‘A Cat Called Dom,’ ‘Winners’ Triumph at Edinburgh
Will Anderson and Ainslie Henderson’s “A Cat Called Dom” won the Powell & Pressburger Award for best feature film at the 75th Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF), while Hassan Nazer’s “Winners” won the audience award.
The Powell & Pressburger jury also gave a special mention to Maha Haj’s “Mediterranean Fever.”
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The Norman McLaren Award for British short animation went to “Stay” by Yu Sun, while the Norman McLaren Award for British short film went to “Canvas 5” by Karla Crome.
Anderson and Henderson said: “To screen our first feature at EIFF was an honor, but to take away the first Powell & Pressburger Award is just so special. ‘A Cat Called Dom’ is a film about embracing failure – after EIFF it now feels much more like a success.”
Nazer said: “Winning the audience award at EIFF means everything to me. I have been working towards this since I decided to become a filmmaker. I make films for the audience and will continue to do so. It’s a great thing to be part of an ethnic minority living in Scotland where your vision is a mix of your background and new home. My aim is to always tie my cultures together and celebrate diversity through cinema. I’m very thankful our work has been recognised by Screen Scotland and EIFF.”
Kristy Matheson, creative director of EIFF, said: “75 years ago the Edinburgh Festivals were established in the shadow of WWII as a means of fostering connection, understanding and friendship across nations. To place cinema back in the middle of the Edinburgh Festivals this year has been a joyous experience, and my colleagues and I have delighted in welcoming audiences, artists and industry to Edinburgh to experience cinema together and meet storytellers from the U.K. and across the globe.”
The festival concluded on Aug. 20 and the voting for the audience award on Aug. 22.
The next edition of the festival will run from Aug. 18-Aug. 26, 2023.
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