November 21, 2021 (SIGNIS / INTERFILM). The Ecumenical Jury at the 70th International Film Festival Mannheim-Heidelberg (November 11-21, 2021), appointed by INTERFILM and SIGNIS, has awarded its Prize to the French-Belgian co-production Ma nuit (My Night), directed by Antoinette Boulat.
The affirmation of one’s own life begins with saying no to the most diverse offers of externally determined life. The protagonist Marion’s path on the birthday of her sister Alice, who died five years ago, leads right into the dark. It is the darkness of her own grief that challenges her to take a different look at life, a look that does not allow itself any distraction from the seductive illusions of, for example, a casting offer or her peer group.
However, the breakthrough to a new beginning also requires a leap of faith – in this case, towards a coincidental companion who shows himself to be a soulmate. At the same time, this means allowing closeness and taking the risk of life. All of this breaks through in a leap into the Seine, which seems like an intimate baptismal experience that allows lightness and makes room for new beginnings. From the acceptance of one’s own vulnerability, she finally reaches for the blue of the sky, thus transcending the boundaries of transience and overcoming grief.
Antoinette Boulat has succeeded in creating a magical cinematic moment with My Night, magnificently performed by an outstanding Lou Lampros.
The members of the Jury were Michael Kranzusch, Jury President (Germany), Uta Losem (Germany), and Lothar Strüber (Germany).