Valladolid 2005

"Merry Christmas"

One of the old and traditional European festivals. This year, the "Semana Internacional de Cine Valladolid" celebrated its 50th anniversary. Over decades, Fernando Lara formed the character of the event and made it to a meeting point of international independent cinema, with a special focus on Latin American cinemas. Juan Carlos Frugone succeeded him, organizing his first edition.
Christian Carion's Merry Christmas (Joyeux Noël), taking place on a night when French and German soldiers spent Christmas together during WWI, already presented out of competition in Cannes, received our award.
Details of the prize

Reports

"Merry Christmas" (Joyeux Noël). The film that was perhaps the surprise winner of the FIPRESCI Jury, given the strong competition, but a closer analysis reveals a humanitarian whose talent points to a promising career.

50 years of Valladolid. A celebration of Valladoid's half century with a look at all the major prizes, special events, and the most interesting movies awarded and considered by the major juries including the FIPRESCI prize, won by an almost novice from France.

Iberian-America in Valladolid. Isaac León Frías was dissatisfied with the Spanish speaking films he saw, though he appreciated the winner of the official award, the Chilean film In Bed.

The Murder of a Gay Cowboy. Maja Bogojevic writes about Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain, which invents a new sub-genre of the gay western by challenging conventional notions and perspectives, but the subject of death still calls the shots.

"Water": The River Runs Dry. Maja Bogojevic takes a look at the final film in Deepa Mehta's trilogy, which concerns the suicide of a Hindu widow serving as the penultimate act of love.

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