Nabil Ayouch’s God’s Horses awarded in Brussels
- God’s Horses, Nabil Ayouch’s striking film about the Casablanca terrorist attacks, wins the Grand Prix and the Cineuropa Prize at the Mediterranean Film Festival
The 12th Brussels Mediterranean Film Festival drew to a close on November 17. This year's programme of around 66 films from no less than 25 territories once again stressed the great vitality of the region’s cinematography. And the festival offered the public the rare opportunity to discover films that, for many, will not be distributed in Belgium. It was a salutary distribution feat and a hymn to interculturalism that, again this year, drew in the crowds.
The jury, presided by actor Serge Riaboukine, chose to award Nabil Ayouch’s God’s Horses [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Nabil Ayouch
film profile]. The film depicts the journey of a group of young boys from their childhood in the slums to their ultimate act of destruction. Inspired by the Casablanca terrorist attacks, Ayouch takes a microscopic look at context and conditioning. From the premise that programmed suicide is avoidable, Ayouch recounts the environment, the words, the looks, and the gestures that led to the death of these young boys full of life. Ayouch made the best of this award on Belgian soil to thank a substantial part of his team (including his director of photography Hichame Allaouïe and editor Damien Keyeux), as the film is co-produced in Belgium by YC Aligator and Artemis Production. The Cineuropa Prize was also awarded to Nabil Ayouch’s powerful film without concessions.
As for the Jury’s Special Prize, it went to Aida Begic for Children of Sarajevo [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Aida Begić
film profile], a film about the daily life of a young veiled woman in post-Bosnian War Sarajevo. The film had already received the Special Mention at Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival this year.
The jury generally appreciated the quality of the films in the programme, as besides its two traditional awards, its members unanimously decided to create an award for Best Actress for Marija Pikic (Bosnia) for Children of Sarajevo as well as one for Best Actor for Rene Bitorajac (Croatia) for Vegetarian Cannibal [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile].
Finally, the Audience Award went to Srdjan Dragojevic’s Parade [+see also:
trailer
film profile].
(Translated from French)
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