We are happy to announce the award winners of FSFF 2017 + Jury Statement.

Best Fiction – The Test (Gregor Valentovic- VSMU, Slovakia)

For the award for the best fiction film, we would like to honour a drama from Slovakia, writer and director Gregor Valentovic’s THE TEST. Each of us had picked this remarkable effort on their final list of favourites. Each of the jurors were drawn into the story of this middle-aged violinist who must come to terms with her teenage daughter and the orchestra with whom she performs. All of us admired the quiet ability of the writer and director to find compelling drama in the opposing stories of the estranged family relatives and the family of musicians of this lonely woman. Most of all, we were deeply impressed by this young talented student filmmaker choosing to focus on the life of someone many years older than himself. We think this is an excellent example for all filmmakers attempting to understand their craft – to seek out what may be unknown in the people and stories that surround them.

Best Documentary – About my Sister (Barbora Sliepková – VSMU, Slovakia)

For its personal portrayal of a sibling attempting to understand her sisters mental struggle, we choose Barbora Sliepková’s Slovakian short documentary: ABOUT MY SISTER. We hope young filmmakers here follow this example in bringing to the screen stories from their own lives that are relevant, vital and universal. We were also deeply impressed by the multi-layered texture of the cinematography and the poetic and artistic approach that somehow brought us emotionally even closer to the subject.

Best Animation – Hypertrain (Fela Bellotto, Etienne Kompis – Hochschule Luzern, Switzerland)

We the jury choose as our animated film selection, the Swiss directing duo Fela Bellotto and Etienne Kompis with their dreamlike short HYPERTRAIN. Though we are not sure why, this imaginative, three and a half minute journey by a young traveller and his cat left us in astonishment, confusion and with a big, silly grin on our faces. We also wish to highlight the fine supporting performance of the cat, which we found to be highly flexible and multi-dimensional.

Best National – The House ( Aldo Marku – AFM Marubi Albania)

For the national award, a student film made in the Albanian language, we choose writer and director Aldo Marku’s strong drama THE HOUSE. We feel that the performances, in particular of the two young boys, are memorable and noteworthy. We also feel its story of immigration and displacement is highly relevant. However, we are united in our disappointment in the films lack of sound quality in the final mix. We would like to offer our advice that any young filmmaker entering work in a festival should strive to complete all elements before exhibition.

Staff Award – City of Walls ( Eneos Çarka – UART, ALBANIA)

Audience Award – The Station ( Leart Rama – UART, ALBANIA)