On Wednesday, November 10, 2021, the closing ceremonial of the Prague part of the 22nd Mezipater took place, during which we found out this year's winnera. The winner of the feature film competition was a film in the Franco-Belgian-Luxembourgian production of Jumbo. The film, directed by Zoé Wittock, which tells the main character's unconventional love for centrifugation, premiered at Sundance and won the Guilde Film Preiss from the Berlinale. The star of the film Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) Noémie Merlant was shining in the role of Jeanne.
The jury appreciated especially its originality: "One of the most challenging films of the festival, that moved forward our perception of diversity. Main character was active and strong, her story was relatable to others who are still looking and fighting for their love. Watching the film was like riding a centrifuge. The Best Feature Film of Mezipatra 2021 goes to Jumbo directed by Zoé Wittock."
The French hit from Cannes The Divide (La Fracture) by director Catherine Corsini received special mention from the jury. It follows a married lesbian couple during one night in a crowded hospital emergency room.
"The challenges of the long term lesbian relationship are told to us in the middle of chaos of the first world. This intensive, brilliantly filmed social drama is intertwined with humor and irony. We as a jury decided to award the film The Divide (La Fracture) directed by Catherine Corsini with a special mention. It was a very strong audience experience which cannot be left behind without highlighting it."
The student jury award went to the short film Son of Sodom by screenwriter and director Thea Montoya.
"During this festival that celebrates life and diversity we have seen thirty eight short films. Most of those films were great, thought-provoking, and many of them were hard to be compared with each other. The film we chose is not just a short story, it is a representation of a powerful message that lingers on and grows with you. It deals not only with the exclusion of queer community from mainstream society. It also deals with fatal social exclusion that is still heavily present all over the world. How many lives will be lost before we learn that acceptance is the key? We have decided to give the Short Film Award to Son of Sodom written and directed by Theo Montoya."
The audience award of 22nd Mezipatra went to the documentary The Law of Love. The award was anounced during the closing ceremony of the festival in Brno on November 20. The Czech documentary, The Law of Love, which was filmed by Barbora Chalupová, dealt with the topic of equal marriage in the Czech Republic.
The prizes for the winning films were traditionally prepared by the DECHEM design studio. According to the creators of the vase, its color and shape variation reflect the theme of celebration. Collages of colored shards indicate their exuberant course and unexpected moments of surprise.
