By Robert Koehler
And now Ladies and Gentlemen, your winners of the IndieLisboa 2010 grand prize: Josh and Benny Safdie, directors of Daddy Longlegs (as it’s known in the US) or Go Get Some Rosemary (in rest of world). After nearly a year since its premiere at the Quinzaine–where it was unjustly passed over for prizes–Josh and Benny’s first co-directed feature wins its first major award in Lisbon. It was my pleasure to announce our jury picks from the stage of Culturgest, and the brothers (as can be seen in the next photo) were over the moon with joy. What made it all the more satisfying was the fact that Rosemary was a strong consensus choice of the jury.
Josh and Benny Safdie moments after winning the grand jury prize for Daddy Longlegs aka Go Get Some Rosemary….they had the Culturgest audiences chortling….
Director Alejo Moguillansky accepts the Fipresci prize for his delectable Castro, which I found on a fresh viewing at IndieLisboa to have lost none of its energy and daring.
Here’s Castro writer-director Alejo Moguillansky enjoying his latest prize at IndieLisboa. Alejo hadn’t been able to attend the Los Angeles premiere screening that I programmed last year, so we were both happy to finally meet face-to-face….This is a filmmaker to pay attention to….
Josh Safdie over post-awards dinner with Miguel Gomes, who peppered the brothers with questions about how they managed to co-direct. To be honest, though, I detected that Benny and Josh were rather in awe of being at a table with Gomes, a filmmaker they rightly revere despite their exceptional aesthetically different approaches–except perhaps in the sense that each has an interest in the “in-between” film. Be certain, though, that Gomes’ next will bear no resemblance to Our Beloved Month of August (whose English title he loves)….
As if there weren’t enough going on in Lisbon with the festival, here’s the 80th edition (eight zero) of the Lisbon Book Fair. On a beautiful, mild and sunny Saturday, it seemed as if the whole city descended upon the fair, Portugal’s largest literary confab.
The Lisbon Book Fair in Parque Eduardo VII, a lovely break from IndieLisboa….
The Saturday crowd at the Lisbon Book Fair…
Taking a break during the final days of the festival–two of IndieLisboa’s triumvirate: Miguel Valverde, who oversees the shorts programs, and Nuno Sena, who heads up the feature program with Rui Pereira. IndieLisboa is one of the few festivals run by a three-person unit with divided responsibilities. The management structure seems to work well here, as unusual as it is….
Along with Miguel and Nuno, Rui Pereira (here introducing a screening of Fantasia Lusitana) is the third head of IndieLisboa’s triumvirate of artistic directors. Rui seemed to be everywhere during the festival’s week and a half–every time I turned around, it seemed, there was Rui.
My jury members are a bit lost in old Lisbon, and get directions. From the left are jury members Birgit Kohler, Nadir Operli and Miguel Gomes. Somewhere nearby off camera is our other esteemed colleague, Eva Truffaut….
Ordering lunch at a great fish restaurant can be serious business, as seen here with Miguel Gomes commandeering the menu and ordering (stunning grilled dorado was what we were served) and Birgit Kohler making a point….
Now that we’ve ordered dorado at Pateo 13 (which only opens in late April every year), we can sit back and listen (as Nadir Operli is doing here) to Miguel Gomes….
We’re outdoors at Pateo 13, so some of us can smoke! Eva Truffaut, always engaging and full of thoughts, considers her next one….
A typical Indie Lisboa crowd, at the Sao Jorge, where it all began opening night. They’re here to a repeat screening of the opening night film, Fantasia Lusitana.