Mother Vera, the documentary directed by Cécile Embleton and Alys Tomlinson won the prestigious Creativity Media First Look Award at the Locarno Film Festival.
“From the very first moments of this film, we were immediately attracted by the raw and extraordinarily photographed portrait of a fascinating Belarusian nun who makes a journey to France,” said jurors of Locarno Pro Ava Cahen, director of Cannes Critics’ Week, Gaia Furrer, artistic director of Venice Days, and Eugene Hernandez, director of the Sundance Institute.
The award won by the Belarusian film is the most important in the industry section of the Festival and is accompanied by a cash prize worth €50,000 to allow the film to be completed in post-production.
The film Mother Vera intersects the inner world of a young Orthodox nun with the community that saved her life. A new, unexpected chapter opens up in Vera’s journey as she faces an inner conflict after twenty years of monastic life.
Photo Credits: Locarno Film Festival
