Film by KBR director awarded by European Film Academy

The Ossetian-language film "Unclenching the Fists" by Kira Kovalenko, a director from the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR) has won the prize of the European Film Academy for the best film editing.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on October 25, it became known that the film "Unclenching the Fists" was nominated for an "Oscar" Prize. Earlier, the film won the Grand Prix at the "Un Certain Regard" contest at the 74th Cannes Film Festival.

The filming took place in Mizur, a former mining settlement in North Ossetia located along the Transcaucasian highway. Mizur is fenced off from the highway by soundproof walls, which Ms Kovalenko uses as a metaphor in her film: life has stopped here; and it is very difficult for the main heroine to get out beyond these walls.

The successful editing of the film was the result of the director's and editor's understanding of what the result of the work should be, said Alexander Rodnyanskiy, the film producer.

Kira Kovalenko is, along with other KBR film directors – Vladimir Bitokov and Kantemir Balagov – is a graduate from the workshop of the famous film director, Alexander Sokurov. His workshop was opened in 2010 in Nalchik. Apart from prizes at various film festivals, the work of Sokurov's pupils received critics' recognition. Mr Sokurov has noted that he finds it important that his pupils raise the problems of the Caucasus. The fact that the "Unclenching the Fists" was screened in Cannes is more significant than the award itself, as it helps the film in finding its spectators, Alexander Sokurov has stated.