Yesterday 31 July, in a ceremony that took place at Cinema São Jorge, in Lisbon, the winners of the Festival MONSTRA 2021 were announced.

The Portuguese short Tie, directed by Alexandra Ramires, won the SPA Award | Vasco Granja for Best Portuguese Short Film at the 20th edition of the festival, one of the most important awards of the Festival, as well as the Audience Award in this category. The jury, consisting of Regina Pessoa, Joan Gratz and Otto Alder awarded this film, which “portrays a strong story without the use of words where weaknesses become powers, for the delicate visual style combined with a subtle but immersive soundscape, thus creating a atmosphere not only intriguing but also surprising.”

In addition to this, the film Tie, produced by Bando à Parte, also received the Best Portuguese Short Film Award and the Audience Award in the Short Film Competition, which includes Portuguese and international films.

The film WOLFWALKERS, directed by Tom Moore and Ross Stewart, received the Grand Prix Monstra – Feature Film, sponsored by RTP . “An alchemist touch to be able to transform an ancient story into a fable with current humanistic relevance. An urgent matter. An impressive and philosophically profound masterpiece, very well told. We are surrendered to a story that teaches us to never surrender”, say Anca Damian, António José Martins, Karin Vandenrydt, Pablo Pico and Vasco Sá, who make up the jury panel for this competition. This Irish film also received the ‘Best Soundtrack Award’ in the same Feature Film competition. The Russian film THE NOSE OR THE CONSPIRACY OF DISSIDENTS, by Andrey Khrzhanovsky was awarded the Special Jury Prize.

In the short film competition, the Danish production ORGIASTIC HYPER-PLASTIC by British director Paul Bush received the award for Best Short Film. The jury, composed of Arturo Cardelús, Abi Feijó, Lia Bertels, Sandra Varatojo Amor and Soetkin Verstegen considered:  “in a very peculiar film, renewing its own technique, taking it further, thus achieving an abstract-figurative film, with a clear, timely, universal and urgent message. It was a great challenge, nothing obvious and with a surprising result.”

In the Super Short Film Competition, dedicated to films with less than two minutes, the winners were: WATER, Cesar Diaz Melendez for Best International Short Film, and “101 Utilizations Pour Un Pénis Coupé”, by Dan Murphy for Best Portuguese Short Film.

In the Student Competition, French director Héloïse Ferlay’s short “To The Dusty Sea” was awarded Best Student Short Film “for the way the film addresses a difficult and often invisible subject through careful character creation. Due to the maturity and sensitivity that is felt in its making and the ability to immerse us in the universe of the film”, says the jury of this competition. WORN OUT WORDS by Maria Geraldes received the Best Portuguese Student Short Film Award. These awards are sponsored by Nescafé Dolce Gusto and World Academy.

Finally, the film THE MONKEY, by Lorenzo Degl’Innocenti and Xosé Zapata was awarded the Grand Prix Monstrinha Schools and the Lithuanian short MATILDA AND SPARE HEAD, directed by Ignas Meilūnas received the Grand Prix Monstrinha Family, sponsored by the Inatel Foundation.

The 20th edition of the MONSTRA Festival started on the 21st of July and ends on the 1st of August.