site.bta“The Disappearance of Josef Mengele” Wins Grand Prize at Cinelibri Book-to-Film Festival

The Disappearance of Josef Mengele won the Grand Prize for Masterful Literary Adaptation in the feature film competition within Cinelibri, an international festival in Bulgaria dedicated to screen adaptations of literary works. For the second consecutive year, a film directed by Kirill Serebrennikov has been the jury’s favourite at the festival — last year’s winner was Serebrennikov’s biographical drama Limonov.

The Disappearance of Josef Mengele, a 135-minute co-production between France, Germany, Mexico, the United States and the United Kingdom, is based on the novel of the same name by Olivier Guez. It traces the life of the Nazi doctor and executioner from Auschwitz, who found refuge in South America after the Second World War. Throughout his years on the run — from Paraguay to the Brazilian jungle — he was never captured. He died in Brazil in 1979, without ever being tried for his crimes. He remains infamous for the sadistic, inhuman experiments he carried out on people in the death camps.

Cinelibri director Jacqueline Wagenstein presented the jury’s reasoning, announcing that the award was granted for “a powerful blend of bold cinematic choices, a skilfully adapted screenplay and masterful direction, which allow the viewer to look into the dark recesses of the human soul and attempt to understand the motives of a person embodying the very idea of evil.”

The jury’s statement reads: “The chilling black-and-white style, deep psychological insight, and the remarkable performance of August Diehl as the relentless Nazi doctor-executioner Josef Mengele, all contribute to the film’s dramatic intensity and its portrayal of the indestructible nature of evil — which is most dangerous when left unpunished. The resonance of this profound cinematic experience is amplified by its eerie parallels with contemporary reality.”

The jury was chaired by Danish actor Claes Bang and also included Sergei Loznitsa, Aton Soumas, Tonya Sotiropoulou and Katya Trichkova.

The award was accepted on behalf of Kirill Serebrennikov by Mike Downey, President of the European Film Academy. “I will make sure this prize reaches its rightful owner, who I am absolutely certain is delighted to receive it,” Downey said.

The Cinelibri jury also presented an award for Outstanding Female Cinematic Voice to the film Love Me Tender by director Anna Kaznav Kambe — “for its deeply authentic and feminine cinematic voice that speaks with courage, sensitivity and truth.”

The award in the documentary competition went to Sergei Loznitsa for his film The Natural History of Destruction. According to Jacqueline Wagenstein, the prize recognizes “a work of art that strikes with its depth and perspective, leaves one speechless, and must be passed on to future generations.”

The Lifetime Achievement Award for Contribution to the Art of Cinematography went to Polish director and screenwriter Agnieszka Holland. The honour was presented by the famous French pop singer of Bulgarian origin, Sylvie Vartan. Holland noted that she had visited Bulgaria several times and “each time felt at home.”

The Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Art of Screen Performance was presented to Italian actor Toni Servillo, who received the statuette from Italian Ambassador to Bulgaria Marcello Apicella.

The 11th Cinelibri International Book-to-Film Festival will close on November 3.