The winning short film tells the story of how a seemingly trivial occurrence, the theft of a bicycle, has dramatic consequences for both the alleged thief and its owner
The Night of the Venuses closing ceremony was hosted by Lídia Heredia and Queco Novell, who led the show with a witty and humorous combination of cinema and current affairs
White Eye, a 21-minute long Israeli production, has won the awards for Best Film and Best Director at the 46th edition of the FILMETS Badalona Film Festival. The short film was written and directed by Tomer Shushan and stars Daniel Gad and Dawit Tekelaeb.
White Eye tells the story of how a man who had his bicycle stolen a month ago in an Israeli city finds it chained to a post with a padlock. The young man embarks on a long journey to try to retrieve his bike. He finally comes face to face with the alleged thief who now claims to be the rightful owner of the bicycle having bought it from a stranger. But things are about to get complicated. The alleged thief is from Eritrea, and when the police intervene to find out who owns the bicycle, they discover the man’s Israeli visa has expired. Dramatic events unfold for both the young Eritrean, who is taken to the police station, and for the owner of the bicycle as he comes to terms with how a seemingly trivial event has had such drastic consequences. His final reaction conveys his frustration at the outcome.
Audrey Clinet, CEO & Founder EROÏN, distributor of White eye
A hybrid festival
The 46th edition of the FILMETS Badalona Film Festival took place from the 16th to the 25th of October, with audience-attended sessions in Badalona and Barcelona, and for the first time in the history of FILMETS, the option to watch all 297 participating shorts on the website www.festivalfilmets.cat.
The FILMETS awards were presented this Saturday evening during the Night of the Venuses closing gala at the Teatre Zorrilla in Badalona. The award ceremony was also broadcast by Televisió de Badalona and the local television network (La Xarxa) in Catalonia. The Night of the Venuses gala was hosted by Badalona journalist Lídia Heredia, alongside actor and journalist Queco Novell. The show combined humour with the topics covered by the FILMETS shorts and the latest concerning headlines making the news today.
Other winning shorts
Masel Tov Cocktail, Jury’s Special Prize
The Jury’s Special Prize went to the short film Masel Tov Cocktail, directed by Mickey Paatzsch and Arkadij Khaet. The 30-minute short adds various ‘ingredients’ to its metaphorical pot, including 1 Jew, 12 Germans, the culture of memory, patriotism, and anti-Semitism. It then mixes them all together and brings them to a boil.
White Eye, award for Best Director
The award for Best Director also goes to the winner of the Best Film award, White Eye, directed by Tomer Shushan.
Masel Tov Cocktail, award for Best Screenplay
This is a newly created award for FILMETS 2020. The winning film is Masel Tov Cocktail, which also won the Special Jury Prize.
Kate O’Toole and Dan Gordon, joint award for Best Performance in the short Ruby
Actress Kate O’Toole and actor Dan Gordon won the Best Performance award for their roles in the Irish short film Ruby. The film tells the story of Ruby and Len’s ruby wedding anniversary. Len has earned himself a reputation for coming up with strange and outlandish gifts. But Ruby hopes that this time, he might just do something “nice and normal”. The end result is entirely unexpected.
Ferides, Best Catalan Production
Ferides, a 9-minute short written and directed by Joan Paüls, and starring Mireia Vilapuig and Pau Escobar, won the award for Best Catalan Production. The short is about a young blind couple whose lives are changed when one partner tells the other they have the chance to undergo surgery and recover their vision.
Confinados con una niña de 4 años, winner of Best Film Produced in Confinement
This new FILMETS category was introduced exclusively for films produced during lockdown last spring. The short Confinados con una niña de 4 años (Confined with a 4-Year-Old Girl) was chosen as the winner. It’s a Catalan documentary directed by Pol Mallafré. After 15 days of lockdown, a couple reflects on the daily challenges of being confined to their home with their 4-year-old daughter.
2020 AWARDS LIST
JURY’S VERDICT for the 46th edition of the FILMETS Badalona Film Festival
- Venus of Badalona and 5,000 euros for Best Film
White eye (Torner Shushan), Israel
- Venus of Badalona and 1,250 euros for the Jury’s Special Prize
Masel Tov Cocktail (Mickey Paatzsch i Arkadij Khaet), Germany
- Venus of Badalona and 1,000 euros for the Audience Award-La Vanguardia
El reloj de Paula (José Luis López), Catalonia
- Venus of Badalona and 750 euros for Best Animated Film
Bless you! (Paulina Ziolkowska), Poland
- Venus of Badalona and 750 euros for Best Documentary
El infierno (Raúl de la Fuente), Spain
- Venus of Badalona and 750 euros for Best Film Produced in Badalona
Una sombra intermitente (Guillermo Brinkmann), Badalona
- Venus of Badalona for Best Catalan Production
Ferides (Joan Paüls), Catalonia
- Venus of Badalona for Best Spanish Production
Paraíso (Mateo Cabeza), Spain
- Venus of Badalona for Best Director
White eye (Torner Shushan), Israel
- Venus of Badalona for Best Screenplay
Masel Tov Cocktail (Mickey Paatzsch i Arkadij Khaet), Germany
- Venus of Badalona for Best Performance
Joint award for Kate O’Toole and Dan Gordon in Ruby, Ireland
- Venus of Badalona for Best Original Score
Christophe & Patrice Héral for Avec le Do de la Cuillère, France
- Venus of Badalona for Best Film Produced in Confinement
Confinados con una niña de 4 años, (Pol Mallafré), Catalonia
The 2020 FILMETS Jury also awarded special mentions for the quality of two short films
- Special mention for The Van, directed by Erenik Beqiri
- Special mention for Daughter, directed by Daria Kashcheeva
