Our stunning 11 1/2″ 24K custom gold statuette is manufactured by R.S. Owens, the same company that manufactures the Oscar. The winner of our Best Short Film category will receive this award at no cost to them, while winners in other categories will be given the option to acquire it. Additional awards and prizes may be Read More ...
Title: The Swallow
Runtime: 6 min
Country: UK
Director: Natalia Jezova
Placement: Honorable Mention
Competition: June, 2022
Synopsis: During an art residency in the remote village of Psarades in Northern Greece I was part of a group of artists who visited places most affected by the Civil War in Greece. Places where life suddenly stopped…
In the film The Swallow I explored themes of place, trauma and the displacement of the Macedonian diaspora in Northern Greece. I decided to include the story about a revived swallow that we had seen in the abandoned school in Psarades village.
As always, in my art practice I put a big emphasis on the symbolic meaning of things. Swallows are traditionally among the most beloved and honoured birds in culture and a common belief was that swallows were birds “blessed” to carry spirits. Following my research on folklore, I discovered that “dead children return as swallows in spring to console their parents”(Porter & Russell, 1978, p. 188). In one scene in my film the swallows play a central metaphorical role and the significance of the scene symbolises the souls of departed children who are searching in space and time for a way to return home.
