Awards

The jury described the film as deeply political, but one that went beyond politics. In this film, ... More

The jury described the film as deeply political, but one that went beyond politics. In this film, about the 'performed self', the hand of the filmmaker is rendered almost invisible.

The Jury has decided to award its prize to an ambitious film of epic proportion. Aptly titled The ... More

The Jury has decided to award its prize to an ambitious film of epic proportion. Aptly titled The Autobiography of Nicolai Ceaucescu, it is made up entirely of archive footage. Thanks to impressive editing, the director Andrei Ujica succeeds in letting the official self-presentation of the Romanian Communist Party and its leader, document the decline of its power and the hollowness of its pretensions. The film's eloquence is particularly striking because it manages entirely without verbal commentary. Finding a fine but difficult balance between the 'tragedy of a ridiculous man' and the hubris of a leader progressively losing his legitimacy, the Autobiography of N.C. is a testament to the challenges of writing history through images today.