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In 2024, TIFF is in its 49th year. This is one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world, after Cannes, Berlin, Venice, and Sundance. The fact that it continues to host a Netpac Jury should not be taken for granted; it is important to nurture Netpac’s relationship with TIFF by cooperating with them in selecting a jury worthy of the festival’s standing. Canada does not have a Netpac chapter like Hawaiʻi, which means that the two jury members chosen by TIFF for 2024 are not members of Netpac. (Note: At one time, Hannah Fisher was an active/paid member.)

NETPAC JURY:

Chair: Vilsoni Hereniko, filmmaker, professor, President of NETPAC/USA.

Jury Members: Hannah Fisher, former festival director; international consultant.

Kerri Sakamoto, award-winning Japanese- Canadian author.

FILMS IN COMPETITION:

1. A Sister’s Tale – Switzerland, France, Iran.
2. Addition – Australia
3. All We Imagine As Light – France, India, Netherlands, Luxemburg
4. April – Italy, France, Georgia
5. Boong – India
6. Bound in Heaven – China
7. Crocodile Tears – Indonesia, France, Singapore, Germany
8. Dead Talents Society
9. Don’t Cry, Butterfly -Vietnam, Singapore, Phillipines, India
10. Edge of Night – Germany
11. Gulizar – Turkey, Kosovo
12. Ka Whawhai Tonu – Struggle With No End – New Zealand
13. Love in the Big City – South Korea
14. Men of War – USA, Canada
15. Mistress Dispeller – China, USA
16. My Sunshine – Japan, France
17. No Other Land -Palestine, Norway
18. Saba – Bangladesh
19. Shook – Canada
20. The Deb – Australia
21. The Last of the Sea Women – USA
22. The Mountain – New Zealand
23. The Paradise of Thorns – Thailand
24. Vice is Broke -USA
25. Went Up the Hill – New Zealand, Australia

WINNER:

After much deliberation, the jury decided to give the award to The Last of the Sea Women. Two other films were strong contenders: No Other Country and Bound in Heaven.

Below are the short and the long citations for the winning film The Last of the Sea Women.

Short:

“The Netpac Award is given to The Last of the Sea Women for its moving and illuminating portrayal of the lives of the haenyeo, a group of elderly female divers on Jeju island off the coast of South Korea, who are struggling against global warming and ocean pollution to keep a unique and vital cultural practice alive.” 

Long:

“The 2024 NETPAC jury award goes to The Last of the Sea Women for its moving and illuminating portrayal of the lives of the haenyeo, a group of elderly female divers on Jeju island, off the coast of South Korea. These women are sea warriors struggling against global warming and ocean pollution to keep a unique cultural practice alive. It is rare that a filmmaker would choose to highlight, elevate, and celebrate the daily struggles of women in their 60s and 70s, especially those from marginalized communities far from the centers of power. Director Sue Kim depicts the lives of these warriors on land and in the sea with beauty, humor, and compassion. It is a story that inspires and calls us to action.”

COMMENTS ON THE PROCESS:

This year, the coordinator of the jury worked hard before jury duties started to ensure that links to films online were available to the jury members in a timely manner. It is unclear to me why about half the films were viewed online and about another half were viewed in a proper theater. This was a great disadvantage to filmmakers whose work was viewed on the small screen, sometimes with low resolution and watermarks on them that say “FOR PREVIEW PURPOSES ONLY” or had the name of the coordinator or the jury member running across every frame of the film. Although I brought this up with the coordinator, watermarks remained on many of the films I viewed and made total engagement with the world of the film challenging. 

CONCLUDING REMARKS:

All things considered, hosting the NETPAC jury this year was a great success. The jury got along very well with each other, there were no tensions evident during our deliberations (although there were differences in opinion we respected and listened to each other’s views).  TIFF also gave the jury a coordinator who proved to be more than competent and very attentive to the daily needs of the jury. A big thank-you to the wonderful coordinator for the 2024 TIFF jury, Judy Seulgi Park (in white in the picture below).

 by Vilsoni Hereniko