Special Commendations

Bastion of Sin / Hochburg der Sünden
Indi Film GmbH, Germany
by: Thomas Lauterbach (author/director);  Gudrun Hanke El-Ghomri (commissioning editor) Arek Gielnik (producer); produced by Indi Film GmbH,co-produced by SWR

Citation by the Jury:
Combining good, bad and ugly experiences, the jury felt the film-makers skilfully bring to the fore frank and open discussions among the women amateur actors, bringing a balanced view of their experiences.
 Brave and intelligent, Bastion Of Sin allows an insight into an area of multicultural life which moves beyond the stereotype and brings an honest account of a world which has remained beyond the cameras for all too long.

City of the Roma / La Cité des Roms
ARTE France, France
by: Frédéric Castaignède (author/director), Pierrette Ominetti (commissioning editor) Caroline Roussel (producer); produced by Arturo Mio,co-produced by ARTE France

Citation by the Jury:
A poetic, epic verite documentary which gently and expertly unwraps a compelling story of life in one of Europe’s multicultural ghettos, concentrating on a fundamental question: how do you get out of a life limited by circumstance, opportunity and poverty? The film’s answer is to explore the attempts of a group in the Roma community  of Nadeja, Bulgaria to ensure their young people gain a better education, faced with a political ambivalence – both among local politicians and the education authorities – which surrounds this question. Documenting the  attempts to try and get their young people better schooling, The City The Roma is a beautiful and moving film and the mind of the jury, a powerful allegory for all immigrant communities throughout multicultural Europe, trying to gain their next generations a better start in life.