2010 Hiroshima Prize to be presented to the British documentary filmmaker Kim Longinotto
Press release from the Hiroshima Foundation on 20 March 2010
On 18 April the British documentary filmmaker Kim Longinotto will receive the Edita and Ira Morris Hiroshima Prize for Peace and Culture for 2010. The award will be presented to her at a ceremony which will take place at the Zita Cinema in Stockholm. This is the first time the main prize has been awarded to a filmmaker. On this occasion some of Kim Longinotto’s films will be shown, including her most recent film, ”Rough Aunties”, which will be screened at Zita on 16 April.
The purpose of the Edita & Ira Morris Hiroshima Foundation is to promote peace by supporting efforts in the cultural sphere to favour peace and reconciliation. The Foundation was created in 1989 following a bequest by the Swedish writer Edita Morris (1902-1988) who was married to the American writer Ira Morris (1903-1972).
Kim Longinotto has made a number of internationally acclaimed films which notably highlight the plight of female victims of oppression or discrimination. Several of these films are set in a Third World environment. Among these are “Sisters in Law”, a film which won the Prix Art et Essai at the Cannes Festival and depicts the work of a Judge and a State Prosecutor in Cameroon. Another is “Divorce Iranian Style” which follows the proceedings in an Iranian divorce court. ”Hold Me Tight, Let Me Go” deals with an English school for excluded and emotionally scarred children. The subject of ”Rough Aunties” is a group of women who care for abused and neglected children in South Africa. A list of her films is appended.
The prize is given in recognition of Kim Longinotto’s outstanding film work over more than 30 years.
The Foundation presents awards to women and men who contribute, in a cultural field, to fostering dialogue, understanding and peace in conflict areas. The award is now presented every second year. The 2008 award was presented to the principals of two schools in Sri Lanka: the Sinhalese Kanishata Vidyalaya School whose principal is Mr K.V. Wimalawardana and the Katirareshan Tamil Maha Vidyalaya School whose principal is Mr K. Kumaraveloo. The prize was given in recognition of their efforts to foster mutual understanding for Tamil and Sinhalese culture. The 2006 prize was given to Elena Nemirovskaya, Director and founder of the Moscow School of Political Studies. In 2004 the prize was awarded to Borka Pavićević, founder of the Centre for Cultural Decontamination in Belgrade, with additional prizes to Biljana Srbljanović and Jasmina Tesanović, Serbian authors and peace activists. Further information on the Foundation, including a biography of Edita Morris and a full list of recipients of previous awards, can be found on the Foundation’s website http://www.hiroshimafoundation.net . The Board of the Foundation is composed of Professor Daniel Tarschys, chairman, Gertrud Gidlund, Suzanne Osten, Thomas Ouchterlony and Chandras Rajakaruna.
Films by Kim Longinotto
Pride of Place (1976) (as Kim Longinotto Landseer)
Theatre Girls (1978) – Director/Cinematographer
Underage (1982) – Director/Cinematographer
Eat the Kimono (1989) Director/Cinematographer
Hidden Faces (1990) – Director/Cinematographer
The Good Wife of Tokyo (1992) – Director
Dream Girls (1994) – Director/Cinematographer/Producer
Shinjuku Boys (1995) – Director/Cinematographer/Producer Rock Wives (1996) (TV) – Director
Divorce Iranian Style (1998) – Director
Gaea Girls (2000) – Director/Cinematographer/Producer/Writer
Runaway (2001) – Director/Cinematographer/Writer
The Day I Will Never Forget (2002) – Director/Cinematographer
Sisters in Law (2005) – Director/Cinematographer/Producer
Hold Me Tight, Let Me Go (2007) – Director/Cinematographer/Producer
Rough Aunties (2008) – Director/Cinematographer