Five prominent personalities from the international and local film community will have the privilege to watch the films participating in the competition sections of the Festival, and to decide who will be the award winners of this 20th Cyprus Film Days International Festival 2022. Their presence affirms the increasing recognition and visibility of the festival on a global level.
The five members of the international jury will be in Cyprus throughout the Festival, and will “reveal” the list of winners on Saturday, 16th of April at the Closing Ceremony of Cyprus Film Days IFF, which will take place at the Rialto Theatre. Specifically, the jury will consider the seven international and two Cypriot film productions participating in the Glocal Images, as well as the overall four films directed by Cypriot filmmakers that make up the Cypriot Films Competition Section.
The Artistic Director of Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Karel Och, will be heading the jury this year as its president, accompanied by Alise Gelze - film producer from Latvia, David Martínez (Mexico, UK) - Festival Producer of London’s Raindance Film Festival, internationally-acclaimed actress Daphne Alexander (Cyprus) and Greg Stępniak - Head of the Programming Department of Mastercard OFF CAMERA International Festival of Independent Cinema (Krakow, Poland).
During the closing ceremony, the following awards will be given out: Glocal Images Best Film Award (€6000), Glocal Images Special Jury Award (€3000), Glocal Images Best Director Award (€1000), Best Cypriot Film Award (€4000), Best Cypriot Director Award (DCP Mastering - Deliverables & subtitling services worth of €3500 - sponsored by Authorwave) and Best Cypriot Actor/Actress Award (€500 sponsored by Limassol Municipality).
The Festival would like to extend its gratitude to the international jury members who are honouring Cyprus Film Days 2022 with their presence despite the challenges and restrictions imposed by the pandemic.
Information about the Jury Members
JURY PRESIDENT | KAREL OCH is Karlovy Vary IFF’s artistic director. He graduated in Film History and Theory from Prague’s Charles University. Since 2001, he has worked for the Karlovy Vary IFF, the key film event in Central and Eastern Europe, as a member of the selection committee, also in charge of the documentary programme, the tributes and retrospectives. In 2010 Och was appointed as the Festival's artistic director. He is a member of the European Film Academy, as well as of the Czech Film and Television Academy, and since 2014 he has been working as a tutor of the Venice Days jury. In 2018, Och was invited to join the Art Committee of Prague’s FAMU, one of world's oldest and most prestigious film academies.
ALISE GELZE has been active as a film producer since 2006 and has produced both features and short films, which premiered at festivals such as Cannes, Berlinale, Rotterdam IFF, Karlovy Vary IFF, Pusan IFF etc. Her most successful productions are Oleg (2019) directed by Juris Kursietis, which had its world premiere at Quinzaine des Réalisateurs, Mother I Love You (2013) directed by Janis Nords, which received more than 15 international and national awards, including Berlinale – Generation KPlus International Jury prize for Best Film, and Mellow Mud (2016) directed by Renars Vimba, which received Crystal Bear at Berlinale – Generation 14Plus, as well as the Best Director Award at Cyprus Film Days 2016. Alise received the Ministry of Culture of Latvia recognition diploma for professional achievements in film production. She is a graduate of EAVE and ACE Producers.
DAVID MARTINEZ is the Festival Producer of London's Raindance Film Festival, the largest independent film festival in the UK with over 10 years of experience on events and film promotion. Cyprus Film Days had the opportunity to meet David Martinez in the framework of its collaboration with Raindance, which hosted a selection of Cypriot film productions at its last edition. His previous experience includes working as a film programmer for Glastonbury Festival and events coordinator at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Holder of a Master’s Degree in Film as Mass Communications from the University of Leicester, David advocates for diversity and representation in film. He specializes in the promotion of Latin American and queer cinemas. His academic and professional experience in Mexico, US and UK ranges from advertising and marketing to film studies, with a focus on film promotion at festivals.
Actress DAPHNE ALEXANDER became known to the audience of Cyprus Film Days as the lead actress in Stavros Pamballis’ awarded film Siege on Liperti Street. She was born in Cyprus and trained at Oxford University and LAMDA. She was cast as regular character Nadia Talianos on BBC’s Casualty (2006-8). Other TV and film productions include: House of Saddam (HBO/BBC), The Amazing Mrs Pritchard (BBC), Polanski’s film The Ghost Writer, Beckett with Luca Guadagnino’s Frenesy Film and The Fourth Kind with Universal Pictures. She played the lead female role in the award-winning short film The Palace by Anthony Maras, and the lead female role in the Cypriot feature film Siege on Liperti Street by Stavros Pamballis, which won five awards at Thessaloniki International Film Festival. Recently, she has played Katina Horton in critically acclaimed Smyrna my Beloved directed by Grigoris Karantinakis, and stars in Konstantinos Koutsoliotas’ dark comedy thriller Minore. Stage highlights include City Stories at 59E59 in NYC and Hidden in the Sand at London’s Trafalgar Studios. Voice highlights include her portrayal of iconic heroine Modesty Blaise for BBC radio 4.
Greg Stepniak is the Head of the Programming Department of Mastercard OFF CAMERA International Festival of Independent Cinema, based in Krakow, Poland. He holds a PhD in Humanities, his dissertation is centered around queer implications of childhood, adulthood and old age in the American performance art and cinema. He graduated from Theatre Studies, Drama Studies, as well as Film and Performance Studies. He studied at Pittsburgh University, at UCLA School of Theatre, Film and Television and at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. He publishes articles in various magazines and journals. He sometimes writes theatre plays and works as a dramaturg too.
THE AWARD
The awards conferred by the Jury to the films competing in the Glocal Images and the Cypriot Films Competition Section have the form of a Neolithic human figure. These are replicas of a stone idol found in the Neolithic settlement of Chirokitia (circa 7000-6000 B.C), a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The detailed programme of screenings and events is available on the Festival’s website at: www.cyprusfilmdays.com.
Additional Information:
Subtitles:
All films will be screened in their original language with Greek and English subtitles.
Tickets:
€6 day pass.
€25 festival pass (for all screenings).
Free entrance for students upon display of student card.
Free entrance for AmeA cardholders.
Free entrance for children to the films screened under the Children and Youth section.
All screenings, except those scheduled in the Children and Youth section, are suitable only for persons aged +18.
In partnership with: RCB
Under the auspices: Limassol Municipality & Nicosia Municipality
Media Sponsors: City, Check in, CyBC
Best Cypriot Director Award Sponsor: Authorwave
Hospitality Sponsor: Atlantica Miramare
Technical Support: Event Pro
Supported by: Embassy of Israel, Institut Français de Chypre, Goethe Institute, Cyprus University of Technology, Nicosia Friends of Cinema Society, Limassol Cine Club, Larnaca-Famagusta Cinema Society, Directors Guild of Cyprus, Limassol Tourism Board, University of Cyprus (Alumni Office), Efimerida Lemesos, Lemesos Blog, Limassol Today.
E-ticket: www.rialto.com.cy, Rialto App
Rialto Theatre Box Office: 77777745 (Mon-Fri 10:00-15:00)
Τhe audience is required to wear a face mask. A Safe Pass is mandator