The judging panel of the first-ever L’OEil d’or documentary film prize, chaired by Rithy Panh and made up of Nicolas Philibert, Irène Jacob, Diana El Jeiroudi and Scott Foundas, was privileged to view fourteen of the films selected across the Cannes Film Festival, taking on very different questions, forms and liberties. The judges told of how moved they were by the invaluable testimonials contained in many of the films.

The 2015 L’OEil d’Or Prize went to Marcia Tambutti Allende
for Allende, mi abuello Allende (Beyond Allende, my grandfather)

(97’ – Errante / Martfilms / Fragua Cine Productions) shown as part of the Directors’ Fortnight In this very personal film, a young film-maker attempts to break the silence that has weighed on her family for decades regarding a legendary figure: her grandfather. With a sensitive touch, it deftly explores the family’s intimate world.

The Judging Panel also awarded an Honorable Mention to Stig Björkman
for Jag Är Ingrid (I am Ingrid Bergman)

(114’ – Mantaray Film Productions – distributed by Pretty Pictures) shown as part of Cannes Classics The judges were touched by the way this film diary was put together, using fragments from family and cinematographic archives. It recounts the life of the woman who lived through an unforgettable period of film history uniquely free and deeply-inspired, tracing her own path well beyond the boundaries set by her culture, art and family.

This new prize, founded by LaScam (The French civil society for multimedia authors) with the support of the Cannes Film Festival and its Delegate General Thierry Frémaux, and in partnership with the French National Audiovisual Institute (INA), was intended as a way to give more visibility to documentary cinema, increasingly recognised by film critics, attracting more and more interest from the public and gaining in visibility at festivals.
LaScam was thus extremely pleased to see Luc Jacquet’s documentary, La glace et le ciel, come away with honours at the Official Selection’s Closing Ceremony. It is also delighted that an honorary Golden Palm was awarded to Agnès Varda for her glorious works. LaScam had previously awarded her a prize for the entirety of her documentary corpus, in 2001.

In addition to the films selected for the L’Oeil d’or award, LaScam wishes to pay tribute to Manoel de Oliveira’s superb documentary shown post-humously, Visita ou memorias e confissoes, as well as the three documentaries in the ACID selection.