Signis

The Bresson Prize for Daniel Burman

Venice, September 3, 2008 (SIGNIS) - On September 2nd in Venice, the Foundation Ente dello Spettacolo, SIGNIS member in Italy and editor of the Rivista del Cinematografo, presented the 9th Robert Bresson Prize to the young Argentinean director Daniel Burman.

Mgr Celli hands out the Bresson Prize to Daniel Burman

Burman, the first director from the Americas to receive this award, stated that he was "filled with pride" at receiving the Bresson award from the hands of Mgr Claudio Celli. The President of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications recognized in the work of Burman "the capacity to read into the heart of man’s deep search and anguish for his identity, with decency and discretion."

In his acknowledgement speech, Burman related a story that happened in 17th century Russia. A Rabbi was put in prison for allegedly collaborating with the Turkish enemy. A Russian official asked him why God, who sees all, asked Adam where he was after he had eaten the forbidden fruit. The Rabbi replied that God was not asking where Adam was, but what he had done with all that He had given him. "My films," concluded Burman, "are trying to answer the question God asked to Adam and with them, I wish to say ’I am here, and this is what I have’."

The Bresson Prize, given every year by the foundation Ente dello Spettacolo under the patronage of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications and the Pontifical Council for Culture with the support of the Cinema Department of the Italian Ministry of Culture is presented to a director "who has given a significant testimony of the difficult way to the search of spiritual meaning of our life". Former recipients include directors such as Manoel De Oliveira, Krzyzstof Zanussi, Wim Wenders and Zhang Yuan.

Present at the ceremony, the director of the Venice Film Festival, Marco Muller hailed the Prize as a "courageous recognition of the work of an author who in just a few years, has succeeded in embracing the horizon of man’s identity, but also of an entire country: Argentina."

Mgr Dario Vigano, President of the Ente dello Spettacolo, with Archbishop Celli and Daniel Burman

Daniel Burman was born in the city of Buenos Aires in 1973 from Polish-Jew origin. He is a director, scriptwriter and producer. In 1995 his short film Niños envueltos is part of the feature with episodes Historias breves . In 1996 he presented his first film, A Chrysanthemum Bursts in Cincoesquinas . In 2000 he released Waiting for the Messiah , first film of an autobiographical trilogy -that includes Lost Embrace (2004, Jury’s Grand Prize at the 54th Berlin Festival) and Family Law (2006)- about the issues of a young Jewish in Buenos Aires (Ariel, played in the three films by the Uruguayan actor Daniel Hendler). Family Law received the SIGNIS Prize in Mar del Plata in 2006.

With Diego Dubcovsky, in 1995 he set up BD Cine that has produced some successful Argentinean and International films such as Marco Bechis’ Garage Olimpo (1999, OCIC Award in Havana) and The Motorcycle Diaries , by Walter Salles (Ecumenical Prize in Cannes 2004). His newest film, El nido vacío (The Empty Nest), released in April in Argentina, has earned critical acclaim as well as commercial success. It will be presented in competition at the San Sebastian Film Festival.

After receiving the Bresson Prize in Venice, Daniel Burman visited for the first time the Vatican, St-Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican Film Archive. He also met the Great Rabbi of Rome, Riccardo Di Segni.

More information: http://www.cinematografo.it/

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