The winners of the ZEBRA Poetry Film Festivals 2023

    The 2023 ZEBRA Prize for the Best International Poetry Film (donated by Haus für Poesie) went to Fitzgerald & Rimini – D Frou Bovary de Porrentruy by Yannick Mosimann from Switzerland, with a poem by Ariane von Graffenried.

    In their statement, the jury said: „Hemmed in by the mountains, this film not only features a protagonist trapped in the dreariness of daily life but also an image frozen in time—sometimes the 16 mm image is torn, sometimes doubled. And then, there’s that battered post rock over and over. It’s a perfect whirlwind of cinematic elements, interwoven with the three languages of the extraordinary poem that fuels them. And in between, there’s that “disturbing woman.” Hardly any phrase encapsulates this film as well as, “Mrs. Bovary from Porrentruy isn’t who she wants to be / Her needs are big, her life’s petit.””

     

    The Goethe Film AwardBorders (donated by Goethe-Institut) went to Kin ma belle by Junior Mozese from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who is also author of the poem the film is based on.

    The jury’s statement: “There are no protagonists in this film, just a city that reveals itself through its contradictions and weaknesses. Singing its praises, the lyrical voice observes the metropolis from unexpected angles, from the sidewalks, from the depths of landfills, in the cracks of life—between healing and exclusion. The film is a vibrant love song to the wayside. This year’s Goethe Film Award goes to an entry that utilizes documentary techniques: “Kin ma belle” by Junior Mozese.”

     

    The 2023 Ritter Sport Film Award (donated by Alfred Ritter GmbH & Co. KG) went to Legs by Jennifer Still, Christine Fellows and Chantel Mierau from Canada, based on a poem by Jennifer Still.

    The jury’s statement: “Legs create a gap that connects several generations of women. Between a kid’s birthday party and swimming pools, the bodies—shells—cultivate a playful life of their own. The film distinguishes itself through its unique object creations and an extraordinary timing that often borders on the absurd. Colorful mourning in glitter. What’s left when the body’s gone? Stockings.

     

    Two special mentions were given by the jury.

    The first one is a special mention of the Goethe Film Award for Satane Sefid by Shiva Sadegh Asadi from Iran, both director and author of the poem the film is based on: “How should one narrate a border crossing that affects the most intimate sphere? In tightly framed, claustrophobic images, the Iranian filmmaker Shiva Sadegh Asadi succeeds in showing that the private is always political. Woman, life, freedom!”

    The second one is a special mention of the Ritter Sport Film Award for Meanwhile, somewhere in the state of Colorado by the Italian Gloria Regonesi, based on a poem by Simon Armitage: “Sometimes, the greatest art lies in visualizing the absolute. Through the simplicity of its visual language, this film is able to emphasize the power of poet Simon Armitage’s words without ever overshadowing them. Unpretentious and free of cliches.”

     

    The ZEBRino Poetry Film Festival audience also awarded an audience award.

    The 2023 ZEBRino Award for the Best Poetry Film for children and youth was awarded to Abri by Julie Daravan Chea from France, based on a poem by Esther Granek.

    A special mention was given to the film Swallows love by Mariya Onishckenko from the Ukraine, based on the Volkslied Shum.