The winners of the XVIII Edition of Il Cinema Ritrovato’s DVD Awards were presented on Saturday, the 24th by film critic and jury president Paolo Merghetti. He was joined at Piazzetta Pier Paolo Pasolini by other members of the jury present in Bologna. In addition to core prizes in the categories of Best Box Set, Best Special Features, Best Rediscovery of a Forgotten Film, Best Single Film Release, Best Documentary, and Best Film, each member of the jury chose a personal winner from amongst more than 40 finalists. The full 2021 jury was comprised of Lorenzo Codelli, Shivendra Singh Dungapur, Phillipe Garnier, Pamela Hutchinson, Miguel Marías, and Paolo Mereghetti. A complete list of winners can be found below.
Best Box Set:
Winner: Essential Fellini (Italy, 1950-1987)- The Criterion Collection (Blu-ray)- More than 20 hours of documentary footage, interviews with Fellini’s collaborators, contemporary material, and a booklet of essays by Fellini experts with illustrations from Don Young’s Felliniana archive supplement the set.
Best Special Feature:
Winner: Outside. Morris Engel et Ruth Orkin Œuvres Complètes (USA, 1953-1968)- Carlotta Films (Blu-ray) –Viewers can expect to find several previously unreleased short films, as well as selected home movies from the directors in addition to their essential features.
Best Rediscovery of a Forgotten Film:
First winner: Dalekà Cesta (Czech, 1948) by Alfréd Radok- Národní filmový archiv (Blu-ray) – Included on the Blu-ray are complementary newsreels and documentaries from a range of years and contexts.
Second winner: Variety (USA, 1983) by Bette Gordon- Kino Lorber (Blu-ray)- The 2K restoration is accompanied by archive production imagery, new writing, and audio commentary from the director.
Best Single Film Release:
First winner: Mädchen in Uniform (Germany, 1931) by Léontine Sagan- BFI (Blu-ray and DVD) – Feature-length audio commentary by Jenni Olson and an analysis of the film and its exhibition history compliment new restoration work by the Deutsches Filminstitut and Filmmuseum.
Second winner: Mandabi (Senegal, 1968) by Ousmane Sembène- The Criterion Collection (Blu-ray) –The 4K restoration is accompanied by a short film shot by Sembène, as well as original cover art.
Best Documentary:
First winner: Jazz on a Summer’s Day (USA 1959) by Bert Stern- Kino Lorber (Blu-ray) Extras include a 2011 documentary on the director, archival interviews, audio commentary, and a supplementary booklet.
Second winner: Peter Nestler, 9 Films de 1962 à 2008 (Germany, 1962-2009) Survivance (DVD) –The films on the DVD are expanded upon in a 52 page booklet of essays and commentary.
Best Film (The Peter von Bagh Award)
Winner: La Roue (France, 1922) by Abel Gance- Pathé Films/ La Fondation Jérôme Seydoux-Pathé –The restoration by La Fondation Jérôme Seydoux-Pathé, in collaboration with the Cinémathèque Française and the Cinémathèque Suisse, includes six hours of film on Blu-ray, with an entire disc of extras and an accompanying book by L’Immagine Ritrovata Bologna-Paris which follows the film’s history and restoration.
Personal Choices:
Lorenzo Codelli: István Szabó Collection (Hungary-Germany-France, 1966-2001) – National Film Institure – Film Archive Hungary (DVD)
Phillipe Garnier: Spring Night Summer Night (USA, 1967) by J.L. Anderson- Flicker Alley and Nicolas Winding Refn/ by NWR (Blu-ray and DVD)
Pamela Hutchinson: Waxworks (Das Wachsfigurenkabinett) (Germany, 1924) by Paul Leni, Leo Birinsky- Flicker Alley, Eureka Entertainment and Deutsche Kinemathek (Blu-ray and DVD)
Miguel Marías: Chicago-Weltstadt in Flegeljahren (Germany, 1931) by Heinrich Hauser- Schongergilm/ Arte edition (Blu-ray)
Paulo Mereghetti: Tiro al Piccione (Italy, 1961) by Giuliano Montaldo- Penny Video/ Cineteca Nazionale (Blu-ray and DVD)
Shivendra Singh Dungarpur: Scorsese Shorts (USA, 1963-1978) by Martin Scorsese- The Criterion Collection (Blu-ray)