Emotion Marks the End of the Mostra
Jointly presented be Mostra’s directors Leon Cakoff and Renata de Almeida, in addition to Serginho Groisman (who mediated many debates at the Mostra’s Lounge) and Marina Person, the ceremony was marked by an atmosphere of commemoration and gratitude. When Heitor Dhalia went on stage to thank for the Bandeira Paulista trophy for best feature for Drained in the new directors competition, he mentioned: “I moved to São Paulo thirteen years ago to invest in my career as a filmmaker and to be able to attend the Mostra. We don’t have much access to films in the city of Recife. So, it is very special to be here on stage, receiving this award.” Tata Amaral also reported on her relation to the event. The filmmaker has always been a spectator and frequenter of the Mostra, and in the first year she participated in the selection, with Antonia, she said she was very pleased to have divided the public choice award – and, as a consequence, the Petrobras Cultural de Difusão award – with The Year My Parents went on Vacation, by Cao Hamburger.This special aspect of the Mostra was reiterated by Cláudio Lembo, the first Governor to be present in a closing ceremony in thirty years, as mentioned by Cakoff. Lembo said that it is very good to see the results of Cakoff’s abnegation in a project that is part of the cultural legacy of the State of São Paulo (and of the country). The governor further declared that it is especially nice to see that a Brazilian movie received the jury award for the second consecutive year. This award, called Bandeira Paulista, was granted to Drained, and, in the last year, to Cinema, Aspirins and Vultures, by Marcelo Gomes. Lembo praised the filmmakers who attended the ceremony, highlighting their importance for the country’s cultural identity. It was also possible to observe how the Mostra begins to award a generation of professionals formed by the Mostra itself. After all, thinking about its three decades of existence, many of the Brazilians who went on stage yesterday count on the Mostra as something certain, year after year, since they were born!
Tomie Ohtake gives the Humanity Award to
Vittorio de Seta
Between several warm expressions of gratitude, there were at least three moments of emotion that caused the guests to stand up and clap: when Leon Cakoff looked in the audience for artist Tomie Ohtake, author of Bandeira Paulista trophy, to ask her to give Italian filmmaker Vittorio De Seta the Humanity Award; when Gerardo Taracena prepared Don Angel Tavira – a long and reverent moment of silence – for this latter to play the violin as an expression of gratitude for the special jury award received by the Mexican film they represented, The Violin; and at the moment of the eloquent speech of Milton Gonçalves, who presented, together with Maria and Antonio de Andrade, a special screening of the restored copy of Macunaíma, by Joaquim Pedro de Andrade – Milton talked about his personal past, movies, Brazil and Afro-Brazilian conscience.
Don Angel Tavira, musician and actor of "The Violin",
performs at the closing ceremony of the 30th Mostra
The ceremony was reverenced in a classic way, in an edition that was attended by 220 thousand spectators, 20 thousand more than last year. This is an immediate reflex of the redefinition of the minimum age to attend the screenings – until last year, those under 18 were not allowed to attend the sessions. This year, the Mostra redefined the specific minimum age for each film, which opened the doors to teenagers. Thus, the public formation character was redefined. The public watched, in 19 theaters, 292 features, 99 short films and 29 medium-length films from 44 countries, which represents energy, curiosity and hunger for many other commemorative editions.
Awarded Films, Actors and Filmmakers at the 30th Mostra Internacional de Cinema em São Paulo
Jury Award – Best Motion Picture: Drained, by Heitor Dhalia (Brazil)
Special Jury Award: The Violin, by Francisco Vargas (Mexico)
with special mention for actor Don Angel Tavira
Jury Award – Best Actor: Adel Imam, The Yacoubian Building (Egypt)
Jury Award – Best Actress: Maria Lundqvist, Äideistä Parhain (Finland)
Jury Award – Honorable Mention (for visual achievement) : The Year My Parents Went on Vacation, by Cao Hamburger (Brazil)
Public Choice Award – Best Brazilian Short-film: First Time, by Fabrício Bittar
Public Choice Award – Best Brazilian Medium-length Film: God and Devil on Top of the Wall, by Tocha Alves and Daniel Lieff
Public Choice Award – Best Foreign Language Feature: Rosso Come il Cielo, by Cristiano Bortone (Italy)
Public Choice Award – Best Foreign Documentary: An Inconvenient Truth, by Davis Guggenheim (EUA)
Public Choice Award – Best Foreign Short-film: I Want to Be a Pilot, by Diego Quemada-Diez (Kenya/Mexico/Spain)
Public Choice Award – Best Foreign Medium-length Film: Jana Sanskriti – A Theater on the Field, by Jeanne Dosse (France)
Critics Award – International: Paraguayan Hammock, by Paz Encina (Paraguay/France/Argentina/Holland)
Critics Award – Brazilian: Drained, by Heitor Dhalia
Petrobras Cultural de Difusão Award – Best Brazilian Feature: Antonia, by Tata Amaral (R$ 200 thousand) and The Year My Parents Went on Vacation, by Cao Hamburger (R$ 200 thousand)
Petrobras Cultural de Difusão Award – Best Brazilian Documentary: Fabricating Tom Zé, by Décio Matos Jr. (R$ 200 thousand)
Youth Award (votes by high-school students in the Youth Festival): Mother of Mine, by Klaus Harö (Finland)
Humanity Award: Vittorio De Seta, Italian filmmaker, director of Bandits of Orgosolo (1961) and Letters from Sahara (2006), and guest of honor at the 30th Mostra.