"CASA BLANCA" AWARDED AT PUNTO DE VISTA
On February 14 ended Punto de Vista Film Festival of Navarra. Among the winners, there is Aleksandra Maciuszek, whose film "Casa Blanca" was given two awards.
The name of the festival, Punto de Vista, which means "point of view," is a tribute to Jean Vigo, who emphasised the author's point of view in the documentary film. The first edition of the festival was held in 2005, on the hundredth anniversary of the director's birthday.
During this year's edition of the festival, two Polish films were included in the competition: "The Place" by Julia Popławska and "Casa Blanca." The documentary film by Aleksandra Maciuszek won the Special Audience's Prize and the Young Jury's Award for the Best Film.
The film "Casa Blanca" is set in a small fishing village on the Gulf of Havana. Nelsa (76) and her son Vladimir (37), suffering from the Down's syndrome, share a small room in a overcrowded multi-family tenement house. Vladimir is the sole guardian of the ailing Nelsa, Nelsa - the only guardian of Vladimir, who easily gets into trouble. Their life is characterised by conflicts: the woman tries to control the son, while he, rather than being with his mother, prefers to spend time with the fishermen, helping them in their work, frolicking and drinking rum. Every day, Nelsa has to traverse the streets of Casa Blanca in search of her only son, who does not return home until late. One day, the woman's heath deteriorates.
The full list of award-winning films is on the festival's website.