«The jury has reached an unanimous decision. We have chosen a film that takes us to an exotic and brutal environment where
fiction and documentary are seamlessly mixed, and which at times challenges our notion of what is a dream, what is a lie and
what is reality...»,
Read the full statement of the Bergen jury, that awarded Patric Chiha's Brothers of the Night the festival's "documentaire extraordinaire".
BERGEN International Film festival 2016
Documentaire extraordinaire competition
Jury statement:
Most of the films in the Documentaire Extraordinaire program are documentaries of high quality from all over the world which
challenges the conventions of the genre. The use of reenactments as a stylistic tool furthers the notion that documentaries
are personal interpretations of reality. The universes described by the filmmakers are unique and concentrated, and the cinematic
experience becomes intimate and sometimes challenging.
The jury has reached an unanimous decision. We have chosen a film that takes us to an exotic and brutal environment where
fiction and documentary are seamlessly mixed, and which at times challenges our notion of what is a dream, what is a lie and
what is reality.
We are invited on a journey, with characters that we learn to like, respect and love. The film creates raw portraits. At the
same time the director has managed to create a filmic universe, which constructs a claustrophobic world beyond time and space.
A world full of cynicism and exploitation, but which gradually opens up a space of friendship, hope and humor.
Through unique access and mutual trust, we get access to several young male prostitutes in one of the dodgy and dark bars
of Vienna. The director’s approach to his characters is loyal, never moralizing. The colorful yet dark environment captured
by the director, through long takes and fictional scenes, constructs a magic realistic world where the characters, in spite
of their misery, get to play out their dreams and nightmares. The boys, who each and every day are used and bought, takes
control over their own bodies and their presentation.
The result has become nothing less than a documentaire extraordinaire.
