Fiction: SA VIE A ELLE (FRANCE)
Non-fiction: BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL (SWEDEN)
SA VIE A ELLE
PRIX EUROPA IRIS MULTICULTURAL TELEVISION PROGRAMME OF THE YEAR 1996 TV -FICTION
Broadcast by: La Sept Arte, France
Production company: Vertigo Productions
Director: Romain Goupil
Authors: Zaïda Ghorab-Volta; Jean-François Goyet; Romain Goupil
One day in 1995, in the Paris region, a young girl named Yaqine appears in school wearing the hidjab (headscarf). Nobody expected this, nobody understands why. Also, while until then she had been rather shy, the 17 year-old Yaqine suddenly acts fiercely determined. Some time later, after various things have happened, she decides to take the hidjab off. Between the two events, several weeks have passed. At least two mysteries remain: why the first decision, and why the second?
Jury Laudatio:
'thanks to the excellent acting and realistic and gripping method of storytelling employed, it lends itself to viewing in other European countries.'
PRIX EUROPA IRIS MULTICULTURAL TELEVISION PROGRAMME OF THE YEAR 1996 TV -NON-FICTION
BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL
Broadcast by: SVT, Sweden
Direction: Ulf Hultberg en Äsa Faringer
Production: Original Film Ab
Black is Beautiful (docu-drama) tells the story of Margitu, born and bred in Rinkeby, on the outskirts of Stockholm. She has an Ethiopian father and a Russian mother. The story is based on Margitu's diary.
"Sometimes I feel like an Ethiopian, sometimes like a Russian. But a lot of the time I feel Swedish". Margitu is black. "Racists are the worst people in the world. They're cruel. A racist doesn't understand why refugees are here". Margitu's older brother calms her down when she has bad dreams about racists "My brother cares about me. I know he does. You can count on him. And I care about him. The most important thing for me is my family. And I love my family." Margitu is an irresistible little person, full of zest for life. She is both proud of and conscious of her origins. She dances hip hop. And she sings in the group Rinkeby Kids, where she auditions and is accepted. The song "Rinkeby-The Village of the World" becomes a theme song in the film.
Jury Laudatio:
"Seldom before did we see an anti-racist statement on video that was so touching"
