Manas by Marianna Brennand wins the 2024 GdA Director’s Award

The jury, headed by the director Joanna Hogg, coordinated by Karel Och, director of the Karlovy Vary Film Festival, supported by Europa Cinemas and Cineuropa and composed by David Bakum (Germany), Victor Courgeon (France), Maarja Hindoalla (Estonia), Dimosthenis Kontes (Greece), Amalia Mititelu (Romania), Saulė Savanevičiūtė (Lithuania), Esmée van Loon (Netherlands), Gregor Valentovic (Slovakia), Isabella Weber (Italy) and Chris Zahariev (Bulgaria) – ten former participants to the program 27 Times Cinema – has decreed the winner of the GdA Director’s Award. The deliberation was live-streamed on the Facebook page and YouTube channel of Giornate degli Autori. The GdA Director’s Award carries a cash prize of € 20,000, to be split equally between the filmmaker and the film’s international distributor, to promote its circulation.

Out of the ten films in competition at the 21^st edition of Giornate, Manas by Marianna Brennand has been named the winner of the 2024 GdA Director’s Award.

The jury has released the following statement:
“It is a great privilege to announce this year’s winner of the Giornate degli Autori Jury Award 2024. We engaged in passionate discussions of 10 films that explore the craft of cinema in incredibly touching and versatile ways and would like to thank the curational vision of Giornate degli Autori. Ultimately, us, the jury, are happy about having found each other in a shared experience with one film especially. Manas is a window into a world that is created with so much detail that it welcomes the audience into an immersive and emotional journey to be changed. Manas won our hearts by carefully and caringly tacking the extremely sensitive and difficult topic of abuse, both in domestic and more systematic contexts. While the setting of the island of Marajó was yet to be discovered, the director portrayed something so universal, that each of us could resonate with deeply. This film stood out from the programme with its masterful craftsmanship, brilliant performances and strong message that we believe will resonate with many people around the world, raising awareness and calling for change. Thank you to Marianna Brennand for making these stories visible, and thank you to Giornate degli Autori for giving it a stage.”