October 31, 2021 (SIGNIS / INTERFILM). The Interreligious Jury, appointed by INTERFILM and SIGNIS, awards its Prize to Que Dieu te protège (May God Be with You), directed by Cléo Cohen (France, 2021).
May God Be with You explores the silent transmission of human values and feelings of belonging within a Jewish family from the Maghreb in a beautifully cinematographic way.
The film shows in subtle images that the individual’s identity is never fixed but constantly in flux. Through the use of her body – and especially her hair – Cléo Cohen demonstrates the fluid identities of Jewish people living in France today.
These identities are partially rooted in various religious and cultural traditions, be they Jewish, Christian or Muslim, and May God Be with You examines how Cohen’s family develop their personal – perhaps even contradictory – identities in a fascinating dialogue with their history and the cultural and religious legacies of their environment.
The members of the Jury were Freek L. Bakker (Netherlands), Kadija Leclere (Belgium), Lothar Strüber (Germany), and Daniel Wildmann (United Kingdom).
The 64th International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film was held October 25-31, 2021. In Leipzig, an Interreligious Jury has been observing the International Competition since 2016. This year, 14 films were competing for their prize. The main prizes of the festival are the Golden and Silver Doves, which are awarded in different sections of the festival. After the festival, from 1st to 14th November, a selection of more than 70 festival films will be presented as Video on Demand.
