The 2020 CineMAiubit Awards

     On December 19, 2020, the CineMAiubit International Student Film Festival organized a touching online Awards Gala.
     The festival is organized by the “ I.L.Caragiale” National University of Theatre and Film (Bucharest, UNATC), the CineMAiubit Foundation, with the main partner, the CINEPUB.RO platform, with the support of the Romanian Film centre (CNC), the Romanian Filmmakers Union (UCIN), DACIN SARA and the Romanian Cultural Institute (ICR).
     Despite the difficult context of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, CineMAiubit continued its tradition of awarding the best student films, moving in online, with the help of the main festival partner, the well-known platform dedicated to promoting the Romanian  film, CINEPUB.RO. By means of the internet, the films in competitions and the retrospectives could be watched from all over the world.
     Being the first important international student film festival in Romania – and the first in chronological order - CineMAiubit is the place where during the years, most of the Romanian acclaimed filmmakers made their debut. We are convinced that the winners of this edition will also become, in a short while, acknowledged by the audience and the film specialists.

    CINEMAIUBIT 24 – Awards

     BEST FILM AWARD – offered by UCIN
     TOGETHER / ÎMPREUNĂ (directed by: Alma Buhagiar) – UNATC 
”The jury was unanimous in wishing to give the prize of best film to Alma Buhagiar for her elegant film Together. A contemporary drama with multiple points of view, the film trusts in the audience’s ability to tie them together in a most satisfying way. Accurately observed in every scene, with a tightly crafted script Together is a powerful directorial debut. Congratulations!”
 
     “CRISTIAN NEMESCU” Award for BEST DIRECTOR – offered by UCIN
      BOREDOM (directed by: Alica Bednarikova) – VSMU, Slovakia
" For being the most original and experimental film in this competition, with an outstanding director's view. Playing with the film structure, the director manages to keep an exquisite balance between sadness and comic. And this well balanced directorial skill throughout the whole film is turning the whole world upside down, in the most unexpected ways."
 
     “LUCIAN PINTILIE” Award for BEST ROMANIAN FILM – offered by DACIN SARA and AVANPOST
     DEER HUNTING / VÂNĂTOAREA DE CERBI (directed by: Andrei Olănescu) – UNATC
"The jury is pleased to award the prize of the Best Romanian film to Andrei Olănescu’s beautiful The Deer Hunting, which impressed the jury with its epic minimalism and emotional modernism, Andrei has successfully crafted a carefully weighted juxtaposition of an unfolding tender drama in the most macho of arenas. A great directorial debut!"

     UNATC RECTOR AWARD
     WE COME ONE BY ONE AND WE LEAVE AT ONE` S TIME / VENIM PE RÂND ȘI MERGEM PE SĂRITE (directed by: Mihnea Toma, cinematography: Beatrice Păun, editing and sound: Mihai Dumitrache) – UNATC
"A clear film, with a profound theme, like a clean and deep water, benefiting from an exceptional cinematography. A charming cinematic work, full of humor, which envelops the tradition in a tender and respectful look. WE COME ONE BY ONE AND WE LEAVE AT ONE’S TIME is a film signed by a young team that deserves our applause: Mihnea Toma (directing), Beatrice Păun (cinematography), Mihai Dumitrache (editing and sound)."
 
     ROMANIAN FILMMAKERS UNION
     DEER HUNTING / VÂNĂTOAREA DE CERBI (directed by: Andrei Olănescu) – UNATC
"The Deer Hunting impresses with its humanism and its sensitive observation of a relationship in which the abandoned son meets his father. The hunting is just a pretext for the son’s forgiveness. A hunt that will not take place, because a deer has a baby next to it! With this film, the director proves a surprising maturity. "
 
     CRITICS AWARD – offered by UCIN
     STILL / DOI FĂRĂ (directed by: Miruna Minculescu) – UNATC
"Still by Miruna Minculescu, for the rigorous mise-en-scene in depth, supported by the disturbing photography created by Barbu Niţelea, the director of photography of the film."
 
     “CĂTĂLIN COCRIȘ” AWARD FOR BEST SCRIPT 
     GREETINGS FROM NIGERIA (screenplay by: Peter Hoferica) – VSMU, Slovakia
"For a heart touching story about different generations told in perfect rhythm and with a great absurdist sense of humor while re-creating and re-thinking the style of Roy Andersson in the Eastern European environment in an original way."
 
     “PAUL CĂLINESCU” AWARD FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY – offered by DACIN SARA
     VENIM PE RÂND ȘI MERGEM PE SĂRITE (directed by: Mihnea Toma) – UNATC
" The jury would like to award Mihnea Toma’s film WE COME ONE BY ONE AND WE LEAVE AT ONE’S TIME the award for best documentary, for its lyricism, witty intimacy, and evocative portrayal of a dying art. His evident rapport with the village women, the singing mourners, provide a reassuringly spirited presence in the film taking us into the heart of the hills, with stunning cinematography, and well-paced editing throughout. Well done!"
 
     “ION BOSTAN” AWARD FOR BEST ROMANIAN DOCUMENTARY – offered by DACIN SARA      

MY FRIEND (directed by: Marin Cumatrenco) – UNATC
"The sensitivity of approaching this subject, as a clin d'oeil, the thorny issue of migration, and for the freshness and naturalness of the cinematographic realization of it. Equally for the editing and the manipulation of new communication technologies in the cinematographic language."
 
     “VICTOR ILIU” AWARD
     BEARS / URȘII (directed by: Alin Duruian) – UNATC
"It is with pleasure to award the film The Bears, directed by Alin Duruian, with the Victor Iliu documentary award. The director transcended the story of a village being threatened by bears to become a picture of contemporary Romania, in which a small man is becoming an endangered species himself. The Jury found it to be a brave, creative, and important documentary film dealing with a compelling, present-day topic."
 
     BEST ANIMATION FILM
    

 NÖ! (directed by: Christian Kauffmann) – Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, Germany
"NÖ! is a poetic animation short that tells the story of a human being who is persistent in following his dreams despite the serious challenges he faces. He learns how to overcome obstacles and to turn the worst situation into its reverse. The elegant visual style, the harmony of colors, and the consistent character development make this film a five-minute gem in the selection. The members of the jury also agreed that this optimistic tale is something we all need in 2020”.
 
     “ION TRUICĂ” AWARD FOR BEST ROMANIAN ANIMATION FILM
     SISIPHESCU (directed by: Maria Simina Dimancea) – UNATC
"For the modern and original approach to the ancient myth of Sisyphus, for the ability to reveal in less than a minute specific features of the characters which describe them convincingly and last but not least for making us smile."

     BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY OF A ROMANIAN FILM – offered by Cinelab Romania
     DEER HUNTING / VÂNĂTOAREA DE CERBI (imagine: Cătălin Rugină) – UNATC
"For a consistent care of the visual in long static shots, and for looking after the passing of time through lighting, managing well the ratio between light and darkness in relationship with the storyline."
 
     “ANDREI (OTTO) TONCU” AWARD FOR BEST SOUND DESIGN OF A ROMANIAN FILM     
     9 BALLOONS (Sound design: Anthony Andrei, Alex Babliuc, David Buciuta, Mihai Dumitrache, Cătălin Furtună, Andrei Georgescu, Alex Harabagiu, Alex Măgureanu, Andrei Petcu, Magdalena Scurtu, Vlad Taină Popa, Ștefan Tomescu) – UNATC
"9 Balloons is an outstanding example of collective work - something filmmaking in its essence is. 9 directors worked on the picture and then collaborated with 12 sound designers to create not only the soundtrack of the films but the worlds in which they are taking place. The award is given to the creativity and creation achieved through the cooperation of the sound team: Anthony, David, Mihai, Cătălin, Magdalena, Vlad, Ștefan, 2 Andreis, and 3 Alexes."
 
     BEST EDITING OF A ROMANIAN FILM  
     BEING A BEE (editing: Ferenc Medve) – Sapientia University Cluj
"It is often said how a movie is written three times - on paper, on the set and finally in the editing room - Being a Bee is one of those films that was created in the editing room. The jury was touched by the narrative and the emotion of the film, and a powerful and urgent message it is sending."

     ROMANIAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS AWARD; offered by RSC&American Cinematographer
     THE SWINGS (cinematography: Alfred Marvanov) – Academy of theatre and film N.S. Mihalkov, Russia
"For a sincere approach and fresh glance, with an expressive camera that underlines the perspective of the narrative through composition, reflection, and lighting, revealing or hiding what was important for the story, in creating a visual unity and a feeling of unease with memorable images, the RSC Award goes to The Swings. "
 

    BEST ACTRESS AWARD 
     Raya Mironova and Apolinaria Vetlugina for the SIX HOURS – Moscow New School of Cinema, Russia
"For their skills to combine role building with instinctive act, for the courage to subtly express their work on the character and for the strong ability to naturally relate to the partner we feel it’s obvious we have to award an amazing team of actresses: Raya Mironova and Polina Vetlugina."

     BEST ACTOR AWARD
     Santiago Barzi for the film CHINESE WALL – UCINE, Argentina
"We were moved by the vulnerability of his reactions and the subtle act, by the ability to remain lucid in a story that he knew too well, by the power to manage multiple narrative threads. And because acting itself is a job that requires a lot of focus, we feel obliged to reward the one artist who had to support 3 "roles" in his project."

     NINA BEHAR AWARD
     THE SWINGS (directed by Anastasia Ostapenko) – Academy of theatre and film N.S. Mihalkov, Russia
"For the courage of approaching such a theme, for the sensibility and the special quality of sound and image." 
 
     SPECIAL MENTION OF THE JURY
     I AM YOU ARE (directed by Natalia Dolgowska) – Andrzej Wajda Film School, Poland
"This special mention goes to the movie I am you are, director Natalia Dolgowska, as the movie shows a well-balanced style and a strong directorial point of view. The film is painting with feelings on the images, talking about the past, without a trace of sadness. Age and relationships, life and death, the uniqueness of each human being, shown as a concert of feelings and images, in a strong personal universe."

     SPECIAL MENTION OF THE JURY
     BURNED (directed by Fatemeh Mohamadi) – Iranian Youth Cinema Society, Iran
"The Jury would like to distinguish with a Special Mention the film BURNED by Fatemeh Mohamadi for immersing us completely in her narrative by building scenes and characters of great authenticity, for developing a sensitive theme with precise staging of the details and the action in the background and for masterfully guiding the viewer to a powerful and memorable end."
Details: CineMAiubit