2009 Cinéfondation Prizes

I’m having so much fun this year with Cannes that I totally erased from my mind that the fest ends tomorrow! Yeah, unfortunately all good things have to come to an end. Sigh.

Yesterday they announced the Cinéfondation Prizes and here they are. To remain you, this section of Cannes screened 17 films from film school students and were selected from around 1,400 films submitted.

First Prize: Baba, Zuzana Kirchnerova-Spidlova, Czech Republic, FAMU, 20.4 minutes Trailer
“It seems that future films are in the hands of women…Much about youth and age, loneliness and alienation in these films and this one looked at the relationship of a young girl with her grandmother; she’s both fascinated and disgusted by age. We thought it was so beautifully done and beautifully staged and acted. Go make another film!”

Second Prize: Goodbye, Song Fang , China, Beijing Film Academy, 30.58 minutes
“We were all very impressed by your film. You managed to achieve the most delicate of emotions expressed in a minimal way. It’s the work of a mature director, but you’re so young. Congratulations.”

Third Prize (tie):
Diploma, Yaelle Kayam, Israel, The Sam Spiegel Film & TV School, 22 minutes
“We were very impressed by the way that you were able to make very subtle points about the situation without pressing anything home.”

Don’t Step Out of the House, Jo Sung-hee, South Korea, Korean Academy of Film Arts, 43 minutes
“A brilliant film, a most accomplished student film, made all in one room with this immense tension, absolute grasp of all the elements of a horror film. The only reservation we had was should we unleash this character? You’re a brilliant filmmaker, well done!”

I’m so glad that awards were given to very young female filmmakers as definitively stimulates their careers and I’m one that thinks like Jane Campion: we should have more female filmmakers in the world.

To read the official announcement please go here.