Alex Gibney-Produced ‘Mohabat,’ Directed by James Longley, Wins at Ji.hlava: ‘Meticulously Researched and Exquisitely Crafted’ — SkimNews
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- Mohabat won the Opus Bonum main award at Ji.hlava on Saturday, and the James Longley-directed documentary follows a 12-year-old boy whose father is killed in a drone strike before he enters a city orphanage.
- Mohabat was produced by Mohammad Sharif Hotak, James Longley and Alex Gibney; the jury praised its patient observation of the boy’s brothers, village school and community as a “complex and sympathetic portrait” that strips away customary clichés.
- Barbara Forever won the Testimonies main award for its portrait of artist and activist Barbara Hammer, using experimental footage Hammer shot herself over five decades to address lesbian and female emancipation, aging and terminal illness.
- On the Peaks of All the Beech Mountains won Exprmntl.cz, with the jury citing its political courage for recalling a dark chapter of contemporary history and denouncing ethnic cleansing during painful historical moments.
- Trinh T. Minh-ha received the Contribution to World Cinema Award while preparing “The Undying Desert,” her first film set in the US; she described cinema as an experience for the whole body, not only the eyes.
- After the Rehearsal won the First Lights main award, while “Glowing” and “Land of Fire” took the Czech Joy main awards and “Songs From Within” earned an Opus Bonum special mention and an editing award.
Why it matters: For James Longley, Alex Gibney and Mohammad Sharif Hotak, Ji.hlava’s awards confer festival recognition on “Mohabat” after its Opus Bonum win on Saturday. The jury’s focus on patient observation, family life and school routines gives the drone-strike story a human-scale treatment rather than reducing the boy to conflict alone.
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