On Saturday 17 September, the awards ceremony for the International competition of the Villa Medici Film Festival took place. On the stage set up on the Piazzale in front of the historic façade of Villa Medici, the jury composed of the director and curator Marie Losier, the director Pietro Marcello and the writer Sylvain Prudhomme announced the two winning films:
VILLA MEDICI PRIZE FOR BEST FILM:
RANIA STEPHAN THE FIELDS OF WORDS 2022, Lebanon, 70′
Rania Stephan, born in Lebanon, navigates between video art and creative documentary. With the Villa Medici Prize for Best Film, she receives a 5000 euro prize and a creative residency at the Villa Medici.
SPECIAL PRIZE OF THE JURY:
ALESSANDRO COMODIN GIGI LA LEGGE 2022, Italy, France, Belgium, 102′
Alessandro Comodin makes his films in the region where he grew up, Friuli Venezia Giulia. With the Special Prize of the Jury, he received a 3000 euro award and a creative residency at the Villa Medici.
“For the power of the object; the charisma, the commitment, the sometimes raw sincerity of the character and the evocation of exile; the love between the director and the extraordinary woman she films; the strength of the testimony that this film represents and all that it makes us understand about the difficulty and exhaustion of bearing witness; the emotion of Samar Yazbek’s words and of this portrait that gives meaning to the gesture of continuing to create, we are happy to award the prize for Best Film to Rania Stephan for her film The fields of words. “
“For the delicacy, humour and generosity; the elegance and grace of the direction; the beauty and tranquillity of the character; the gentle madness of the embodiment of the law, and to send our best wishes to this man we would like to meet every day, we award the Jury Prize to Alessandro Comodin for Gigi la legge.”
The jury (Marie Losier, Pietro Marcello et Sylvain Prudhomme)
