As Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan told a packed London room last night, “We debated so long and hard, we nearly got evicted from our room and all sustenance withdrawn.”
Queen Noor, celebrated documentary maker Morgan Spurlock and their fellow judges had been tasked with selecting the winner of the first PUMA Creative Impact Award, honouring a documentary for its recognised social impact on a global scale.
From a shortlist of five finalists, it was the team behind End of the Line who eventually triumphed and were presented with their award (a gong plus cheque for 50,000 Euros) at the gala last night.
End of the Line was the first major feature documentary film to reveal the impact of overfishing on the world’s oceans. It exposes those in power taking advantage of the seas with permanent consequences on the world's fish supply. The film has already had a huge effect on decisions made by supermarket and consumer brands, as well as political leaders.
Made over two years, The End of the Line follows the investigative reporter Charles Clover as he confronts politicians and celebrity restaurateurs. Global brands such as Pret-A-Manger, Sheba and Whiskas have all begun to source their products with sustainably-sourced fish since the film was first shown in 2009.
Both Queen Noor and Spurlock revealed that the breadth of subject matter made comparing the five shortlisted films very difficult.
"It wasn't at all easy, we felt every film to the core," remembers Queen Noor. "We went on and on until we had to stop, because we were so struck by the passion of each and every one of the filmmakers. So it came down the quality of the film-making and the impact as a tool for education, fundraising, political advocacy and whether the impact would be enduring. It was a fascinating experience looking at all these films."
In recognition of this, PUMA Board Chairman, the suave Jochen Zeitz, announced that another award for Jury’s Special Commendation (to the tune of 25,000 Euros) would also be presented. This unexpected prize went to Burma VJ: Reporting From a Closed Country, a film made by protestors from behind the junta walls on cameras smuggled in and out of the country.
Two of the Burmese videojournalists were on stage to receive the award, and the perilous conditions in which they operated to make their film were highlighted with the knowledge that they won’t be able to return to their homeland any time soon.
Newsreader Jon Snow presented the ceremony, attended by a wide range of guests from the documentary-making world - from Asif Kapadia (recently lauded for his work on the film Senna) to Oscar nominee Djimon Hounsou, who agreed to assume judging duties from next year.
Before the ceremony, Queen Noor was emphatic that a documentary can be a force for great good.
"I don't know whether it can change the world," she explains, citing such a cinematic event as An Inconvenient Truth. "But it can have a profound impact. It can add to the ongoing momentum created by other forces. No film on its own is going to do everything, but it can certainly help the collective momentum.
Queen Noor can cite personal experience of watching a documentary change how people think.
"The King Hussein Foundation has a media and humanity programme in conjunction with Tribeca Film Festival," she explained. "One of the last films we screened there was Budrus, a documentary about the beginning of the non-violent resistance movement in the West Bank.
"The most moving occasion for me was in Ramala, where it was shown to both Palestinian and Israeli activists. The film is about different factions all working together around a common cause, and it was fascinating to see people drawn in. There I saw the impact of a documentary on an audience who were transported to another level, and that is the best we can hope for all documentary film-making."
Watch the trailer for End of the Line below...