1st place BBBank Award 2024

The winner of the BBBank Award 2024, Julia Shamsheieva, comes from Odessa, Ukraine and now lives in Canada. Her work is named after the official name of the Statue of Liberty: "Liberty Enlightening the World". She invites the viewer on a journey - the journey of Faust. Just as the Statue of Liberty is a symbol of freedom, democracy and enlightenment throughout the world, Julia Shamsheieva understands Faust's quest for knowledge and self-discovery as a symbol of individual freedom, which is one of the basic principles of democracies. The story of Faust thus continues to act as a beacon across generations, reminding us of the importance of self-reflection and considering the consequences of our choices. Faust's ultimate redemption and salvation is a metaphor for the possibility of personal and collective transformation, the evolution of social consciousness.

The retro visual aesthetic emphasizes the historical cyclicality of social processes and transports us back to the films of the last century. The constant conflicts are a sobering reminder that, despite all the progress humanity has made, we are still plagued by "mythical" conflicts. The power of freedom continues to be the driving force for creating a better future for all, despite the many obstacles that stand in the way of true global unity and peace.