'Human Nature', by Mónica Lima, and '2720', by Basil da Cunha, are two of the big winners of the 31st edition of Curtas Vila do Conde.
'Human Nature' (Portugal / Germany, 2023, FIC, 25 min), by Mónica Lima, is one of the big winners of the 31st Curtas Vila do Conde. After being awarded at the Regard Festival and the Rotterdam Film Festival, the film now wins the Best Portuguese Film Award and the National Competition Audience Award.
Basil da Cunha, with his latest short film '2720' (Portugal / Switzerland, 2023, FIC, DOC, 24 min), is also one of the big winners of the 31st Curtas Vila do Conde. After premiering at the Visions do Réel Festival and the Oberhausen Short Film Festival, he has now won the Best Portuguese Director Award and the International Competition Audience Award in Vila do Conde.
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Jury Statments
A work that stands out for the beauty of its images and the depth of its silences. Directed from a moving understanding of human nature, the interpretations as well as the sensuality of the frames drag us into the core of a community that observes a vanishing world, where the bond sown becomes the most necessary nourishment. A delicate portrait that takes us into the inner landscapes that a grieving couple goes through. The Jury awards the Best Portuguese Short Film Award to HUMAN NATURE by Monica Lima.
Due to the solvency of the narrative tempo, the layout of light and the mise en scène, the story becomes a meandering dance of meetings and poetic discoveries that portrays the relationships and characters of the daily life of a community. Throughout the film, the frame is making us focus on what’s inside while the ubiquitous sound is there to make us remember the constant external threats that they face everyday. For the well-mastered and clever camera that penetrates and reveals a place he calls home, the award for best Portuguese director goes to BASIL DA CUNHA for 2720.
