25/05/2019 - CANNES 2019: Films by Patricio Guzmán and by the duo composed of Waad al-Khateab and Edward Watts are joint winners of the best documentary award in Cannes

Winners Waad al-Khateab and Edward Watts with the Golden Eye jury (Yolande Zauberman, Romane Borhinger, Eric Caravaca and Ross McElwee) and Julie Bertuccelli, president of SCAM (© SCAM)

Governed by SCAM and recognising the best documentaries screened in the various sections of the Croisette during the Cannes Film Festival, the Golden Eye award was given this year by a jury presided by Yolande Zauberman (backed by Romane Bohringer, Eric Caravaca, Ross McElwee and Ivan Giroud). For this year’s edition, it has named two joint winners, both of them discovered in special screenings as part of the Official Selection: The Cordillera of Dreams [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], from Chilean director Patricio Guzmán, and For Sama [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Waad Al-Kateab, Edward Watts
film profile], from Syrian filmmaker Waad al-Khateab and British filmmaker Edward Watts. It is worth pointing out that the two winning films thus automatically gain the right to compete for the Best Documentary Oscar.

Produced by Parisian company Atacama Productions (with Arte France Cinéma and Sampek Productions from France, and with Market Chile from Chile), Patricio Guzmán’s The Cordillera of Dreams is sold internationally by Pyramide.

Produced by Channel 4 News, ITN Productions, and Channel 4 from the U.K., with PBS Frontline from America, Waad al-Khateab et Edward Watts’ For Sama is sold by Autlook Filmsales from Austria.

(Translated from French)