This year's guest of honor of Motovun Film Festival is Terence Davies – the iconic British filmmaker. Ever since 1976, when he his first short film 'Children' was released, he has been making films that reflect his specific view of the life in the UK. Never bowing to trends or making compromises in his almost four-decade-long career, Davies has remained an independent filmmaker to the present-day. His films tell us magnificent and emotional stories of everyday life.
Davies wrote the script for 'Children' – a biopic of a sort – while he was attending Coventry Drama School. By 1983 he made two more short films – 'Madonna and Child' and 'Death and Transfiguration' – thus concluding his autobiographic trilogy. All three films were shown at numerous festivals in Europe and USA, winning many awards and recognitions. Davies's two long-feature films – 'Distant Voices, Still Lives' and 'The Long Days Closes' – are both set in Liverpool and also contain autobiographic elements. In 2000, for the first time, he cast a Hollywood star for his film. It was Gillian Anderson in his acclaimed 'The House of Mirth'.
His latest film, 'The Deep Blue Sea' – starring Oscar-winner Rachel Weisz and 'The Avenger' Tom Hiddlestone – was released in the USA in March.
Despite his firm decision not to bow to trends, Terence Davies has managed to win his place in film industry and has been proclaimed the most important living UK director. His 'Distant Voices, Still Lives' was placed third on the list of the best UK films of all times.
Terence Davies is this year's winner of Motovun Maverick Award. By presenting this award, Motovun Film Festival honors the authors with an uncompromising and original approach to filmmaking. This year, our guest of honor Terence Davies, whose extraordinary film 'Distant Voices Still Lives' is considered as one of crucial masterpieces of the UK cinematography, will join other distinguished winners of this award – Ulrich Seidl, Terry Jones and Ken Russel.
A retrospective of Terence Davies's films will be shown during the festival.
