Filminute 2010 commends South African entry

This year's award-winners were selected from a line-up of 25 films from 18 countries. The shortlist of 25 was narrowed from a field of more than 2000 film and animation screenings and submissions. The jury awarded commendations to five films ranked in the following order:

1. Auto Madar (India) Directed by Vasan Bala - an assassin, already late for work, is further stymied by his inability to catch a cab.

2. Goodbye Mr. Nice Guy (Romania) Directed by Ana Iliesiu and Matei Branea - a one-minute romantic comedy? Why not! Animation and live action are cleverly blended in this offbeat break-up story.

3. Gumboots (South Africa) Directed by Bauke Brouwer - this gritty and ultimately triumphant story also distinguishes itself as the first film from South Africa to make the Filminute shortlist.

4. Love Suicides: Prologue (Malaysia/Japan) Directed by Edmund Yeo - the simplicity of the film belies the complex story of a family haunted by the demands of the father's ghost.

5. Flesh (Netherlands) Directed by Maarten Rots - the persistence of a voyeur standing in the rain leads to a tense and uncomfortable confrontation.
   

The winner of the festival was the entry, Choose Not To Fall, an inspiring and acrobatic documentary from the UK and marks the first time that a documentary has won the top honours at Filminute.

"The range of countries and stories on the jury's commendation list support the belief we stated when we started Filminute in 2006. One-minute films level the playing field. These films prove that no country has a monopoly on great stories," says Filminute co-founder Sabaa Quao. "So many of this year's films do prompt us to watch them two and three times in a row."

The winning films and the complete Filminute shortlist can be viewed at www.filminute.com as well as the South African entry.