documentary category.

Inspired by a true story, Father follows a devoted father whose life is shattered by a single tragic mistake, pushing his marriage and his will to live to the brink.

The Slovak/Czech/Polish co-production is sold by Intramovies. It world premiered in Venice’s Horizons section and is Slovakia’s entry to the Best International Feature Film category of the 98th Academy Awards.

The feature film competition jury, headed by US writer, director and producer Reinaldo Marcus Green, said they were “deeply moved by the craft and the humanity” of the film.”

There were also special mentions in the feature film competition for Des Preuves D’amour by Alice Douard and Left-Handed Girl by Shih-Ching Tsou.

Meanwhile, Swiss director Moris Freiburghaus’s I Love You, I Leave You won the Golden Eye prize in the festival’s documentary competition. Freiburghaus’s directorial debut also scooped the festival’s Audience Award and received a Special Mention in the ZFF Critics’ Jury Award category.

The documentary is about the filmmaker’s long-standing friendship with musician Dino Brandão, who experiences a manic episode after travelling to Angola to give a concert in his father’s home country.

The jury, headed by US documentary filmmaker Matthew Heineman, said they “ had never seen anything like it before…Freiburghaus’ bold directorial debut gives us an unflinching look at mental illness and the unshakeable bonds of friendship and family.” World sales for I Love You, I Leave You are handled by Sabotage Filmkollektiv.

The Ground Beneath Our Feet by Yrsa Roca Fannberg and La Vie Après Siham by Namir Abdel Messeeh received special mentions in the documentary competition.

Zurich’s two main competition categories - documentary and feature film - are open to first, second, or third directorial efforts.

Elsewhere, the ZFF Critics’ Award went to Kenyan sci-fi love story Memory Of Princess Mumbi by Damien Hauser, chosen by the jury as the best Swiss film in the programme excluding gala Premieres.

Der Prank by Benjamin Heisenberg won the ZFF for Kids Jury Prize, as well as the ZFF for Kids Audience Award.

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