The Cape Winelands Film Festival (CWFF) had its last screenings on 26 March 2011 in Stellenbosch and Cape Town. The programme included 180 award winning features, documentaries and shorts from more than 52 countries, including the work by 25 South African filmmakers. Among the winners were films from Finland, Estonia, Romania, South Africa and Spain.
Arto Halonen's Princess won the Grand Prix Award. The film is based on real-life events and a real person. Cabaret dancer Anna Lappalainen, drifting from one foster home to another, ends up in psychiatric care. She claims to be "Princess", a member of the English royal family. Although Princess herself numbers among the patients, helping others becomes her life mission. Her court is comprised of her lady-in-waiting Christina von Heyroth, and a group of fellow patients. From the psychiatric hospital, this broken woman finds her true home and builds a new family, bringing a greater sense of community to the other patients and to people in the local village. The film stars the cream of Finland's leading actors.
The Award for Best Director went to Estonian director Marko Raat. Raat's film The Snow Queen is a wintry fairytale for adults.
British director Paul Hills received a Special Mention from the feature jury for his charming film, Do Elephants Pray?.
The documentary The World According to Ion B by Romanian filmmaker Alexander Nanau received the Best Documentary Award.
The Best South African Documentary Award went to Dylan Valley's Afrikaaps.
The documentary There Once Was an Island by director Briar March (New Zealand) received a Special Mention Award.
The Best Short Film Award went to the Spanish production Flock (Artalde) about a shepherd, lost in the city, who is searching for his flock.
Michael Klein, alumni of UCT's Centre for Film and Media Studies, was awarded the prize for Best South African Short Film.
The innovative short Through Glass by Polish director Igor Chojna received a Special Mention Award.
Commenting on the fourth edition of the festival, Festival director Leon van der Merwe noted that the "overwhelming international response to the CWFF's short and feature film competition indicated that the festival is being perceived as the most important film festival platform in South Africa for quality productions from around the world, especially regarding features by new directorial voices, who are looking for opportunities to exhibit their work in South Africa. With regard to features 21 films form part of our competition this year, as well as a record 55 documentaries and 56 international shorts". The festival has been listed again as one of the leading film festivals in the world by International Film Guide in its 2011 edition.
Jury members included Prof. João Luiz Vieira (Brazil), Zulfah Otto Sallies (South Africa), Keoprasith Souvavvavong (France), Dr Ibrahim Saleh (Egypt), Evert Lombaert (South Africa), Hans-Christian Mahnke (Namibia), Andre Crous (South Africa), Izette Mostert (South Africa) and Joan Legalamitlwa (South Africa).
The new statuettes were specially made for the festival by well-known South African artist Isa Steynberg.
