Give Me Shelter was chosen was awarded Best Hungarian Documentary at the 17th Verzió

International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival.

” The jury chose Give Me Shelter as best film because it eloquently and powerfully narrates, through its protagonists and their stories, the struggle of a group of young women to overcome deep trauma caused by abuse and exploitation, and the monumental task of its providential character, Renata, the social worker who runs the shelter and becomes a mother figure to many of the residents. Portraying the victims of sexual exploitation is a difficult task, and this film does so with exquisite tact; its protagonists never lose their agency, even when they make wrong decisions or express deep vulnerabilities. We appreciate both the director’s craft and his filming approach; his ability to integrate the personal stories of the shelter’s dwellers with the events as they occurred during the filming. Through his lens, we observe without judging, we empathise without paternalizing. Based on genuine curiosity, the film becomes a cinematic journey to discover unknown destinies of our society. Schwechtje’s camera finds a key angle to remain unobtrusive while retaining a feeling of closeness to the young women, and in the last minutes the film presents the audience with the ultimate gift: an ending to never forget. „

The members of the International Jury awarding the Best Hungarian Film: María Carrión, Csilla Kató, Peter Kerekes