Cannes Docs Winners Include ‘Asphalt,’ ‘Everybody to Kenmure Street’

4 days ago 2

Jordanian doc “Asphalt,” directed by Hamza Hamideh and spotlighted in the Palestinian showcase, has picked up the IEFTA Award at Cannes Docs, dedicated to documentary film.

Produced by Mahmoud Massad, it shows 20-year-old Debs, a Palestinian refugee from the Baqa’a camp in Jordan, dreaming of marrying his beloved. He’s forced to postpone his wedding due to the death of his relatives in Gaza – embodying the suffering of an entire generation that has grown up in exile over the decades and within Palestinian refugee camps.

Al Jazeera Documentary Award went to “Everybody to Kenmure Street” by Felipe Bustos Sierra.

In the project, neighbours and activists rush to surround an immigration van detaining two residents in Scotland’s most diverse community. “Our film celebrates collective action, looking to the stories that led to that day and the historic events that have shaped this community,” stated the team, calling it an “intense, ground-level, and ultimately joyous account of the standoff with the police and the UK Home Office.”

Chicken & Egg Vision Award was given to “Something Familiar” by Rachel Close, with the special mention heading to Palestinian-French work “Sama” by Rabab Khamis, the latter focusing on a 10-year-old from Gaza, collecting plastic and cardboard to sell as fuel and silently facing a suffering that surpasses her capacity in a world from which her childhood has been stolen.

Post-Production Award went to “The Production of the World,” directed by Brett Story, and the Rise And Shine Award – to Jorge Acevedo Carrasco’s “The Tiger of the East.”

“Two Mountains Weighing Down My Chest” by Viv Li picked up the Alphapanda Award, while “My Rebel Heart” by Ida Kat Balslev – Think-Film Impact Award for a story about a young actress Yara as she navigates the delicate balance between her artistic ambitions and the fight for Palestinian liberation.

Finally, the Rulli Putortì & Partners Law Firm Award was given to “I Heard the Calling: The Return of the Tupinambá Cloak” directed by Myrza Muniz, Robson Dias and Célia, and the DAE Award to Spanish “The Flight of the Stork” by Soumaya Hidalgo Djahdou and Berta Vicente Salas.

The full list of awards:

IEFTA Award

“Asphalt” by Hamza Hamideh [Palestine Showcase]

Al Jazeera Documentary Award

“Everybody to Kenmure Street” by Felipe Bustos Sierra [Scotland Showcase]

Chicken & Egg Vision Award

“Something Familiar” by Rachel Close [CIRCLE Showcase]

Chicken & Egg Vision Special Mention

“Sama” by Rabab Khamis [Palestine Showcase]

Post-Production Award

“The Production of the World” by Brett Story [Canada Showcase]

Rise And Shine Award