The jury formed from Omari Motion Carter (UK), Katia Pascariu (RO) and Monica Stan (RO) decided to award with Best Film from the International Competition a film production that is playful, daring, exploring, improvisational and courageously touches on the theme of gender identity and body image. ISN’T IT A BEAUTIFUL WORLD (D: Joseph Wilson) is contemporary and relatable, making the invisible visible, a beautiful representation of a queer mind. The jury also decided to award a Special Mention in the International Competition, to an uncomfortable short film that has depth in its simplicity. TRUMPETS IN THE SKY (D: Rakan Mayasi) confronts us with things we don’t see and leaves us questioning whether there is darkness in joy.
In the National Competition, the Best Film Award went to a film that impressed the jury by being conversational and intimate. DANCEN (D: Corina Andrian) managed to create a symbiosis between body and space, while the clarity of the performers immersed the jury in a beautiful journey. The film is an example of the great power that lays in motion and small gestures. A Special Mention was awarded here as well, to a film that uses arts and archive materials to serve a message. I HAD BEEN SLEEPWALKING WHEN I SAW ALL THOSE COLORS (D: Bogdan Balla) opens a discussion about a history that is not totally resolved, and has an intimate and personal quality within, which mixes personal and collective history.
“Every year at BIDFF we aim to bring up pressing issues that affect our lives in various ways. This year, it was not difficult at all to bring together the festival events under the theme of (un)safe zones. It is becoming increasingly apparent that we live in a state of maximum insecurity, a general state of distrust generated by disease, military conflict and economic crisis. Nationalist and discriminatory discourses have become more acidic, and society divided into pro and con camps, forgetting to coexist. In this landscape, the collective emotional crisis can no longer be ignored. Reacting to this conflicting ecosystem, BIDFF brings to viewers powerful films, both features and short films, animation and VR, in which familiar issues are explored with intelligence and courage by artists from all continents.
Four feature films, 26 short films, and seven VR works present bold and diverse artistic visions from over 35 countries to the Bucharest audience. We thought it’s essential this year to look beyond the European paradigm and enrich the festival with events from all corners of the world to rethink how we perceive the world around us. Through conferences and visual explorations, we talk about how the choreography of the masses appears in moments of political and social crisis. Thus, we invited artists who look at the body from historical and anthropological perspectives to understand better how we function as a local, but especially global, community. Also, for the first time at BIDFF, we propose a series of events dedicated to the local community in the capital, both for the elderly and teenagers.
We believe that, particularly in this period, the need for culture must be acknowledged by the authorities and fed with artistic works that help us understand our own bodies. In 2022, we want to see the (un)safe zones not as generators of conflict but as territories open to discussion, through which we aim to restore a necessary balance,” said Simona Deaconescu, artistic director of BIDFF.