The Feature Documentary section was led by What Does Your MP Do? and Sounds of Beirut. What Does Your MP Do? is an examination of the life of a British MP and won awards for Best Feature Documentary and Best Narration. The USA/Lebanon co-production Sounds of Beirut about Lebanese music won Best Director of a Documentary Feature and Best Cinematography.
The British short film All the Way Up also was a multiple winner, taking Best Short Film Award for producers Shane Hamill and Ben Sweet, and Best
Director of a Short for Sir David Jason. Jason was also given a Lifetime Achievement Angel Film Award for his body of work.
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The Angel Film Awards – Monaco International Film Festival 2010
2nd – 5th December 2010
2nd – 5th December 2010
Press Release - Sunday, December 6, 2010
This week I attended the Angel Film
Awards in Monaco– a glamorous three-day extravaganza, where the films in
competition promote, unusually, peace and love – a refreshing antidote
to the usual violent and gratuitous fodder thrown at us from Hollywood.
Started eight years ago by Rosana
Golden and Dean Bentley, specifically to showcase non-violent films, the
Angel Film Awards may eschew violence but this is no hippy dippy
affair, with chic and stylish post screening VIP champagne receptions at
some of the best hotels and clubs in Monaco.
AFA Festival Director, Producer Golden and Bentley personally select
the 20-odd films that screen each year and are well aided in the
screenplay awards by the dynamic London-based producer Daniella Gonella
of DG Productions.
An impressive jury was led this year by US based Professor Karl
Bardosch, who has 30 years experience in film and television. The other
jury members included renowned French actress, Celyne Durand – the Dame
of Honour, British actress Sophie Berenice, who was also a most elegant
and accomplished Master of Ceremonies, British actress Nahid Mannon and
London based writer and director, Rick Friend of Production Friend,
himself a previous winner of two screenplay awards at the Festival.
The big winner in the Feature Film section this year – an absolute tour de force, was the epic historical drama 'CHERKESS' (Jordan)
- a visually sumptuous feature telling of impossible love and clash of
cultures between the Cherkess and Bedouin peoples. This film not only
won the 'Best Feature Film', picking up the coveted Angel Trophy, but
also 'Best Director' for Mohy Quandour, who also produced the film and
wrote the winning screenplay; Best Original Story, Best Newcomer Award
for the first-time actress Sahar Bishara and Best Supporting Actor for
Mohadeen Komakhov.
Another multiple winner was 'ALL THE WAY UP' (UK)
- a touching drama about a life-changing encounter in a lift, which
picked up the Best Short Film Award for producers Shane Hamill and Ben
Sweet, and Best Director of a Short for veteran British Actor Sir David
Jason, who made his directorial debut with this film. Sir David who
attended the glittering Monte Carlo event also received the Lifetime
Achievement Angel Film Award for his contribution to the entertainment
industry.
Other notable awards went to 'EVA' (Romania),
a period feature, for Best Cinematography (Mihai Sarbusca) and Original
Music (Vladi Cnejevici). The Best Actor in a feature went to Ryo
Horikawa for his performance as a rock singer in the drama 'ASAKUSA DAYDREAMS' (Japan)
- which also gained a Best Actress Award for Ai Tamura. This remarkable
feature, which deals with the complex relationship between a father and
daughter, also picked up the Angel Independent Spirit Award for its
rare approach to film-making. It was all shot in one take, a feat which
will take it into the Guiness Book of Records this year! Also in the
Features section 'PIECES' (Japan) received the Angel Humanitarian Award for its sensitive approach to loneliness and homelessness and 'IMMIGRATION TANGO' (USA) received the award for Best Ensemble Cast & Best Supporting Female Actor.
In the Feature Documentary Section - two stunning documentaries stole the show. Claude Green's 'SO WHAT DOES YOUR MP DO?' (UK)
gave us an intimate and at times surreal insight into the life of a
British MP, winning the Best Feature Documentary and Best Narration
categories and 'SOUNDS OF BEIRUT' (USA/Lebanon), Seth
Koury's stunning love affair with the diverse and rich music of Lebanon
won him the Best Director of a Documentary Feature and Best
Cinematography.
Other notable Short Film Awards went to: 'RADIO GERONIMO' (UK)
- Best Short Documentary and the Independent Spirit Award - an
amusing and insightful look at the alternative radio station which
operated from the same site as this year's Angel Film Awards; 'SIMON SEZ' (UK),
a behind the scenes look at an International horse event, filmed on the
Queen's private estates, which received the Special Mention Award for
producer Patricia Applegate, Best Short Documentary Cinematography and
Best Short Director Awards for Tamara Sumner Petersen and Paul Petersen;
'NIGHTFALL OF EDEN' (Cyprus/Greece) with its stunning
visuals - Best Cinematography (Sofronis Sofroniou), an exotic reworking
of the Garden of Eden [UPDATE: 'NIGHTFALL OF EDEN' also won the Angel Short Peace Award]; to renowned British actor Adrian Dunbar - Best
Male Actor for 'ALL THE WAY UP' (UK); to David Griggs the young director of 'PARKING PLACES' (UK) for Best Newcomer; to actress and musician Mariana Preda for Best Actress in a Short 'DOINA' (Romania).
15 years old Mariana also performed Schubert version ‘AVE MARIA’ on Pan
Flute a traditional Romanian instrument the at the festival; to 'I WISH' (Spain)
for Best Original Story - a touching tale of the life of a homeless man
on the streets of San Francisco; to 'BEING MARTIN' (UK), one man's
struggle with Klippel Feil Syndrome, which received the Humanitarian
Angel Award and to 'FIRST DARKNESS' (UK) - an
experimental look at an artist reconciling her creative life with grief,
which received Best Art Film for newcomers Claire O'Hagan and Denise
Wyllie.
In the new category of Animation - 'ATROZ' (Spain), the charming tale of a disgruntled teddy bear received the Best Short Animation Award and 'THE HAPPY LIFE' (Greece) - a stylish and slick tale of a cartoonist and his wife received the Special Mention Animation Award.
In the new Screenplay Categories, awards were won by
John de Holland, Luisa Petrolani, Carsten Rauin, Mohydeen Quandour, Lou
Hamilton, Alexander Hayten, Conny S. Reich and Sophie Berenice.
After the awards, music was provided by
rising British star Becky Johnstone and festival organiser Dean
Bentley, who performed with celebrated Japanese and international
superstar, Boro.
The Angel Film Awards,
staged at the Art Novo Theatre, Novotel, a stunning new Monegasque
setting, were a friendly, even cosy – but business-like affair. In spite
of the serious yacht posturing in this part of the world - these awards
are slowly growing in reputation as one of ‘THE EVENT’ not to be missed
on the International Film Festival circuit!
Hi, I just read your article. I am the director of the short film Nightfall of Eden and I just realised that you forgot to include that our film won also the Angel Short Peace Award at the Angel Films Awards Festival. Could you please include this in your article.
ReplyDeleteThank you in advance,
Daina