British film takes top prizes at festival

THE British film Wasp, directed by Andrea Arnold, took the top prize in the MFA Planet Europe Short Film Festival which ended in Palma on Sunday.
The film won the jury's prize and also first prize in the fiction section.
The jury's prize consisted of 6'000 euros in cash to make another short film which will open next year's festival, plus 1'000 euros in cash and 1'000 euros in courses at the Mallorca Film Academy (MFA). The prize for coming first in the fiction category consists of 700 euros in cash and 1'000 euros in courses at the MFA.
Second prize went to the Polish film Kontroler and third prize to the Spanish film, Profilaxis.
The top three prizes in the animation section went to Germany's On the Sunny Side of the Street; Fast Film, an Austrian-Luxembourg co-production and Encarna from Spain. The Irish film Fall Into Half Angel took top prize in the documentary section, followed by Bagarem from Sweden and Winter Trail from Britain.
Natalie Press took the best actor prize for Wasp. The award is 3'000 euros in cash and 1'000 euros in acting classes at the MFA.
The prizes were awarded by a jury of 12 people including British directors Guy Hamilton and Gabrielle Beaumont and Majorcan director Agustí Villaronga. The presentation of prizes was compered by Majorcan actor Joan Carles Bestard and ended with a concert by the Valencian group Sva-ters.
Wasp tells the story of a group of wasps who do not find sufficient food during the summer, and decided to go off in search of sweet things. Although they are not particularly hostile, they will attack if they are molested. It was shot last year and runs for 23 minutes. On the Sunny Side of the Street was directed by Joachim Bub and Wilhelm Landt and is set in Harlem in the Twenties.
Fall Into Half Angel explores the relationship between Ken and Tina, two trapeze artists, and their physical and emotional journey together. It was made in 2003 and lasts for seven minutes. Each of the winners, chosen from among 94 entries, also received a Dragonera trophy, handmade from olive wood and silver by teachers and students at the Design School of Palma. The MFA is the first international film school in Spain and it will give courses in eight specialities: direction, documentaries, camerawork and lighting, script writing, editing, production and acting. German director and scriptwriter Doris Dorrie is currently giving a workshop on scriptwriting.
Director Isabel Coixet will be giving a course entitled El Clic de la Inspiración from May 12 to 15. She was in Palma for the launch of the MFA and to attend the film festival.