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Art, Deserted, Cupcake and Ivan’s Day all triumph at 15^th Sleepwalkers International Short Film Festival in Tallinn, Estonia

Festival awards go to a diverse range films at a ceremony at the Baltic Film and Media School on Saturday night.

The 2014 edition of the Sleepwalkers International Short Film Festival came to a close at the award ceremony held at the Baltic Film and Media School in Tallinn on Saturday night. The ceremony saw four main awards handed out to films from across the world.

The winner of the 2014 Sleepwalkers International Competition – with a prize of 1000 EUR sponsored by Nokia Lumia - was Adrian Sitaru’s Artă [Art] (Dir. Adrian Sitaru, Romania, 2014). Sitaru is a popular fixture on the festival circuit with films such as 2010’s The Cage  winning awards across the world alongside features such as Best Intentions which have marked him out as one of the leading figures on the current scene of Romanian filmmaking. Art – which premiered at this year’s Venice Film Festival – sees a director interviewing a young teenager about a potential part in his new film. But when he mentions the sex scenes, her mother becomes concerned. The jury said of the film:

“Two young filmmakers are making a movie about abuse and exploitation. Are they critics, observers or participants? We chose a film that cleverly exposes the taboos and makes you think about how simple it is to rationalize our vices.”

The winner of the 2014 Sleepwalkers National Competition – with a prize of 1000 EUR sponsored by Overall – was Ivan's Day [Ivanipäev] (Dir. Ivan Pavljutskov, Estonia, 2013). The film is a story of a perfect summer day, love and being a stranger in ones own homeland. The jury said of the film:

“An age old story of a boy and a girl, divided by nationality, and the resulting prejudice. Russians in today's Estonia are hardly a minority, but their voice goes often unheard and so do their stories. We award a film that addresses the worldwide issue and makes a point that evolves beyond a love story.”

The jury also gave a special mention in the National Competition to A (Dir. Matti Adoma, Estonia, 2014) which received its World Premiere at the festival.

The jury for the International and National Competitions were Anja Kučko Braun (Director of Tabor Film Festival, Croatia), Tristan Priimägi (Film Editor at SIRP, Estonia) and Sari Volanen (YLE, Finland)

The winner of the 2014 Sleepwalkers Student Competition – with a prize of 1000 EUR sponsored by Levira – was Deserted (Dir. Yoav Hornung, Israel, 2013). A product of the Tel Aviv University, the film sees officer candidates in their final assignment in the Israeli army. The two women trek through a harsh desert landscape when one suddenly remembers she’s forgotten something crucial.

The winner of the 2014 Sleepwalkers Baltic Sea Competitions – with a prize of 1000 EUR sponsored by ERR (Estonian Public Broadcasting) – was Cupcake (Dir. Jane Magnusson, Sweden, 2014). Recently receiving its World Premiere at the Warsaw Film Festival where it won Best Short, the film tells the story of Lena and Karin who have known each other for six years. They are extremely close, but due to their pasts and various external circumstances their relationship must end.

The Baltic Sea and Student Competition Jury was made up of Margit Keerdo-Dawson (Screenwriter, Estonia), Amanda Boka (Freelance film and film event producer, Latvia) and Lai Kin Chang (International relations at RITS, School of Arts in Brussels, Belgium).

All winning films will now be screened at the Baltic Film and Media School over the coming days with audiences deciding upon the festival’s ultimate grand prix.7

Laurence Boyce, Sleepwalkers Programme Director said:

“We had an excellent selection of films and I’d like to thank the jury for working so hard and picking some truly amazing films to win. I’d also like to thank the sponsors for donating the prize money and the Baltic Film and Media School for letting us screen all our films!”

The ceremony saw the conclusion of 5 days of films screened at the Baltic Film and Media School in Tallinn, Estonia. Over the course of the festival winners from Venice, Toronto, Encounters and Edinburgh were screened alongside this year’s winner of the live action short Oscar.

Sleepwalkers will continue screening films during the Black Nights Film Festival, of which it is a sub-festival. Over the coming days, audiences can look forward to Short Matters! From the European Film Academy and a collection of the finest documentaries from Europe.

Winning films will be screened in SuperNova cinema on 26th November. Facebook . 

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