26th KFTC HAS FINISHED – HUNDREDS OF HEARTS PLAYING CONSTANTLY

On July 12, at 9 p.m. on the Summer Stage, 26th edition of Kotor Festival officially closed. The awards were presented to the best, based on opinions of the Children's jury, Town Jury, and the Expert Jury.

​The Children’s Jury has awarded the theatre show Blue Treasure by City Theatre Podgorica and directed by Staša Koprivica with Dragan Radulović Award. Among many of the show’s qualities, the Children’s jury expressed that the show reminds us that fairy-tales are not only for pure fun, they help us understand that there are sad things in life which we will encounter every day. Through children’s adventure, we learn about the difference between good and bad, is the real treasure of material or spiritual kind, while talking about subjects such school, family relations, falling in love, life without a father - and revealing that the goodness, friendship and love are the true values of the Blue Treasure.

Town Jury – consisted of 5 below mentioned members:
Lidija Begović, Psychology professor
Mr Lana Bokan, academic sculptor
Mr Jasmina Bajo, professor of Serbian language and literature
Dušan Davidović, journalist
Mladen Živković, Sociology professor
has chosen the show BY HAND | A MANO by El Patio Teatro (Spain) as the winner of the Town Jury Award. Town Jury has given the following explication their choice:

The criteria which we followed in our selection were: artistic quality, the relevance of the theme, communication with the audience, the virtuosity of the performance, the emotion that the play awakened in us. We had debated between two shows and we want to use this opportunity to praise the show Kashtanka by Virovitica Theater and Zadar Puppet Theater. However, we have chosen A Mano since it’s a small jewel, as it was described in catalogue. Non-verbally, with the minimum of use of scenic means, the actors through virtuous play of hands on touching and sensitive way, infused with humour and sorrow, have succeeded to question some of the most important questions of modern man - alienation, deep loneliness, attitude toward oneself, life's mistakes, joy, suffering, sorrow, love... You cannot remain indifferent after watching this show!

​Expert Jury awards
Expert Jury, consisted of three members - Lidija Dedović (theatre director), Kristina Obradović (actress), and Nataša Nelević (theatrologist), has decided the following:

The Award for the best theater-performance goes to the show The Game of Time | El Juego Del Tiempo by David Zuazola Puppets (Chile/Spain).

The Game of time in a whole, and in every element - theme and meaning, emotion, directing, performance – represents a unique theatre event. The fascinating ludism of this play, its complex imaginativeness and theatrical innovation, coupled with boldness to open the most painful questions of growing up, like the questions of facing different forms of violence and oppression – have made this show superior in Expert Jury opinion, and made sure that it receives the award for the best theater-show of 26th edition of Kotor Festival of Theatre for Children. 
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The Award for the best director was awarded to the authors, directors and writers of the show A Mano - Julian Sáenz – López and Izaskun Fernández.

Simple, smart, and warm direction in the show A mano, achieves the clarity of even the most complex layers of the show, and a gradual and imaginative analysis of the theme of the survival of individuality in a world full of excessive exposure and consumerism, the directors are leading us toward the uncompromising idea about true solitude of all of us, both big and small. Hands in this show are brilliant characters that are sending a clear directors’ message: only play and love are what we have left. 

​The Award for creative work went David Zuazola, the author of the show The Game of Time | El Juego Del Tiempo by David Zuazola Puppets, for the animation.

The award was given for the total design of puppets and mechanism which constitute the unique imagination of Zuazola’s world. Incomparable, unique, created from the author's imagination and the need to tell this unique story about growing up, the puppets and mechanisms in this show create a singular micro-universe, which is at the same time functional, variously meaningful, asocial, disturbing, and seductive.

The winners of the Award for outstanding performance are: Julian Sáenz – López and Izaskun Fernández, the performers, authors, directors and writers of the show A Mano by the El Patio Teatro from Spain.

By using only hands as acting and expressive means, with rich virtuosity and expressiveness, the winners of this award Julian Sáenz – López and Izaskun Fernández, have succeeded to tell an emotional, exciting and current story about a small man and his hard and precarious search for simple happiness in consumerist minded world, where everything can become merchandise whose value is measurable on the market. Because of this virtuosity, and the readiness to go into exploring the new spaces of expression, and to go into telling the greatest human stories with minimal resources, Julian Sáenz – López and Izaskun Fernández, are the winners of outstanding performance award of the 26th edition of KFTC. 

​The Expert Jury has awarded one more creative work award - The Special Award for the aesthetics of theatre performance to the show Ma Tâche | My spot, produced by  Companie O Quel Dommage from Belgium. 

Given the importance of the aesthetics of the children's theatre and the nurturing of theatre tastes, the Expert Jury has decided to award the show Ma Tâche with the Special Award for the aesthetics of theatre performance. This show leaves a strong impression of perfect measure, refinement and deliberation in the use of all theatre resources. Its unpretentiousness, likeability and elegance are by no means on the expense of play’s meanings, and they open the questions of self-acceptance and self-disclosure that are very much important to children as well.