The Liberec Sportfilm sports film festival distributed prizes to the winning films on Wednesday’s gala night, a jury selected from 323 films from 68 countries around the world. David Ondříček Zátopek’s film about a world running legend won the grand prize. The Story of an Ordinary Boy and footballer Jan Koller also received awards. At the 25th edition of the festival, new awards were also given to athletes who also presented themselves with strong moral principles. The ray of courage and hope of Věra áslavská was the first to be taken over by two-time Olympic judoka champion Lukáš Krpálek.
The festival takes place in Liberec from October 4 to 8, the program includes screenings and discussions in Warsaw cinemas, as well as accompanying programs. A conference was held on the topic of athletes’ mental health, and the student TUL festival was also part of it, where Liberec rapper Paulie Garand performed. On Wednesday evening, a gala night was held in the auditorium of the Technical University building G in Liberec.
In front of the city hall, a large-format photo exhibition of the Beijing Olympics is still on display, runners are attracted by the festival’s closed-door run, and the CT Author Cup will also take place on the weekend.
The festival jury selected from a total of 323 films from 68 countries around the world, apart from Europe and the Middle East or Brazil. “I love that the jury works as a team, even small things are hotly debated. This is made possible by the FilmFreeway app, where each jury member can familiarize themselves with the selection before the official meeting.” festival director said Renata Balašová.
Films competed this year in five categories: Olympic Ideas, Documentaries, Sports Figures, Feature Films and Series, and Methodology and Education. The winning films can then compete in the international final at the festival in Milan, Italy. Two films were immediately nominated for the festival – Zátopek and Jan Koller: The Story of an Ordinary Boy.
“When selecting the best film, the jury mainly evaluates the topic, the understanding of the author’s main idea. Of course, it is also about the processing, but the most beautiful cover without content has no common value and cannot succeed at Sportfilm Liberec.” add jury members Jakub Bažant.
The festival in Liberec continues through Saturday in Warsaw cinemas. On Friday, film fans can look forward to screenings of The Last Race about the story of Hanč, Vrbata and Rath, and on Saturday for the victorious Zátopek.
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