Italian
“Dry Sky,” produced by Ibrahim Omar, won the Forum Award for Best Pitch Wednesday at IDFA documentary festival in Amsterdam. “Do You Love Me,” produced by Lana Y. Daher, took home the Forum Award for Best Rough Cut, and “Looking for the Mermaid” by Yara Costa won the Producers Connection Award. The DocLab Forum Award went to “Amorphous” by May Abdalla.
Speaking about Forum Award for Best Pitch winner “Dry Sky” (Sudan, Egypt), jury members Dorota Lech and Malin Huber said: “For an articulation of a subtle cinematic language and a courageous proposal of healing. Told through a unique and critical inside perspective we look forward to a collective endeavor to imagine new futures. It takes a village.”
Logline: The film follows Ibrahim who is on his way back to his hometown. He endeavors to build what he has dreamt of all his life. However, he faces a fate intertwined with the memories of the past in the village. Alongside his friend and their donkey, he strives relentlessly to break free from this constraint.
Popular on Variety The jury also recognized “Concrete Land” by Asmahan Bkerat and “The Beauty of Errors” by Jukka Kärkkäinen with Special Mentions for the Forum Award for Best Pitch.
Speaking about Forum Rough Cut Award winner “Do You Love Me” (France, Lebanon), the jury—consisting of Burcu Melekoglu and Mandisa Zitha—said: “Lana Y. Daher masterfully weaves a delicate and poignant story of a city and its heartbreaking yet resilient history. Through the evocative use of archival materials from Lebanese cinema, she appropriates the visuals of the city from films as a representation of the cyclical history and nature of memories, bringing to life a narrative that is both deeply personal and profoundly universal. The work stands as a testament to the power of memory and art in navigating collective grief and renewal.”
Logline: The film is an archival journey through Beirut. Using mainly Lebanese cinema from the 50s to today, it weaves together past and present to explore Lebanon’s current status and psyche.
The jury for the Producers Connection Award, Bianca Oana and Daan Vermeulen, said of “Looking for the Mermaid” (Mozambique): “The world is disappearing before our eyes. That is a strong statement in itself. But the winning project also brings forth the idea that cinema can help preserve dying worlds while at the same time enriching our imagination with new possibilities of being together and of making films.”
Logline: A chanted love promise between a fisherman and a mermaid and a story of part of humanity betraying Earth.
The DocLab Forum jury, consisting of Jazia Hammoudi and Liz Rosenthal, said about “Amorphous” (U.K.): “’Amorphous’ is this year’s winner because of its ingenious use of play for a transformational purpose in relation to the crisis in self-image and body dysmorphia. Its messaging is experiential rather than didactic, making it appropriate for all kinds of audiences and demographics. Its design and format present a viable path forward for the immersive field and will appeal to diverse immersive media spaces.”
Logline: An immersive multiplayer experience about how you feel in your skin.
“The Four Floors of Faneuil Hall” by Simon Wood and Meghna Singh was recognized with an Honorable Mention for the DocLab Forum Award.
The jury said: “The use of space and architecture to ground their story imbues the project with narrative clarity that makes their point crystal clear about the contradiction of democratic society built on legacies of slavery, genocide and colonialism. The project’s installation format makes it adaptable to many contexts, which opens up the possibility of future iterations beyond Faneuil Hall itself.”
