Mobile Film Festival awards: 1001 ways to 'make peace with nature'
The Jury for the 2021 Mobile Film Festival has announced the 12 winners of this year’s edition within the challenging theme “Making Peace with Nature”. Three of the winners were from Iran and two from France.
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From the high snowy peaks of Bhoutan, to parched, rocky terrain in Iran or the inside of a cow’s stomach, the entries in competition are eye-opening to say the least.
Although some take a humorous or satirical angle, most act as wake-up calls, showing a glimpse of a dark future which awaits future generations if humanity doesn’t act to save the planet now.
The Mobile Film Festival concept, now in its 17th year, is based on making a 1 minute film using a mobile phone, adhering to a chosen theme. Organisers say this allows for maximum creativity without expensive equipment.
Obviously organisers had their hands full combing through nearly 700 entries from 92 countries received this year, whittling the choice down to just 50 films from 34 countries in the final selection, with only 12 winners.
This edition was launched in partnership with the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP) whose mission is to eradicate poverty, reduce inequality and promote sustainable development.
Hostile landscapes, symbolic gestures
The Jury, made up of 6 members presided over by film director Pierre Schoeller (L’Exercice de l’Etat), included Vipulan Puvaneswaran, a teenage activist who participated in the environmental film Animal by French director Cyril Dion, presented at the Cannes Film Festival this year.
With the theme “Making Peace with Nature” it's no surprise that the destruction of trees and animals by wildfire is a recurring motif, as is the positive act of planting trees.
Plastic is often seen as a ubiquitous evil, and water is a precious and scarce resource. But the filmmakers strive to present these all-too-common images in a new and thought-provoking light.
The Grand Prize – 10,000 euros was awarded to Asghar Besharat from Iran for his film Atash (Thirst). Spare, haunting, and virtually silent, the spectator gets a glimpse of generosity in an otherwise hostile landscape. His film also won the 'Extra Court' category -- acquired for 700 euros by the company Agence du court métrage.
Originally from Qeshm Island, the largest island in the Middle East, Asghar Besharat says Iran has a special, eye-catching and strange nature, and this has always provided a source of inspiration for him.
"In the culture of the Iranian people, there is a thought that if a branch is broken from a tree, it is like breaking the wings of an angel. Also, water has a sacred aspect for these people, and in our religion, waste and harm to nature is strictly forbidden," the filmmaker told RFI.
"With all the power and progress in science, man is still weak and defenseless against nature. These conditions made nature more valuable for me," he says, referring to how the Covid pandemic has affected his view of things.
Snow lion and the glaciologist by Arun Bhattarai from Bhoutan won the Documentary Award which comes with a 5,000 euro grant to put towards producing a new film.
He looks at how hard it can be to convince the local population that science is necessary for saving the planet.
Animation
Vera Verhoef from the Netherlands won the 5,000 euro student prize sponsored by PSL University in Paris for her Wildfire Tears. Black and white images of small cuddly animals are splattered with red paint representing the harsh flames of deadly bushfires as they are chased from their homes.
Ninna nanna (Lullaby) from Italy’s Filippo Ronca won Best Director award, with 3,000 euros sponsored by the CNC, France’s national film centre. His use of animation combined with real images to get his message across was representative of popular techniques shared by several film-makers.
Iranian Kiarash Ardeshirpour won Best Screenplay (also sponsored by CNC) and 3,000 euros for You can't eat your money, a claustrophobic and surreal dive into a world where a wealthy family is literally choking on wads of cash and coins.
Iran was again represented among the finalists with the film The pedigree by Ali Pourahmadian, awarded best male actor for both Abtin Rastegar and Maziar Saki.
Double standards
The Comedy Prize went to France's Rémi Lefebvre for Aren’t they Stupid (Mais ils sont cons), one of the few entries filmed indoors. A couple of young guys are busily criticising a silly scenario in a television thriller movie (whereby the hero does not heed warnings of the dangers that lie ahead). The men fail to see their own actions, such as smoking and throwing food away are equally as silly.
"I have the impression that until we are affected directly, we won't take action and that it would take something like a massive fire of several hectares in the centre of Paris for example before people would wake up," Rémi Lefebvre, told RFI.
When asked why he portrayed a slightly negative image of youth today, he suggested that although "we are one of the first generations to be more sensitive to environmental issues, there are still many inconsistencies between what we say and what we do." His way of tackling this was to create a caricature and make fun of these double standards.
Karine Durac from France won the award for best female actress in her film Oscar, featuring a young woman, played by Chryssa Florou, who buries her dog in natural conditions which will provide fertiliser for planting trees and wonders when the same will be possible for humans.
Alessandra Mazzaro from Italy won the special Jury Prize for Color of the year.
Anna Jarosz from Portugal won Best Picture for The day you were born, taking the viewer on a strange meditation into the belly of a cow.
The audience award went to Present for future by Shamir Raiapov from Kyrgyzstan, who asks us what kind of future do we see for our children?
See all the 2021 Mobile Film Festival winners and other entries here.
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