2014 was the year of festivals for LA VIE NOUS APPARTIENT, taking us all around the globe from the U.S. to Armenia, and of course all over Europe. We especially enjoyed taking the movie to youth film festivals, where young audiences continued to surprise us with honest and engaging discussions – a very gratifying experience for any filmmaker.
The most recent of these festivals were the Juniorfest in the Czech Republic, Rolan IFF in Armenia, Oulu IFF in Finland, and finally the Olympia IFF for Children and Young People in Greece. Of these festivals, we were unfortunately only able to take a larger team to the latter, our “entourage” including both main actors, Alix Bénézech and Florent Arnoult, and director Alex Lee, taking home two big awards (more on that later)!
Our experiences at the Olympia Film Festival, with its amazing hospitality and unpretentious atmosphere, once again confirmed our love for these youth film festivals. Both our screenings at the Apollo Theatre in Pyrgos were packed, with people sitting on the steps and aisles. The audiences laughed, cried, and cheered; a truly humbling experience! Alix and Florent couldn’t escape the crowds wanting to take their pictures, get an autograph, or just congratulate them.
But what our actors cherished most were all the youths who came up to them not only in the cinema, but all over town, to engage in probing, animated discussions about the film. We owe this interest of young people in cinema without doubt also to programs such as Camera Zizanio, which took place parallel to the fesitval, offering workshops for kids, and featuring films made by children and youths.
Florent Arnoult talking to teens after the morning screening
We also got a chance to watch some of the other films being presented at the festival, including animated shorts and documentaries next to the shorts and feature film sections. Many of these films were truly inspiring, which is why we never expected to have a chance at winning anything!
But to our amazement, we were able to take away two awards: “Best Feature” from the Children’s Jury “for {the film’s} optimistic ending that had a twist and kept the audience at the edge of their seats”, and a Special Prize by the International Jury “for realistically and essentially capturing the mentality of young people who face serious problems of rejection, contributing to their self awareness”, demonstrating to us that our movie has the potential to touch audiences of all ages. Thank you Olympia Film Festival for this awesome experience!
Best feature award handed to us by Deputy Minister of Culture Angela Gkerekou (right)
You can read up on all awards and explanations here: Awards 2014
For all our Greek-speaking friends (or those trusting online translators), you can also read this extensive interview of our two actors, taken after our screening in Pyrgos: Interview Cinepivates
Leave a Reply