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Still from the film Timbuktu directed by Abderrahmane Sissako.
A film about the imposition of a totalitarian
form of Islam on a village in Mali has won the prize of the Ecumenical
Jury at the Cannes Film Festival in France. Timbuktu, directed by
Abderrahmane Sissako, a filmmaker from Mauritania, tells the story of
how local people resist the arrival of extremists who want to restrict
women's liberty and to outlaw music and football.
The Ecumenical Jury Prize, awarded annually at the
Cannes Film Festival by a jury of Catholic and Protestant film
specialists, honours a film of high artistic achievement that reflects
spiritual, social and ethical values. Winning directors are presented
with a medal and a statement by the jury about the motivation for their
choice.
In selecting Timbuktu for its top award, the jury
expressed appreciation for the hope inherent in the actions of local
people and their Imam as they resist the outsiders and seek to continue
to practice a moderate form of Islam. The jury's citation says: "This
film is a strong yet nuanced denunciation of an extremist interpretation
of religion."
In accepting the award, Sissako said: "We are not of
the same religion but all religions are about love. This film is about
when religion is taken hostage, when love is taken hostage."
The film tells the story of what happens to an
agricultural family when strangers seeking to impose a severe
interpretation of Islamic law take over the community. When the father
of the family accidently kills a neighbour in a dispute over a cow, he
is subjected to an arbitrary trial and condemned to death.
The jury also awarded special mentions to two films shown in a separate competitive section Un Certain Regard (A Certain Perspective) for feature films. Wim Wenders' The Salt of the Earth,
a documentary about photographer Sebastiao Salgado, was cited for its
testimony to the human rights and environmental challenges confronting
peoples worldwide. The second film, Hermosa Juventud by Spain's Jaime Rosales, highlights the challenges facing a young couple trying to survive the current economic crisis.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the creation of
the Ecumenical Jury for the Cannes Film Festival, considered the
world's premier film festival. The six-member ecumenical jury is
appointed by Signis, a worldwide association of Catholic communicators
and by Interfilm, an international network of Protestant film
specialists and theologians.
The World Council of Churches was involved with the
Interfilm through its communications director John Taylor in 1960s, who
accompanied Interfilm from the outset and made important contacts.
The Ecumenical Jury members choose the winning film from those in competition for the festival's top prize, the Palme d'Or (The Golden Palm). This year, 18 films from 12 countries are vying for honours.
Ecumenical Jury members evaluate films according to
their aesthetic merits and the questions they raise about Christian
responsibility in contemporary society. Past winners of the Ecumenical
Jury Prize at Cannes include: Wim Wenders, Denys Arcand, Mike Leigh and
Zhang Yimou.
Earlier in the week, the Belgian filmmakers Jean-Pierre
Dardenne and Luc Dardenne received the 40th Anniversary Prize of the
Ecumenical Jury in honour of their body of work. The two brothers have
received numerous awards including two Palmes d'Or (The Golden Palm) and two mentions by Ecumenical juries at Cannes: The Son (2002) and the Rosetta (1999).
Members of the Ecumenical Jury are Guido Convents
(Belgium), Maria José Martinez Ordonez (Ecuador) and Hervéa Giraud
(France) representing Signis, and Julia Helmke (Germany), Kristine
Greenaway (Canada) and Jacques Champeaux (France) representing
Interfilm.
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