Best Documentary Feature Film
BEIRUT DIARIES: TRUTH, LIES AND VIDEOS (Yaoumiyat Beirut: Hakaek wa Akatheeb) Lebanon. Produced by Mai Masri and Jean Chamoun
Through the story of a young Beirut woman, Beirut Diaries provides an eyewitness account of the spontaneous sit-in by hundreds of thousands of Lebanese young people after the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri. Through the turbulent experiences, dreams and disillusions of the filmmaker’s young friends, the film explores the critical transformations and crucial questions facing Lebanon in this troubled period.
A GREAT MASTER RE-CAPTURED (You Jian Mei Lan Fang) China. Produced by Gao Feng
A portrait of Peking Opera's most famous star, Mei Lanfang (1894-1961), a man who innovatively shaped his various female characters, from the witty maid to the drunken beauty, by every single finger movement, every blink of an eye and every word he uttered. Chronologically the film recalls the big events in Mei's life, from his debut in Beijing at 10 to his performance for the new China scientists in 1961, just two months before he died. But in many people’s eyes Mei Lanfang is still mysterious. "He's the most attractive woman on the stage but a handsome man…a husband and father in real life." So, who is the real Mei Lanfang? A montage of pictures, music and old footage of the great master in action reveals his life as a great artist, a loving father and a superb teacher.
THE LOST LAND (Sarzamine Gomshodeh) Iran. Produced by Vahid Mousaine Simani
This documentary film is about the political and social events that happened after 1941 that caused the ‘North Neighbour Country’ to penetrate into Iran, forcing some generations to immigrate and live in the camps of Siberia.
A STORY OF PEOPLE IN WAR AND PEACE Armenia. Produced by Vardan Hovhannisyan
“Recently, my young son came up to me. He had seen my old uniform hanging in the closet. He asked me, ‘Daddy, are you a warrior?, and I didn’t know how to respond to him.” It was this moment that Vardan Hovhannisyan describes as the turning point when he knew he needed to return to the archive footage he shot during the Karabagh war. “The Film combines strong and unique archival war footage from the trenches of a 20 metre battlefield with the human and touching stories of the survivors who are now living on in peace time. Twelve years later I had the opportunity to follow them over a year-long shooting period and was able to create a very close and intimate portrait of their lives and their universal stories.”
VILLAGE PEOPLE RADIO SHOW (Apa Khabar Orang Kampung) Malaysia. Produced by Tan Chui Mui and Amir Muhammad
In the propaganda war against the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM), much was made of the fact that the Party comprised ethnic Chinese who adopted atheistic political philosophy. This tactic proved effective, as the country was mainly Malay and Muslim. However, a large and influential division of the CPM comprised Malay – Muslims. This documentary is a portrayal of life in a tranquil South Thailand village, complete with mosque, where the retired members live in exile. Recollections of the decade-long guerrilla war are interspersed with fictional Thai radio drama.