Alex Gibney-Produced ‘Mohabat’ by James Longley Wins at Ji.hlava

James Longley’s “Mohabat” won the Opus Bonum section at Ji.hlava Documentary Film Festival on Saturday.

Produced by Mohammad Sharif Hotak, Longley and Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney, it follows a 12-year-old boy Mohabat, whose father dies in a drone strike. Left without parental care, he’s taken to a city orphanage.

“By patiently observing the boy’s interactions with his two older brothers and the routines and rhythms of life in his village school, the film creates a complex and sympathetic portrait of an individual, a family and a community, stripping away the customary clichés,” argued the jury, calling it “meticulously researched and exquisitely crafted.”

Elvis A-Liang Lu’s “Songs From Within” received a special mention and an award for editing, while Nona Giunashvili’s “Sacred Songs” was named Best Central and Eastern European Documentary. Filip Remunda’s “Love Exposed,” Ishtar Yasin Gutiérrez’s “Life Is There,” Ania Winiarska’s “Good Girls” and Diana Martínez’s “19th Floor” were also noticed.

Brydie O’Connor’s “Barbara Forever,” about late artist and activist Barbara Hammer, was the winner of Testimonies.

The jury called it a “compelling cinematic study that breaks several taboos simultaneously: lesbian and female emancipation, aging and terminal illness. This exceptionally empathetic film incorporates experimental footage – shot by the protagonist herself over the span of five decades – in a highly creative manner.”

“Connecting with others through art was really at the core of her practice. It’s also why she loved teaching. I definitely try to take at least a page out of Barbara’s book in that regard,” said O’Connor.

“After one screening, a woman came up to me. She said: ‘I’ve never heard of Barbara Hammer. I’m from Texas and I’m not queer. But I was so moved because my father is at the very end of his life, and…