When you have been the opening film at the Berlinale’s Generation, what more is there to achieve? How about… being nominated for the ECFA Awards at the BUFF festival in Malmö? That is what SEA SPARKLE (by Domien & Wendy Huyghe, Belgium) did.
Lena’s life is suddenly turned upside down when her father dies in a shipping accident. Together with him, two crew members went down. When Lena feels that her father might be blamed for the drama, she is captivated by a strange thought: perhaps a mysterious sea monster lurking in the North Sea is driving ships into the abyss… “SEA SPARKLE’s main protagonist is a strong female character conveying complex feelings of grief. More than to pity her we admire her strength and anger that are expressed in long shots and close-ups emphasising her talent. We were convinced by the film’s true authenticity, in terms of storytelling and the setting of the story. Just like the film takes us from the seaside deep into the abyss, it also digs deeper into the emotional confrontations of children with each other and with their families. The film offered a full cinematographic experience in which the use of sound and light create an uncanny atmosphere.”
The ECFA Jury were Tanja Tlatlik (doxs! festival, Germany), Alfred Sesma (Drac Magic, Catalonia), and Gert Hermans (JEF, Belgium).
This year’s big winner at BUFF was BULLETS (by Peter Pontiki, Sweden), taking home both the Church of Sweden’s Award for Best Youth Film and the Young Film Jury’s Award. Lead actor Tomas Samir also won the BUFF Nordic Star acting award. Winner of the City of Malmö’s Children’s Film Award was NENEH SUPERSTAR (by Ramzi Ben Sliman, France), a film about “young people overcoming the hurdles of prejudice to reach their goals. This inspirational film is their story. Remarkable production values create a colourful, musical and exhilarating film.”