Blind Mice commended as Hunger strikes gold

Sydney Film Festival Jury President Gillian Armstrong last night announced UK film, Hunger, as the winner of the inaugural Sydney Film Prize. Hunger was awarded the Prize ahead of 11 other international films.

At the announcement at Sydney Opera House, Jury President Gillian Armstrong said, “Before we announce the winner of the Sydney Film Prize the jury would like to make special mention of two films.

“We commend Carlos Reygadas’ Silent Light for its highly poetic and creative use of sound and image and the honest treatment of its universal story of love and pain. The second film we commend is Matthew Newton’s Three Blind Mice for its energy, passion, superb ensemble cast and as such a fine collaboration by a talented group of young filmmakers.

“Choosing a winner has been a challenging decision because the competition presented such a strong and diverse selection of films.  However, our final decision was unanimous.”

The inaugural Sydney Film Prize is awarded to Steve McQueen’s Hunger.

Hunger was selected for its controlled clarity of vision, its extraordinary detail and bravery, the dedication of its cast and the power and resonance of its humanity,” said Armstrong

The Official Competition Jury – Australian Director Gillian Armstrong, Australian actress Essie Davis, LA film writer and critic Scott Foundas, Iranian director/writer/producer Majid Majidi and Hong Kong producer Nansun Shi – agreed unanimously on the decision.  The Jury worked as a collegial ensemble, assessing the merits of each film within the criteria of ‘audacious, cutting-edge and courageous filmmaking’.

SFF is the first Australian film festival to have an Official Competition accredited by FIAPF (International Federation of Film Producers Associations).  The Official Competition is supported by the New South Wales government, which pledged AUD$1.8 million over four years in September 2007.  Hunger will receive AUD$60,000, generously provided by SFF’s Principal sponsor, Hunter Hall Investment Management, and a unique award created by Dinosaur Designs.

SFF hosted the Awards in conjunction with Opera Point Events.  The Dendy Awards for Australian Short Films were presented at the same event.

The Official Competition has already had a major impact on the festival, generating widespread public and industry interest and support.  All the Competition films screened to strong houses, with the 12 Red Carpets procuring a stunning line-up of local and international filmmakers and actors.

Hunger is the debut film of UK Director Steve McQueen.  Working in collaboration with Irish playwright Enda Marsh, McQueen has created an extraordinary feature debut about IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands.  Establishing the conditions of Her Majesty’s Maze prison near Belfast in the early 80s, McQueen initially presents the prison cells as installation sites for articulating a series of intense and violent clashes between wardens and prisoners. 

In a bold narrative choice, Sands (Michael Fassbender) only emerges as a character in a punchy philosophical exchange with a Catholic priest, dissecting the political and religious implications of his decision to starve himself.  Clearly influenced by McQueen’s recent stint as a war artist in Iraq, the contemporary relevance of Hunger is loud and resounding.  Silence was selected to open Un Certain Regard at Cannes Film Festival, 2008, winning the Caméra d’or.

The 12 Official Competition films were: 3 World Premieres: Vincent Ward’s Rain of the Children, Nash Edgerton’s The Square, Matthew Newton’s Three Blind Mice; and 9 Australian Premieres: Mike Leigh’s Happy-Go-Lucky, Steve McQueen’s Hunger, Martin McDonagh’s In Bruges, Fernando Eimbcke’s Lake Tahoe, Guy Maddin’s My Winnipeg, Antonello Grimaldi’s Quiet Chaos, Carlos Reygadas’ Silent Light, Kimberly Peirce’s Stop-Loss and Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Tokyo Sonata.

[Release by Next Step Media]