Visions du Réel 2015

Report by Iman Behrouzi (A MOVIE FOR YOU)

This year, Visions du Réel was held between 17th and 25 April in Nyon. This 46th edition has set a new record for attendance with more than 35000 spectators. My film, A Movie for You, had been selected to participate in the International Competition for Short Films. It competed for the best short film (CHF 5000) and the Jury Prize for the most innovative short film (CHF 2500). The invitation in Visions Du Réel is under condition of the film being a world premiere or international premiere. According to its rules, the festival covers accommodation, but usually doesn’t cover the travel expenses for the filmmakers.

The appeal of this Festival is not only given by the prizes, but also by the fact that the Doc Outlook - International Market is one of the most important documentary markets and all films of the festival were automatically added, free of charge, to the Media Library. The Media Library 2015 will be hosted both on site during the Festival and online (from 17 April to 25 September 2015). The Market is a platform that attracts over 1000 film professionals (distributors, sales agents, commissioning editors, financing and international programmers) and this idea was so helpful for filmmakers, for example 3 festival managers had seen my film in the Market and selected my film for their festivals. Also the Swiss Television buys every year between twelve and twenty films of our selection.

This year, VISIONS DU RÉEL was presenting a selection of contemporary Georgian works. Also a master class, THE ART OF EDITING, was held for the attendance. Learn how a documentary film takes its final form on the editing table, gain insight into the collaboration between director and editor, see how the right rhythm and sound for a work of reality cinema can be found. Another important part of the festival was PITCHING DU RÉEL, fifteen feature-length film projects have been presented and discussed in round tables and one-to-one meetings with potential partners, funders, commissioning editors, distributors and producers – a really effective program for finding fund for filmmakers.

Amongst the 54 countries represented in the Festival's selection this year, all five continents have their award winners. Abbas Fahdel for Homeland (Iraq Year Zero), a six-hour groundbreaking film that follows an Iraqi family before and after the 2003 American intervention, won the most important prize of the festival for the best film in the International Features Competition.