16/09/2013 - The Broken Circle Breakdown, the country melodrama by Felix Van Groeningen, fulfilled expectations by winning several prizes at the Ensor, the Flemish Cinema Awards

The Ensor Awards of Flemish Cinema were held on Saturday, September 14, at the closing of the Ostende Film Festival. Unsurprisingly, the team of The Broken Circle Breakdown [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Felix van Groeningen
interview: Felix Van Groeningen
interview: Felix Van Groeningen
film profile] by Felix Van Groeningen largely dominated the winners’ list. With “only” eight (out of ten nominations), to which must be added the Industry Awards, The Broken Circle Breakdown slowly and beautifully ended a sparkling Belgian and international career: praised by the critics and the audience (over 400,000 spectators in Belgium and 100,000 in France where it was released under the title Alabama Monroe), a great tour of festivals (notably at the Berlinale last February), the good success of the original soundtrack... The film thus leaves Ostende with Awards for Best Film, Best Director, Best Editing, Best Music, Best Costumes and Best Artistic Direction. It has to be said that the universe in which Van Groeningen sets his story (a slightly marginal world, between country music and tattoo parlours), strongly permeates the project, where music and tattoos are like characters in the film.  As for Veerle Baetens, who can be seen in The White Queen on the BBC and soon in Het Vonnis by Jan Verheyen, she leaves with the Best Actress Trophy.

When we add it all up, five prizes remain. Three went to the first film by Peter Monsaert, Offline [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Ensor for Best Screenplay, Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Mourad Zenguedi (Les Barons [+see also:
film review
trailer
Interview with director and actress of…
interview: Nabil Ben Yadir
film profile], soon in Wasteland), and Best Actor for Wim Willaert (Hitler à Hollywood [+see also:
trailer
film profile]). The Ensor for Best Actress in a Supporting Role goes to Barbara Sarafian for her role in the choir film, Brasserie Romantiek [+see also:
trailer
film profile], by Joen Vanhoebrouck. Finally, the Ensor for Best Newcomer went to Charlotte De Bruyne for Little Black Spiders [+see also:
trailer
film profile].