RIDM 2018: Award Winners

AWARD WINNERS
21st Montreal's International Documentary Festuval (RIDM)

November 17, 2018 

Though Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM) was ending on November18, 2018, the award winners of the 21^th RIDM editioon were announced the day before, on November 17, 2018, during the closing ceremony that took place at the Concordia University's Alumni Auditorium.

GRAND PRIZE FOR BEST INTERNATIONAL Feature Film

presented by Bell Media

Hale County This Morning, This Evening by RaMell Ross

SPECIAL JURY PRIZE – INTERNATIONAL FEATURE

Extinction (Extinção) by Salomé Lamas

The jury for the international feature competition was composed of Mads Mikkelsen, Maria Augusta Ramos, Daniel Sponsel and Barbara Visser.

GRAND PRIZE FOR BEST CANADIAN FEATURE

presented by Studios Saint-Antoine

Dark Suns by Julien Elie

SPECIAL JURY PRIZE – CANADIAN FEATURE

Symphony in Aquamarine by Dan Popa

BEST NEW TALENT FROM QUÉBEC / CANADA

presented by Post-Moderne

Symphony in Aquamarine by Dan Popa

The Canadian feature competition jury was composed of Carlos Bonfil, Rosalie Lavoie and Fabienne Moris.

BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT OR MEDIUM-LENGTH FILM
presented by Télé-Québec
The Disappearance of Goya by Toni Geitani

Special mention

Gulyabani by Gürcan Keltek

BEST CANADIAN SHORT OR MEDIUM-LENGTH FILM

presented by Télé-Québec

Zagros by Ariane Lorrain and Shahab Mihandoust

The jury for the Canadian and International short and medium-length competitions was composed of Kalina Bertin, Tijana Djukic and Eric Hynes.

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD

presented by TV5

Memory is Our Homeland by Jonathan Durand

MAGNUS ISACSSON AWARD

And with a Smile, the Revolution by Alexandre Chartrand

The jury for the Magnus Isacsson Award was composed of Jocelyne Clarke, Martin Frigon (ARRQ), Viviane Saglier (Cinema Politica), Frederic Bohbot (DOC Québec) and Richard Brouillette (Main Film).

STUDENTS’ AWARD

presented by Desjardins

20-22 OMEGA by Thierry Loa

The jury for the Students’ Award was composed of Loïc Piché (Collège de Maisonneuve), Florence Frigon-Morin (Cégep Marie-Victorin), Julia Bonis Charancle (Collège Dawson), Maika Hearson (Cégep André-Laurendeau), Solène Côté (Collège de Maisonneuve) and Roxana Baloiu (Collège Dawson).

WOMEN INMATES’ AWARD

A Delicate Balance by Christine Chevarie-Lessard

The Women Inmates’ jury is composed of five inmates of the Joliette Institution. Claudia, Isabelle, Marie-Ève, Nicole and Roseline chose a winner from a selection of eight films from the official competition and Panorama. This initiative, implemented for the first time in Québec for the RIDM 2011 edition, is made in partnership with the Société Elizabeth Fry du Québec, the Entente sur le développement culturel de Montréal - project supported by the ministère de la Culture et des communications and Ville de Montréal.

The jury selected Ico Costa’s Nyo Vweta Nafta as this year’s best international short or medium-length film. “This magnificent film, shot in 16mm, is grounded in the political and economic realities of Mozambique. Its artistic vision serves its contemplation of the world and helps us understand important issues.”

BEST CANADIAN SHORT OR MEDIUM-LENGTH FILM

The award for best Canadian short or medium-length film was presented to Jacquelyn Mills for In the Waves. The film “is a touching meditation that transcends the personal, elegantly steering a course from the banal to the deeply philosophical, without ever losing sight of the materiality of everyday routine.”

The jury for the Canadian and international short and medium-length competitions was composed of Adam Cook, Amandine Gay and Lisa Jackson.

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD

Presented by TV5, this award recognizes festivalgoers’ favourite film in the official competition and Panorama sections. This year’s audience pick was Amandine Gay for Ouvrir La Voix.

MAGNUS ISACSSON AWARD

The Magnus Isacsson award was created in honour of the late, much-loved Montreal documentary filmmaker Magnus Isacsson. It is presented to an up-and-coming Canadian director who demonstrates social conscience. Presented by the ARRQ, Cinema Politica, DOC Québec and Main Film, this year’s award went to Jason O’Hara for State of Exception, “a film that reveals its director’s exceptional commitment. An activist, passionate, necessary film, made entirely independently over many years.”

The jury for the Magnus Isacsson Award was composed of Jocelyne Clarke, Ezra Winton (Cinema Politica), Richard Brouillette (Main Film), Sophie Bissonnette (ARRQ) and Steve Patry (DOC Québec).

STUDENT AWARD

This award recognizes a documentary selected by the student jury from among the films in the Canadian competition. It is part of the RIDM’s youth outreach and awareness program and is presented with the support of the CSN and Telefilm Canada. This year’s student award was presented to Tasha Hubbard for Birth of a Family, a film notable for “the urgency and authenticity of its subject, majestic landscapes that echo the intense emotions the film inspires, and its frank documentation of the alienation of a people. It is a clear reminder that we are on unceded indigenous land.”

The jury for the student award was composed of Florence Côté-Lagacé (Cégep Édouard-Montpetit), Antoine Harvey (Collège Montmorency), Charles-Édouard Martel-Marquis (Cégep de Saint-Laurent), Sarah Mederos Bernia (Cégep André-Laurendeau), Adriana Paquette, (Cégep Marie-Victorin), Chloé Simard (Collège de Maisonneuve).

WOMEN INMATES’ AWARD

The women inmates’ jury is composed of five inmates of the Joliette Institution. They chose a winner from a selection of eight films from the official competition and Panorama. Daisy, Mélanie, Jackie, Roxanne and Julie named Bagages by Paul Tom for “its original approach that opens a window on the other and introduces us to young people who reveal themselves frankly and unreservedly, and because we believe this is a touching and necessary film.” This initiative is carried out in partnership with Telefilm Canada, the Quebec chapter of the Elizabeth Fry Society and the Entente sur le développement culturel de Montréal. The project is supported by the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications and the Ville de Montréal.

For more information, visit the RIDM festival's website.