San Sebastián Film Festival Controversy
by Andre Soares
More regarding this year’s San Sebastián Film Festival’s Best Film winners — Niwemang / Half Moon (Iran-Iraq-Austria-France), which also won the International Film Critics’ FIPRESCI Award, and Mon fils à moi / My Son (France):
According to CBC, film critics protested one of the jury’s two choices: "Shouts of ‘no, no’ could be heard upon the announcement concerning the French film, but when the Kurdish film was announced there was enthusiastic applause."
Directed by Bahman Ghobadi, Half Moon follows an old Kurdish-Iranian musician on his way to a performance in Iraq’s Kurdistan. (Ghobadi had already won a Golden Shell in 2004, for Lakposhtha hâm parvaz mikonand / Turtles Can Fly.) Martial Fougeron’s Mon fils à moi is a coming-of-age story revolving around a dysfunctional mother-son relationship.
The CBC article adds that Mon fils à moi "has been described by Spanish reviewers as incoherent and was poorly received at its screening."
This year’s jury was headed by French actress Jeanne Moreau.
DVD Review: Jean-Luc Godard’s A BOUT DE SOUFFLE / BREATHLESS (1960)
Otto Preminger Centennial Tribute
Iran’s and Israel’s Oscar Entries
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