IDFA's jury neatly balanced poetry and politics by including among the long documetaries the moving Planet of Snail (South Korea) to be crowned, alongside the set in a Palestinian village 5 Broken Cameras, a Palestinian/Israeli/French/Dutch co-production.
Planet of Snail by Seung-Jun Yi received the main award, the VPRO IDFA Award for best feature-length documentary. The fireworks of The Ambassador was thus bypassed in favour of a very intimate and often light-hearted impression of the daily life of deaf-blind Young-Chan who has found happiness with his beloved Soon-Ho, who (presumably) has remained small in stature due to a growth disorder. Presumably, because the film largely omits background information, just as Seung-Jun Yi also avoids the clichés of the problem film. Incidentally, the director owes a lot to Young-Chan as the protagonist. The latter provides the film with commentary that is as down-to-earth as it is poetic, comparing his existence to that of an astronaut floating among the stars.
The Special Jury Prize went to 5 Broken Cameras by Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi. It is the personal sketch of life in a Palestinian village and resistance to encroaching Jewish settlements, captured by one of its residents.
900 Days by Jessica Gorter was named best Dutch documentary. In it, survivors of the siege of Leningrad juxtapose their own horrific memories with the propagandist myth.
For a full list of all prices: www.idfa.nl
Leo Bankersen
English (UK) 
Nederlands 
Français 