“The international jury awarded a special mention to Yo (Love is a Rebellious Bird), directed by Anna Fitch and Banker White, with the following citation: this film is a singular, inventive and eccentric documentary. A genuine formal tour de force. Not only because the director documents the making of the film she is making, but also because inside this strange film there is a house. A house of memories, painstakingly rebuilt down to the smallest detail over several years by the director and her partner: a doll’s house created to celebrate the life of a friend who has passed away. The film is a portrait of that friend: a free, rebellious, unconventional woman; it shows old age without filters, in all its fragility and beauty, reminds us that friendship is a form of love, and asserts the importance of physical traces – trinkets, objects, things – in a world that is becoming increasingly dematerialised. But above all, it is a film about the process of mourning, something we all have to face at some point in our lives. The death of a loved one is, for those left behind, a traumatic experience. What do we do with this love? How can we move forward? This film is a generous and necessary answer; a wonderful experience for the audience, joyful and liberating – because it reminds us that art, books and films can defeat death.”
