Asmae El Moudir’s The Mother of All Lies, in which the director uses doll-like figures to recreate the events surrounding Morocco’s 1981 Bread Riots, has won the $60,000 Sydney Film Prize.
The documentary, which came to the Sydney Film Festival (SFF) direct from its Cannes Un Certain Regard premiere, was announced as the official competition winner on the closing night of the festival on Sunday, ahead of the Australian premiere screening of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
The Moroccan director enlisted family and friends to delve into the riots, which saw more than 600 people killed or imprisoned. Through figurines made by her mother and dressed by her father, she re-enacted scenes from her childhood in an attempt to uncover the truth about what happened.
Speaking at the ceremony, Moudir, who also produced and edited the film, described the SFF audience as “the warmest public” she has met in her life.
“I didn’t expect this,” she said.
“I just want to call my grandmother now, who made the film with me, and my neighbours, and all the people in Morocco. It’s 10am there now, and I want to tell them we have just won the prize of the Sydney Film Festival. I was flying 23 hours, fighting with the jetlag, but I will sleep well now with this prize.”
This year’s SFF jury comprised director Anurag Kashyap, actor Mia Wasikowska, film curator and journalist Dorothee Wenner, writer and director Larissa Behrendt, and filmmaker Visakesa Chandrasekaram.
The jury said Moudir had been able to reconstruct “the history of the state, the family and the individual, in three distinct levels”.
“Commending the courage of choosing a theme perhaps wilfully obliterated from public memory; appreciating the storytelling methods of playful, yet calculated visual narration, the jury hails the winning film of SFF which fictionalises the interplay between facts and memories,” they said.
Of the other winners from the festival, Derik Lynch and Matthew Thorne received the $20,000 Documentary Australia Award for Marungka Tjalatjunu (Dipped in Black), a film that follows the former as he escapes the city life of Adelaide to take a road trip back to Country (Aptula), his remote Anangu community. While there, the Yankunytjatjara artist seeks spiritual healing and performs on sacred Inma ground. The film also won the Berlin Film Festival’s Silver Bear Jury Prize for short film in February.
A jury made up of directors Christoffer Guldbrandsen and Sascha Ettinger Epstein and producer Laurrie Brannigan-Ona said the documentary was “evocative, precise, and raw”, also giving an honourable mention to Adrian Russell Wills and Gillian Moody’s Kindred.
“Exploratory and playful in its form, the film tests the line of fact and fiction, and in turn unearths something that sits at the root of the human experience,” they said.
“The film has a highly accomplished and distinct aesthetic that allows for a powerful contemplation of culture, Country, identity and belonging.”
Taking home this year’s Sustainable Future Award, which recognises projects that explores the social, economic, political, and environmental consequences of climate change, was Against the Tide from Indian filmmaker Sarvnik Kaur.
Following two fishermen from Mumbai’s Indigenous Koli community as they confront the impact of the changing environment – and the toll it has on their friendship, the documentary was one of 15 selected on the shortlist for the $40,000 prize.
Rachel Ward’s Rachel’s Farm and Josef Jakamarra Egger’s Power to Country were highly commended by the jury, which consisted of actor and producer Amanda Maple-Brown, filmmaker Steven McGregor and War on Waste presenter Craig Reucassel.
The Dendy Awards for Australian short films saw David Ma’s The Dancing Girl and the Balloon Man win Best Australian Live Action, with lead actor Robyn Liu receiving the Rising Talent Award.
What’s In a Name? writers Kalu Oji, Faro Musodza, Makwaya Masudi took home the AFTRS Craft Award for Best Practitioner; Alec Green and Finbar Watson’s Teacups was crowned Best Animation; and Sophie Somerville was named Best Director for Linda 4 Eva.
The full list of winners is below:
Winner of the Official Competition and Sydney Film Prize: The Mother of All Lies
Documentary Australia Foundation Award for Australian Documentary: Marungka Tjalatjunu (Dipped in Black).
Sustainable Future Award: Against the Tide
Live Action Short Award winner: The Dancing Girl and the Balloon Man
Rising Talent Award: Robyn Liu for The Dancing Girl and the Balloon Man
AFTRS Craft Award for Best Practitioner: Kalu Oji, Faro Musodza, Makwaya Masudi, screenwriters of What’s In a Name?
Best Australian Animation: Teacups
Rouben Mamoulian Award for Best Australian Director: Sophie Somerville for Linda 4 Eva