The YOUTH JURY at the 52nd Donostia-San Sebastian International Film Festival, comprising 350 youngsters and sponsored by MERCEDES-BENZ, grants its MERCEDEZ-BENZ Youth Award to the film "IN MY FATHER'S DEN " by director Brad McGann, with 3,440 points out of 4.

Donostia-San Sebastian, 25 September 2004

The Youth Jury consists of around 350 youngsters from 17-21 years of age, from all over Spain and abroad, collectively selected from schools and film academies, by means of draws or in reply to individual letters of invitation. Participation in the Jury is therefore voluntary and implies the compromise of viewing all of the movies screened in the New Directors selection opting for the Mercedes-Benz Youth Award. Members of the Jury must therefore watch a daily average of three films.

The members of the Youth Jury vote for each film after its screening by means of a piece of paper featuring the different ratings. The result of the votes is announced in the Festival Rag, on its TV channel, and on screens and panels installed at key points such as the Kursaal foyer and the Zabaltegi offices.

It is the Youth Jury members themselves who organize presentation of the award, previously announced to the press at the same time as the Official Awards ceremony. The corresponding plaque is presented at the Youth Closing Gala in the Kursaal Centre prior to screening of the winning title. Also, on this same day, the team corresponding to the winning movie is introduced to the audience on the Velodrome stage.

The programme of activities related to the Mercedes-Benz Youth Award is rounded off with a party at one of the best known discos in San Sebastian, in which the young jury members are invited to participate alongside the different film teams.

Winners of this award in the last five years were:

• 1999 AGNES BROWNE, by Anjelica Huston (USA-Ireland)
• 2000 FÖRE STORMEN/BEFORE THE STORM, by Reza Parsa (Sweden)
• 2001 ELLING, by Peter Naess (Norway)
• 2002 REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES, Patricia Cardoso (USA)
• 2003 NOVIEMBRE, by Achero Mañas (Spain)
  

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