September 14, 2020

Venice International Film Festival: the UNIMED Award 2020 goes to “Quo Vadis, Aida?” by Jasmila Žbanić

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During the 77° Venice International Film Festival, an international jury of 12 students coming from UNIMED associated universities assigned the “UNIMED Award 2020” to the movie which best conveys the values of cultural diversity, promotes freedom of artistic expression and encourages cultural exchanges.

The UNIMED Award 2020 was conferred to the movie “Quo Vadis, Aida?” by Jasmila Žbanić, for its artistic value and its ability to depict the current themes of integration and multiculturalism.

The jury motivated its choice as follows:

The movie deals with the war that broke up Yugoslavia, in particular in the area of Srebrenica. Through Aida’s eyes, we are involved in the tragedy of a community that lives together, even though it’s culturally divided.

The director’s choices stress the protagonist’s dualism – mother and interpreter. The style of the movie is sober and real: it leaves in the audience a feeling of disillusionment and deafening silence.

The movie invites us not to cover our eyes, when we look at the brutality of the past, and to think about a present that is still too controversial.

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Moreover, international artists conceived this fourth edition’s Award, with an incredible  commitment to convey the Award’s messages.   The Award “The Dance of Light (Sun)” was created by Miloš Todorović, with the collaboration of the young curator Natasha Radojevic, partner of the Drina Gallery and founder of Logic Art Space. The dance of light is a humble interaction between the visual sensation of light and its profound symbolism.

The UNIMED Award, collateral prize of the Venice International Film Festival and now at its 4th edition, results from the collaboration between UNIMED and la Biennale of Venice. The Award was created in memory of Prof. Franco Rizzi, former Secretary General and founder of UNIMED, for his life-long commitment to cooperation among Euro-Mediterranean universities.

To learn more on the UNIMED Award and find out the details of this edition, you can consult the Press release and watch the Final Ceremony here

You can find some information on the previous editions and the winning movies at the following links: 2017 edition2018 edition2019 edition.

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Jurors of the UNIMED Award 2020