Fernando Eimbcke's 'Muhe' Wins Top Prize at Cinehill Festival

The Cinehill festival successfully concluded in the scenic setting of Fužine, marked by its characteristic informal atmosphere, a traditional toast, and an awards ceremony. Despite cooler weather in the Goran region, the festival saw a larger audience turnout for its screenings compared to the previous year. Over a hundred films were shown, attended by nearly as many distinguished guests. The festival's jury carefully selected winners from a diverse range of official competition entries. These films tackled themes such as the hypocritical bureaucratization of war, the uncertainties faced by younger generations in affluent societies, the significance of chosen families, maturity, and forgiveness. The awarded films demonstrated a penchant for formally and narratively complex treatments of difficult subjects, skillfully intertwining politics with intimate everyday lives. The main jury awarded the Propeler Cinehill for best film to "Muhe," an intimate dramedy by Mexican director Fernando Eimbcke. The jury praised Eimbcke for using "cinematic sensibility that combines simplicity, boldness, and deep humanity" to transform a story about the unexpected friendship between a bitter, lonely woman and a nine-year-old boy into a "universal reflection on loneliness, connection, compassion, and the acceptance of loss." Director Eimbcke, in an emotional video message, noted the film's relevance in the current climate of closing borders and immigrant exclusion, emphasizing its message of opening hearts. Special recognition in the main program went to the comedy "15 i po," the directorial debut of Montenegrin actor Milivoje Obradović, lauded for its "witty and intimate portrayal of an actor facing professional, existential, and personal crisis." The CineCorto program jury awarded the prize for best short film to "L’avant-poste 21" by Swiss director Camille Surdez, for its "brave, clear, and sensitive approach to the topic of abortion, demanding open and meaningful discussion." The CroCorto award for best Croatian short film went to "Držim te" by Ana Predan, recognized for its "minimalist yet precise direction building cinematic poetry about two lonely individuals who communicate through the sea and water." The FIPRESCI film critics' jury awarded their prize to the drama "Otapanje" by Chilean director Manuela Martelli, highlighting its subtle yet powerful cinematic language that uses a chamber story about the complex relationship between mothers and daughters to mask underlying societal and individual corruption. Martelli expressed her happiness that the award came from Croatia, a country she fell in love with while filming "Bog neće pomoći" (God Will Not Help). The ceremony concluded with a screening of "Majka" (Mother), a punk-inspired biopic of Mother Teresa by director Teona Strugar Mitevska.

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filmska senzibilitetom koji spaja jednostavnost, smjelost i duboku humanost