March 19, 2023
The jury of MICE’s 18th edition has decided to give MICE’s Best Film Award, consisting of 1000 € and a trophy, to Tolyatti Adrift by Laura Sisteró. Produced by Boogaloo Films and distributed by Begin Again Films, this documentary offers an insightful portrait of the Russian town of Tolyatti –an old symbol of socialist pride turned into “Russian Detroit.” The jury highlighted the film’s approach to this reality through “the portrait of a precarious youth with a doubtful future and in a constant confrontation with the lifestyle of their elders, a context that can now be found in most countries.” They also praised the film’s cinematography and how the camera “conveys an almost intimate closeness to the images of the everyday life of the protagonists.” The jury also applauded the tasteful and sharp combination of current images and archival material.
The MICE Award for Best Galician Film was awarded to Al otro lado del mar, a documentary feature film directed by Eloy Domínguez Serén and Samuel Moreno Álvarez, where the two filmmakers and friends share aspects of their life and work in Galicia and Colombia. In this case, the jury complimented that they dared to “explore a rarely approached film genre –filmed letters.” These cinematographic letters “depict personal stories, emotional memories –a journey through different filming periods, cultures, and social contexts.”
The prize, consisting of 800 € and a trophy, was given by Xosé Penas Corral, Deputy of Cultural Heritage at A Coruña’s Provincial Council. The directors thanked the institutions and declared they were delighted to see each other again, face to face, in Galicia –thanks to MICE.
The jury of 18 MICE’s Official Selection brought together filmmaker and artist Tânia Dinis, educator, film director, and screenwriter Xoan Escudero, and political scientist and equal rights and gender perspective expert Sabela Losada.
The AGANTRO Award for anthropological excellence was given to Detached, directed by Vladimir Krivov, a powerful, dynamic film that “masterfully channels the internal heterogeneity of the Chukchi people thanks to its thorough presentation of everyday events, intertwined with insightful existential reflections.” The jury appreciated that the film also approaches a series of challenges of global importance, including the possibility of imagining modernizing dynamics that go beyond the annihilation of traditional lifestyles and the opportunity to tackle global warming from the experience and perspective of the indigenous peoples.
The AGANTRO jury comprised the actress, anthropologist, and archaeologist Paula Ballesteros; the anthropologist from Chile’s Austral University Pablo Rojas-Bahamonde; and the cultural manager and representative of AGANTRO Sabela Losada.
The CREA Award, given by the Galician association of professional filmmakers and directors, was awarded to Diana Toucedo’s Tatuado nos ollos levamos o pouso – a short film on the shell gatherers of a small town in the South of Galicia. The CREA jury complimented the film’s ability to convey “a careful, perceptive gaze, sensitive to the wide variety of elements and symbols, which also manages to represent the strong connection of the human bodies with nature.”
The Audience Award was given to Malgrat, a documentary project by Santi Teijelo that reflects on the ability of places to host memories. Teijelo expressed his gratitude to MICE, a festival that is “an unmissable date in his calendar” every year.
The award-giving ceremony was held today at noon at the auditorium of the Museum of Galician People. It was hosted by the actor, musician, and playwright Sergio Llauger. Among the representatives of the film industry and the field of ethnography who attended the event were Xurxo Couto, deputy of Santiago’s Council area of culture; Mercedes Rosón, councilwoman and representative of the culture department of Santiago de Compostela’s City Council; Concha Losada, president of Padroado do Museo do Pobo Galego – Museum of Galician People’s board for cultural initiatives; the director of the Museum of Galician People, Manuel Villar, and MICE’s director Ana Estévez Lavandeira.
MICE 2023’s program is not over yet!
18 MICE’s program of screenings closed on Sunday, but their activity program still has a lot to offer. On Monday, March 20, and Tuesday, March 21, Belén Sola and Chus Domínguez (LAAV – laboratory of experimental audiovisual anthropology) will deliver a workshop specially designed for professionals of the cinema industry: Who owns the story? Collaborative audiovisual practices and audiovisual anthropology. Also, on Tuesday 21, at 7:30 pm, the Museum of Galician People will host a live presentation by the association Memoria e Cinema. The MICE en liña film selection will be accessible online until March 30, and Marta Valverde’s exhibition Cómo reparar una grieta will be open to the public until March 31. Also, on March 31, the Museum will host screenings of the different projects filmed by the students that participated in the MICE Petís project. MICE Petís online selection will be accessible online until the end of the school year so that the partner schools, high schools, and cultural centers can program their own screenings in the classroom (registrations are open at servizosdeac@museodopobo.gal).
