RIDM Awards - winners

The 2011 Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal (RIDM) held its awards ceremony at the closing night gala screening of Stefano Savona's Tahrir, Place de la Libération.

The Grand Prize for Canadian Feature went to Catherine Hébert for Carnets d’un grand détour, while the Cinémathèque Québécoise Critics' Choice Award went to another African-themed film Les États-Unis d’Afrique by Yanick Létourneau.

The Grand Prize for Best International Feature went to Territoire Perdu by Pierre-Yves Vandeweerd, which is also set in Africa. Territoire Perdu also picked up the Best Editing Award.

The winner of the People’s Choice Award was Bouton by director Res Balzli.

The award winners were selected by jury, with the exception of the People's Choice Award. While most juries consisted of film industry professionals, one consisted of five women inmates from the the Joliette Institution. They gave their award to El lugar más pequeño (The Tiniest Place) by Tatiana Huezo.

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AWARDS : RIDM 2011

Montreal, Sunday, November 20, 2011 – The Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM) comes to a end today after nearly 200 screenings, events and activities. The award winners for the 14th edition were announced last night at the closing ceremony, held at the Grande Bibliothèque.

BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM
Presented by VOX, the award for best international short film went to Flying Anne (Anne Vliegt) by director Catherine Van Campen. According to the jury, Flying Anne is a film of captivating lyrical beauty that delivers a thoroughly satisfying narrative that the audience discovers as Anne manages to explain to the other children why she’s different, so that they will consider her normal.

BEST INTERNATIONAL MEDIUM-LENGTH FILM
Presented by Films Transit, the award for best international medium-length film went to Hula and Natan by Robby Elmaliah. Does anyone expect comedy when bombs are falling all around? That is what we get with Hula and Natan, a fine film that, against all expectations, presents the charming, funny portrait of two brothers, by turns mechanics and philosophers, who are getting by in Sderot, a village near Gaza.

The jury also awarded a special mention to Out of Reach by director Jakub Stozek, for its strong narrative and creative use of sound in its portrayal of a painfully distant person. A courageous film that remains respectful of its subjects, two Polish sisters looking for the woman who was once their mother.

The international short and medium-length jury was composed of Danny Lennon, Halima Ouardiri and David Wilson.

CINÉMATHÈQUE QUÉBÉCOISE – CRITICS’ CHOICE AWARD
In association with the AQCC, the Association québécoise des critiques de cinéma, this award went to Les États-Unis d’Afrique by Yanick Létourneau, a sincere, generous documentary that takes a political stand while maintaining a sense of openness to the world. The jury also gave a special mention to Wiebo’s War (La guerre de Wiebo) by David York, in recognition of the maturity evident in the filmmaker’s first film, a complex and fascinating work. All Canadian and Quebec films, of all lengths, were eligible for this award.

The Critics’ Jury was composed of Ismaël Houdassine, Miquel Martí Freixas and Daniel Racine.

BEST NEW TALENT FROM QUEBEC/CANADA
Presented by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), the award for best new talent from Quebec/Canada was presented to Xun Yu for The Vanishing Spring Light. With integrity, respect and empathy, the director did much more than film the world of a Chinatown, but captured the theatricality of the human condition.

GRAND PRIZE FOR BEST CANADIAN FEATURE
Presented by Bell, the grand prize for Best Canadian Feature was presented to Catherine Hébert for Carnets d’un grand détour, for the filmmaker’s profoundly sensitive cinematic approach and point of view.

The Quebec/Canada feature competition jury was composed of Anaïs Clanet, Helene Klodawsky and Javier Packer Comyn.

WOMEN INMATES AWARD
Composed of five inmates from the Joliette Institution – Mélanie, Danielle, Despina, Christine and Ginette – the inmates’ jury selected a film from among the eight they were shown: The Tiniest Place (El lugar más pequeño) by Tatiana Huezo, for its ability to transport them with its breathtaking images, and for the courage and determination of the residents of a village caught in the middle of a civil war, struggling valiantly for their survival.

BEST EDITING IN AN INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
Presented by the Alliance québécoise des techniciens de l’image et du son (AQTIS), the award for editing went to Territoire Perdu by Pierre-Yves Vandeweerd, for its intense pacing and beautiful, atmospheric sound design. The jury praised the exceptional work of editor Philippe Boucq and sound designer Alain Cabaux.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY IN AN INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
Presented by Antoine Laoun Opticien, the cinematography award was presented to Natalia Almada for her film El Velador, for her incisive instincts and impeccable attention to detail. With her clear authorial vision, Almada’s cinematography is a fine example of the way in which images can transcend the screen.

GRAND PRIZE FOR BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
The grand prize for Best International Feature went to Territoire Perdu by Pierre-Yves Vandeweerd, for its fascinating, lyrical meditation on the past and present of the Sahrawi, a nomadic people from the western Sahara. Vandeweerd has created a profound, mysterious, resonant film that made a powerful impression on the jury.

A special mention went to The Tiniest Place (El lugar más pequeño) by Tatiana Huezo.

The international feature competition jury was composed of Ruth Beckermann, Mathieu Bouchard-Malo, Sylvaine Dufaux, Robert Koehler and Alessandro Raja.

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD
Presented by Canal D, the People’s Choice award went to Bouton, by director Res Balzli. Festival audiences were charmed by this poignant, delightful film about a lifelike puppet and his creator, who is battling a serious form of cancer. Bouton will be screened again today, Sunday, at 5:30 p.m. at the Grande Bibliothèque (475 de Maisonneuve East).

The RIDM congratulates the winners and thanks all the filmmakers and everyone else who participated in this 14th edition. See you next year!

Quebec’s only film festival dedicated to documentaries, the Montreal International Documentary Festival presents the best reality-based films, including the works of established directors and new talents alike. Plus, with the aim of extending its reach beyond Montreal, RIDM will present selected documentaries in Quebec City from November 26 to December 2, in collaboration with Cinéma Cartier.