The Vienna Short Film Award in the international competition Fiction & Documentary went to the fantasy film “Sun Dog” by Dorian Jespers (BE). The Jury Prize went to the Brazilian Ana Vaz for her documentary project “Apiyemiyekî?” (Why?). And the Frenchwoman Manon Coubia was awarded as best female director for “Tide”.

The main prize of the international competition for short fiction and documentary films is endowed with 4,000 euros by the City of Vienna. Dorian Jespers had already won in Rotterdam with his feverish fantasy set in the Russian city of Murmansk and now, with the award in Vienna, has qualified for the Oscars.

Also qualified for the Oscars is the film by Ana Vaz, who was awarded a one-month residency in Vienna and 1,050 euros for her documentary about the brutal actions of the Brazilian military dictatorship against the indigenous Waimiri-Atroari in the 1970s. A special mention went to Mahdi Fleifel’s “3 Logical Exits”.

The prize for the best female director was awarded across all competitions. The Elfi Dassanowsky Foundation in honor of the Austrian film pioneer honored the Frenchwoman Manon Coubia for her fantastic mountain adventure “Tide” as best director of the festival. The prize is endowed with 1,000 euros.

The Fiction & Documentary jury was made up of the Locarno programmer Tizian Büchi (CH), the filmmaker Juanita Onzaga (CO/MX/BE) and the Berlin producer Zsuzsanna Király (AT). The jury’s nomination for the Elfi Dassanowsky Prize—one of a total of three nominations—was finally chosen as the winner by Robert Dassanowsky.

All statements of the jury can be found here. We would like to thank the prize donors: the City of Vienna, the MuseumsQuartier and Q21 as well as the Elfi Dassanowksy Foundation.

News 3.6.2020