The Award for the Ninetieth Anniversary of Fipresci, goes to a film director and artist whom, through his career, has been twice acknowledged by our association.

In 1984 at Venice with Heimat

In 1992 once again at Venice with Heimat 2 – Chronicle of a Generation

EDGAR REITZ

A director who carved his career and entire life path out of memory and research, giving life to an epic narration of the History and Destiny of a Nation, and his people, with the unprecedented saga of Heimat.

A tale commenced more than 30 years ago and amounting to 3500 minutes. 58 hours during which Cinema transcends Time and leads the audience through a journey of discovery among epochs, personalities, passions, emotions and memorable identities.

It is a true honor to confer the Fipresci 90 Award to Edgar Reitz: an extraordinary artist, intellectual and film director – able to get the meaning of time, and the relevance of its narration – and to transform it into great cinema.

Tonight, the Award for the 90th Anniversary of Fipresci goes to a director who won three Fipresci Prix throughout his career:

In 1959 at Venice with Ashes and Diamonds

In 1970 at Mifed with Birch Wood

In 1978 at Cannes with Man of Marble

Academy Award Winner

ANDRZEJ WAJDA

A revolutionary author who, through a deep and impassioned immersion in the human and social soul, questioned his own times and the pillars of a complex and sometimes painful contemporaneity.

His cinema, which includes films such as Kanal, Innocent Sorcerers, Without Anesthesia, Landscape After the Battle, Man of Iron, Danton, Katyn, Walesa – Man of Hope, is a unique cultural heritage – essential for the understanding of the underground movements of History and humanity; and of the meaning of Destiny itself.

In occasion of its 90th Anniversary and 43 years after having awarded him for Trevico – Torino during Mifed 1972, Fipresci acknowledges once again the talent of one of the greatest film directors of all times:

                                                                                                                                      ETTORE SCOLA

Over the years, this outstanding author has written and directed masterpieces that forged the imagery of audiences from the whole world, narrating with subtle and sometimes sharp irony both miseries and splendors, hopes and failures of his numerous and eternal characters, played by legendary actors: from Mastroianni to Gassman, Sordi, Tognazzi, Manfredi and Sophia Loren, just to name the Italian ones.

His cinema, ahead of his time and prophetic, moved generations of spectators to perceive under a different light the themes and ideas that, through shrewdness, wit, and sometimes piercing sarcasm, and with an impassioned amusement – narrate the stories of women and men of our times.

With movies like One Million Dollars, Will our heroes be able to, A drama of Jealousy, The Most Wonderful Evening of My Life, We All Loved Each Other So Much, Ugly Dirty and Bad, A Special Day, The Terrace, The Ball, Splendor, What Time is It? Capitain Fracassa’s Journey, The Dinner, How strange to be named Federico – just to name a few titles of his vast filmography both as a film director and screenwriter – Ettore Scola, with style and novelty, reached the acme of the artistic and cinematic excellency.

Tonight, the Award for the 90th Anniversary of Fipresci is assigned to another great European film director, whose cinematic opus was mostly dedicated to political and social commitment: Academy Award winner Costa-Gavras.

An unconventional film director whom we are even more pleased to award here at Bif&st 2015, dedicated to another of the founding fathers of European political cinema: Francesco Rosi.

Through stories full of honesty and free of compromises, Costa-Gavras analyzed and exposed the apparatus and distortions revolving around Power, granting us fierce emotions. Films such as Zed, The Confession, Music Box, Missing, Mad City, Amen and The Axe – to name just a few titles of a career spanning over 40 years – are the greatest proof of the foresight and strength of this great director, whom we wish to honor for his courage and willingness to truthfully explore politics and power

The Award for Fipresci 90th Anniversary goes to a visionary and daring artist, who, throughout his career, fully explored the endless potentiality of cinematography, granting us deep emotions and surprising us with innovative and touching movies: Jean Jacques Annaud.

His cinema embodies the strength, humanity and beauty of Nature with films such as Quest For Fire, The Bear, Two Brothers and Wolf Totem, which you will soon see.

At the same time, he deeply explored the human soul, with titles such as Enemy At the Gates, Seven Years In Tibet and Black Gold, also transposing on the big screen some of the most unforgettable masterpieces of literature such as The Name of the Rose and L’Amant.

Fipresci assigns the Platinum Award to Jean Jacques Annaud, a European author of major foresight, style and artistic sensibility.

The first Award  assigned by Fipresci for its 90 years Anniversary at Bif&st 2015, goes to Sir Alan Parker, to celebrate the talent and cinematic opus of such a cultured and refined author.

A film director who, through his visionary films and a career spanning over 30 years, inspired various generations of his audience, and was able to reach the heart of young people with Pink Floyd – The Wall, Fame, The Committments, Birdy and Evita; and also with films characterized by great commitment and human value such as Mississippi Burning, Angela’s Ashes, The Life of David Gale and Midnight Express.

An extraordinary artist, distinguished by a great sharpness, whom Fipresci wishes to celebrate as one of the most original voices of European and international cinematography.