The pre-selection jury of the 2011 PriMed met in Marseille from June 20th to 24th. This year we had a record 316 films from 28 countries. Most were French, Italian or Spanish, but there were Egyptian, Tunisian and Algerian films as well. As for the Ukraine, Montenegro, Bulgaria and Poland, they each made their first appearance in the PriMed listings.

 

In all, the CMCA received:

– 58 films for the Mediterranean Issues category
– 36 films for the Mediterranean Memories category
– 40 films for the First Documentary category
– 25 films for the Investigative Report category
– 70 films for the Art, Heritage and Mediterranean Cultures category
– 79 films for the Short Film category
– 8 web-documentaires for the Multimedia category

The pre-selection jury consisted of

Amer ABOU-DAYA (Al Hiwar TV)

Nathalie ABOU-ISAAC (CeReM)

Jacques BAYLE (France Télévisions)

Nadia BENDJILALI (JMed)

Daniel BROUYERE (RTBF)

Nicola CALIGIORE (RAI)

Claire DECHAUX (INA)

Valérie GERBAULT (CMCA)

Marie-Christine HELIAS (INA)

François JACQUEL (CMCA)

Franco REVELLI (CMCA)

Sami SADAK (Babel Med Music), and Michelle STEWART (University of New York).

 

This issue is entirely given over to the films selected for the final stage of PriMed
(which will be held in Marseilles from December 6th to the 10th).

Read on to find out about the very rich selection of films chosen, about the people who made them and the comments of the jury who

chose them, here at the CMCA. Stories of Mediterranean women and men, full of unforgettably powerful moments, the screenings often followed by long silence.
The searing pain of the Hamas mother who has lost her « chahid » son will stay in our minds for a long time, as will the utter destitution of the young Syrian women working in the fields of the Lebanon, or the serious expression of the young Muslim woman who admits she has had a sexual relationship, or the faces of the men and women locked-up in Cairo’s psychiatric hospital, with no hope of ever returning to their families. And of course the strong images of the Arab Spring. Incredible images, which will leave no one indifferent. But the Mediterranean is also love of life, even when you have next to nothing. A bit of music, a bit of humour – even in the most painful moments hope of a better life is never far away. Read about these films, which you will be able to see at public screenings in December during the PriMed week in Marseille. The winner of each category will be announced at the awards ceremony on December 9th, broadcast live on the PriMed web-site.