Taormina crowns Mediterranean talent
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The 54th Taormina Film Fest (June 15-22) awards ceremony ended with a concert that paid tribute to the music of film composers Ennio Morricone, Nicola Piovani and Nino Rota; and featured appearances by Maria Grazia Cucinotta and comedian-actor Alessandro Siani.
From a competition section that featured only Mediterranean films, the Golden Tauro winner was Eye of the Sun (Egypt) by Ibrahim El Batout, his second feature film after Ithaki. According to the jury, “Thanks to an innovative blend of fiction and documentary techniques, the film perfectly expresses universal human values and conditions.”
The Special Jury Prize was given to Seyfi Teoman’s Summer Book (Turkey) by Seyfi Teoman who “with his first feature film has shown himself to be a great promise for the future of cinema.”
The Best Performance Award went to Slovenia actress Tanja Ribic for her turn in Tractor, Love and Rock’n’Roll by Branko Djuric (her partner on and off screen), for her ability “to express humour and emotion throughout the film, in completely diverse situations.”
The People’s Jury, which judged the Beyond the Mediterranean sidebar section, presented its award to 14 Km by Gerardo Olivares.
Artistic Director Deborah Young said she was proud of the festival’s 2008 edition, which underwent a series of structural and financial problems throughout the preceding year. She added, “This was a year in which used all the difficulties we encountered to become stronger.”
Natasha Senjanovic