DocPoint’s National and International Competition Winners Announced

DocPoint – Helsinki Documentary Film Festival awarded the best national and international feature films and the best national short films of the year. The winner of the National Competition is Chico Pereira’s 11 Underground. A special mention was given to Seafarers – A Tale of a Young Sailor by Milja Viita. The deeply personal A Want in Her by Myrid Carten won the International Competition. The special mention was given to Klára Tasovská’s film I’m Not Everything I Want to Be. The winner of the National Shorts Competition is Rooms by Antti Lempiäinen. The special mention was given to Marjo Levlin’s essay film Underdog. The Apollo Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Virpi Suutari on the same occasion. All of the winning films are screened at the festival on Sunday, 9 February. 

The Winner of the National Competition is 11 Underground by Chico Pereira

Chico Pereira won the National Competition with 11 Underground. The jury stated the following, “For its impressive motivation to drive real changes within society, and for its critical and imaginative approach to storytelling, the film is set to inspire its characters in reacting to injustices that matter to us all. This documentary creates a space where art and the participants of the film interact in an encouraging way to deconstruct basic human rights which resonate with the audience. The film invites us to remember the past, react to the present, and think about the future. The jury is thrilled to give the DocPoint Award for the best national documentary to 11 Underground, directed by Chico Pereira.”

The Award is worth 3000 € and consists of 2000 € equipment rental to Valofirma and 1000 € cash prize from DocPoint.

In addition, the Jury gave a special mention to Seafarers – A Tale of a Young Sailor, directed by Milja Viita. “The jury was sensitive to the care that the director has put into such a story that might have gone unseen otherwise. The clever editing work on the archival footage, portraying this working class at sea sailing towards a tragic loss, reflects on their difficult conditions. The special mention of the National Competition goes to Seafarers – A Tale of a Young Sailor, directed by Milja Viita,” the jury commented.

The jury for the National Competition series includes Bérénice Hahn of the sales company Square Eyes, filmmaker and founder of the Academy of Moving People And Images Erol Mintaş and Hubert Sabino-Brunette, artistic director of the Canadian RIDM Festival.

The Winner of the International Competition is A Want in Her by Myrid Carten

The deeply personal A Want in Her by Myrid Carten won the International Competition. In her debut film Carten goes back to her home in Ireland to search for her lost mother and test her own limits of love.

“To a film that is as much a study of a dysfunctional family as it is a proclamation of unconditional love under extreme circumstances. A raw and unfiltered work, its anarchic cinematography and the dialogue between original shooting and archival material heighten a sense of claustrophobia while drawing us deeper into its world. The jury is delighted to give the DocPoint Award of the International Competition to Myrid Carten for her film A Want in Her,“ the jury described.

The winner will be awarded with a 2000 € DocPoint Prize. 

In addition the jury wanted to give a special mention to Klára Tasovská’s film I’m Not Everything I Want to Be. “It is striking how the protagonist’s photographs are transformed into moving images through editing, adding layers of interpretation of the artist’s life and work. Shaped by political events, the film prompts us to reflect on history from a contemporary perspective. The special mention goes to I’m Not Everything I Want to Be by Klára Tasovská,” the jury commented.

The jury of the International Competition includes documentary filmmaker Maija Hirvonen, DokuFest Kosovo Artistic Director Veton Nurkollari and Brazilian filmmaker, actor and director Renata Ferraz.

The Winner of the National Shorts Competition is Rooms by Antti Lempiäinen

The winner of the National Shorts Competition is Room by Antti Lempiäinen. The hopeful film follows Janne, a homeless streetwriter.

“The winning film does not just tell the story of one individual, but rather, with its careful narrative choices, opens a window, through which our everyday environment appears to the audience from the perspective of the film’s protagonist. The film views its main subject as a multidimensional person, not reducing them solely to their challenging situation. The poetic, wandering, collage-like form, and reflective pace of the film, allowed time to experience the world of another person. While skilfully throwing the spotlight on an increasingly relevant issue, it is also a celebration of resilience and hope,” the jury stated.

The winner will be awarded with a 1000 € rental equipment prize to Valofirma.

In addition, the jury gave a special mention to Marjo Levlin’s essay film Underdog. “The film propelled the viewer boldly through many weighty themes, ultimately tying everything together in a powerful way, and connecting the viewer with various aspects of hierarchy in this world. An intense and moving, visually beautiful film,” the jury commented.

The jury of the National Shorts Competition includes filmmaker Iiti Yli-Harja, PhD researcher and filmmaker Kazu Ahmed and artist Maija Blåfield.