Awards

In an ostensibly classic tale of a friendship between two girls who come from different cultures, this film succeeds in astounding the viewer through its sophisticated dramaturgy. The story holds a mirror up to a society still plagued by persistent clichés, a mirror that in the end also forces the audience to face their own prejudices. Provocative and full of strong imagery, this production also manages at the same time to make our current challenges clear.

Jury Statement: When cultural differences cover the view to the reality of our society. A strong authentic story anchored in current times. Combined with great acting, it leaves the audience shocked and fascinated. And it makes every viewer question his or her own preconceptions.

"For its ability to amaze and to reconsider the idea of diversity, overturning stereotypes. For the sincere acting of the two female main characters and for its very careful and never intrusive direction."

The jury praised the art of the filmmaker to interconnect in a subtle way delicate themes like sexism, discrimination and xenophobia. Balcony tells the story of Tina who is so obsessed with the Afghan girl Dana she starts projecting her own feelings onto her with fatal consequences. This is a small masterpiece that crawls under your skin, that makes you speechless.

We award the Golden Pram Award for Best Short Film to Balcony. Balcony is a film with an immediate sense of urgency that forces us to confront our own racial and cultural bias. It skilfully uses visually compelling imagery to remind us of the comfortable ease of human prejudice that compels us to collectively agree on fabricated narratives that determine individual destinies. We congratulate the author for championing the sort of filmmaking that compels the viewer to actively engage with the content it is portraying and award the prize in the hope that he continues to do so.