From 28 February to 4 March, the third edition of the Film O’Clock International Festival took place, an event organised simultaneously in 7 countries on the 25 degrees East longitude meridian, respectively Lithuania, Ukraine, Romania, Greece, Bulgaria, Egypt and South Africa, attracting an impressive number of participants and lovers of the art of cinema.
This edition brought together an outstanding selection of international fiction and documentary films representative of the participating countries, including films such as the 2006 Cannes Camera D’Or award-winning tragicomedy “Was it or wasn’t it?”. “directed by Corneliu Porumboiu, the Lithuanian drama “The Children of Hotel America” directed by Raimundas Banionis, presented at the 1991 Berlinale, the comedy “The Tuner” directed by Kira Muratova, the award-winning Bulgarian documentary “The Last Ambulance in Sofia” directed by Ilian Metev, “Iconic Duo”, directed by Vasilis Vafeas – a tribute to the Greek director, the Egyptian thriller “Land of Fear”, directed by Daoud Abdel Sayed and the South African drama “Life Above All”, directed by Oliver Schmitz, presented at Cannes in 2010 in the Un Certain Regard section.
During the festival, the audience had the opportunity to take part in interactive discussions with the filmmakers, organised online and broadcast in cinemas, with names such as Corneliu Porumboiu, Vasilis Vafeas and Oliver Schmitz, as well as with the directors of the short films included in the international short film competition.
The competition jury, which was composed of Romanian cinematographer Marius Panduru, Bulgarian director Zornitsa Sophia and Egyptian filmmaker Marouan Omar, awarded the Jury Prize to the Ukrainian film “Dad’s Sneakers”, directed by Olha Zhurba, for its innovative, empathetic and candid approach to a sensitive social issue – adoption. The jury also awarded a special honourable mention to the Greek film “To Vancouver”, directed by Artemis Anastasiadou, for its mastery in capturing the complexity of human relationships.
The audience also played an important role in the winners, as through their votes, viewers from the 7 participating countries chose their favourite short film to receive the Audience Award. This year, the award went to the Bulgarian film “Theatrical Romance”, directed by Teodora Kosara Popova.
Film O’Clock International Festival was not only a unique opportunity to discover a remarkable selection of international films, but also a great environment for cinephiles and professionals to interact and share innovative ideas. The two industry talks, “Rethinking the Classics – A Modern Perspective” and “Her Story, Her Future: Empowering Women in the Film Industry”, brought to the forefront topics of major interest to the film industry and sparked constructive debate.
The third edition of Film O’Clock International Festival was organised by Creatrix Fama and ABI Foundation, and supported by DACIN SARA, UPFAR ARGOA and UCIN.
Partners: Lithuanian Film Centre, Skalvija Cinema, Lithuanian Shorts Agency, Dovzhenko Centre, Zhovten Cinema, Muzeul Național al Țăranului Român, Cinema Muzeul Țăranului, Mockra Productions, ArtTVNetwork, Ambasada Republicii Lituania în România, Eventbook.ro, Logic Computer, Krasno Selo Cultural Center, Andora Cinema, Asociația Româno-Elenă Artă și Cultură, Zawya Cinema, Labia Theatre.
Romania Journal was among the media partners of the festival.