The NexT Awards 2018

     On Monday evening, the Peasant Museum Cinema hosted the awarding gala of the 12th edition of the NexT International Film Festival, which represented the last edition that marks the closing episode of an important chapter in the story of the Romanian film. The gala was preented by Yvonne Irimescu, the festival executive director and by Oana Ghera, one of the two programmers of this edition.
     The 2018 NexT Trophy (2000 Euros offered by the Romanian Cultural Institute), went to the short film Hector Malot: The Last Day of the Year, directed by Jacqueline Lentzou and the jury thus motivated their choice: “Elliptical in a subtle, funny, surprising way, surprising in a consistent way, this film represents a fresh approach on a familiar subject: loneliness on New Year.”
     The “Cristian Nemescu” award for Best Director (1,000 Euros offered by the Romanian Cultural Institute) went to the director Diogo Baldaia for the film Mirage My Bros, because “this captivating study on children, teenagers and young people is an explosion. In an intelligent way, the film is the search of the beauty of each moment, treating with creativity, aesthetics and skillfulness, from huge emotions to minimal, fragile emotional signs.”
     The jury decided to give the “Andrei Toncu” award for the Best Sound Design (1,000 Euros offered by ICR) to Pierre Sauze, the composer of the soundtrack of the film I`m Going Out for Cigarettes / Je sors acheter des cigarettes, saying the following things about the film: “Starting from each character`s emotions, in order to create some sounds, this narration about two brothers is born, with a mother, but no father. Inside a house there are many emotions that may grow and may become part of a histrionic moment, but the sound creator (who is also the film composer) goes the opposite direction. The sound serves as the emotional means of a very sensitive approach, offering this film everything it needs. The absence can be solved.”
     Ionuț and Călin, directed by Sorin Poamă, is the winner of the Best Romanian Short Film (1,000 Euros offered by ICR). The jury decided to give the award to “a film that has a pure passion, which mingles improvisation with biographical elements, in order to illustrate the dynamic love-dependency in a love story”.
     The jury offered two special mentions: one for a foreign film – Death of a Sound Man, directed by Sorayos Prapapan and one for a Romanian film –The Bed of Procrustes, directed by Adrian Împărățel.
     Impressed by its honesty, self-irony and refinement and also by the protagonist`s impressive acting of a film, the jury decided to create a special award, “Neverending NexT” and gave it to “Ivy”m directed by Sarra Tsorakidis.
     The jury that decided this edition`s winners was made of: Andrei Gorzo (film critic), Ivana Mladenović (film director), Miguel Valverde (co-founder and programmer of the IndieLisboa Film Festival), Paul Negoescu (film director) and Aida Sosic (musician).
     The Audience Award for a Foreign Film (500 Euros) went to the short film Down There, directed by Zhengfan Yang and and A Christmas Gift / Cadoul de Crăciun, directed by Bogdan Mureșanu won the Audience Award for a Romanian Film (500 Euros).
     The four NexT trophies were created by Pisica Pătrată (NexT Trophy), Lea Rasovszky (Best Director), Sorina Vazelina (Best Sound Design) and Ioana Branea (Best Romanian Short Film).
     The NexT International Film Festival is an event organized by the NexT Cultural Society, with the support of the Romanian Film Center (CNC) the Romanian Filmmakers Union (UCIN) and the Romanian Cultural Institute (ICR).