Restart’s short documentary film “Valerija” by Sara Jurinčić won five new awards at international festivals. Film delighted the jury of the Rabat International Author Film Festival / FICAR – Festival International du Cinema D’Auteur de Rabat, dedicated to auteur films, where “Valerija” had its Moroccan premiere. There, according to the jury’s decision, the film won two awards – the award for the best documentary film and the award for the best camera. At the same time, in Rome, Italy at the recently concluded 30th edition of Med Film Festival, the film won one award: the Cervantes Award for the best short film and what is interesting is that the jury was composed of 13 students of film schools from the Mediterranean countries and 4 groups of prisoners from the Rebibbia prison in Rome. The jury explained its decision as follows: “There was a shared feeling — a powerful, beautiful way of telling a story that felt like poetry — watching Valerija. The poetry of the film was mainly achieved through its aesthetics, driven by the director’s strong, innovative, and imaginative choices. It brings up emotions that touch you deeply. The spirit of our ancestors — marked by feminine strength and their legacy — stays with us, even after they’re gone. A unique take on war through a female perspective that highlights the societal shifts and absence of men caused by the conflict”. Also at the recently concluded Tangier Film Festival, whose thirteenth edition was also held in Morocco, in the city of Tangier, “Valerija” won a special mention in the category of short documentary film and at Florence International Film Festival in Italy, the film won an award for the best short documentary film. With all this, “Valerija” has become one of Restart’s most awarded short films, with a total of 12 festival awards won so far and a selection for the European Film Academy awards.
