VIENNALE 05 PRIZE WINNERS

FIPRESCI-PREIS (Award of the International Federation of Film Critics )
Jury: Manuela Cernat (Romania, President), Diego Brodersen (Argentina), Gunnar Landsgesell (Austria). The choice was a range of debut or second feature films.

The Fipresci-Prize 2005 goes to Estamira by Marcos Prado (Brazil 2004).
«The FIPRESCI Jury had the tricky mission to decide between outstanding long feature films and wonderful long documentaries. Happily, we were saved from the dilemma by the amazing creative power of a director who turned his documentary into a poignant meditation on human condition, proving once more that this genre can be as captivating as any fictional story».
VIENNA FILM AWARD
Jury: Clarissa Stadler (TV moderator), Günther Kaindlstorfer (journalist), Alexander Syllaba (Cinema Paradiso, journalist), Thomas Glavinic (author), Ulrike Steiner (film critic):
The Vienna Film Prize consists of a cash prize, donated by the Culture Department of the City of Vienna (Euro 7,000), a contribution in kind worth more than Euro 2,000, donated by Listo Film and Listo Video, and film material worth Euro 7,000, sponsored by Kodak. The winner was selected from Austrian feature-length films and documentaries that premiered or were publicly screened at or prior to the current VIENNALE.
The Vienna Film Award 2005 goes to Operation Spring by Angelika Schuster and Tristan Sindelgruber (Austria, 2005).
«With their documentary about the sentencing of one hundred Africans on alleged drug offence charges, the two filmmakers have succeeded in one of the most distinguished tasks of the documentary film: to reveal social evils, voice unpleasant truths and shed light on the narrow-mindedness, arrogance and conceitedness of the powerful.»

An honorable mention was awarded to the film Romane Apsa by Zuzana Brejcha (Austria/Slovakia, 2005).

STANDARD READERS' JURY AWARD
Jury: Stefan Soder, Angelika Reitzer, Ingrid Soulier, Johannes Tanzler, Malena Martínez;
The Standard Readers' Prize is awarded to a film that does not yet have an Austrian distributor but is highly recommended for release in Austrian theaters. If the prize-winning film finds an Austrian distributor the Austrian daily «Der Standard» will support its the distributor with free advertising space.
The Standard Readers' Jury Prize 2005 goes to Hong Yan (Dam Street) by Li Yu (China, 2004).
«Dam Street is a film about absolute love of life and unconditional love, wonderfully personified by the actor playing the ten-year-old Xiao Yong. Touching, without any emotionalism, told with accuracy and performed convincingly.»
An honorable mention was awarded to the second part of Raymond Depardon's trilogy Profiles Paysans: Le Quotidien (France, 2004) and Keuk jang jeon (Tale of Cinema) by Hong Sangsoo (South Korea/France 2005).