Ukrainian War Thriller Wins Cannes Build Your Dream Award
· design
Ukrainian War Thriller ‘Honeymoon’ Wins Mediawan, BYD Backed Build Your Dream Prize in Cannes
The recent launch of the Build Your Dream award at the Cannes Film Festival has sparked debate about its potential impact on emerging voices in cinema. The inaugural winner is Ukrainian filmmaker Zhanna Ozirna’s “Honeymoon,” which took home an angular trophy designed by Victoria Wilmotte and a $46,539 grant to support her next feature.
The Build Your Dream award aims to address the problem of promising filmmakers struggling to finance their second film. As jury member Yann Demange noted, there is indeed a significant drop-off in financing after a filmmaker’s first project. However, critics argue that this prize may be a Band-Aid solution for an industry grappling with its own contradictions.
The partnership between French entertainment giant Mediawan and Chinese automaker BYD has raised questions about the true intentions behind the initiative. While Mediawan CEO Pierre-Antoine Capton and BYD Vice President Stella Li claim to be trailblazers, their collaboration seems more like a calculated move to tap into the growing demand for sustainable and innovative storytelling.
The jurors’ deliberations reveal that topicality was a key driver of their discussion. Mélanie Laurent noted that when selecting a movie for Cannes, they need to consider its relevance to the current global climate. However, this emphasis on relevance raises concerns about the narrow definition of what it means to be an emerging voice in cinema.
The inaugural winner “Honeymoon” itself is a testament to this pressure. Set at the start of the Russo-Ukrainian war, the film draws on testimonies gathered by Ozirna during its early days. The testimonials are crucial in conveying the intimate and claustrophobic nature of life under siege, but they also risk further sensationalizing an already devastating conflict.
The Build Your Dream award may have brought attention to emerging voices like Zhanna Ozirna and her work, but it also raises questions about its true impact on the industry’s structural problems. Will this prize serve as a genuine lifeline for struggling filmmakers or merely a symbol of corporate philanthropy?
Reader Views
- TDTheo D. · type designer
While the Build Your Dream award's intentions are noble, its execution raises red flags about the industry's priorities. The emphasis on topicality may be a thinly veiled attempt to capitalize on timely themes rather than genuinely supporting emerging talent. For instance, what happens when the war in Ukraine is no longer newsworthy? Will the grantee be expected to pivot to more commercially viable projects or maintain their artistic integrity? Questions like these are crucial for the award's long-term viability and its true impact on cinema's future.
- NFNoa F. · graphic designer
While the Build Your Dream award's intentions are well-meaning, it's hard not to notice that this prize is heavily bankrolled by corporate interests with their own agendas. The emphasis on topicality and "innovative storytelling" seems like a veiled attempt to co-opt emerging voices into a more marketable mold. What's really at stake here? Is the real dream being sold to these filmmakers – or the investors footing the bill?
- TSThe Studio Desk · editorial
The Build Your Dream award's impact on emerging voices in cinema is being touted as revolutionary, but its reliance on corporate sponsorships raises questions about creative freedom. While Mediawan and BYD are touting their commitment to innovative storytelling, one has to wonder: who gets to define what "emerging" means? The emphasis on topicality creates a pressure cooker for filmmakers to produce timely, relevant work that may not necessarily be their own vision. What's being prioritized here is the marketability of the filmmaker over the filmmaker themselves.