04/12/2006

A traditional showcase for young auteur cinema, the 21st Belfort "EntreVues" Film Festival presented its awards yesterday to Spain’s Albert Serra, who took the Grand Prize with Honour of the Knights (Quixotic) [+see also:
trailer
film profile], and France’s Laurent Achard, who won the Audience Award for Demented [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Dominique Barneaud
interview: Laurent Achard
film profile].

Produced by Andergraun Films, Eddie Saeta S.A. and Notro Films, Honour of the Knights – screened earlier this year at the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight – also picked up Best Actor at Belfort (for Lluis Carbo and Lluis Serrat, who starred as Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, respectively).

An adaptation of the novel The Last of the Crazy People by Timothy Findley, Achard’s Demented added a third title to its laurels that already include the 2006 Jean Vigo Award and Best Director at the 2006 Locarno Film Festival.

Produced by Agat Films & Cie in co-production with Rhône-Alpes Cinéma and Belgian outfit Versus Production, the second film by the director – whose debut feature Plus qu’hier, moins que demain won the Tiger Award at Rotterdam 1999 – will open in France through Ad Vitam on January 3. Cineuropa will also soon be dedicating a Focus to the film.

This year, 42 debut films screened at the Belfort festival. The big winners included Mehdi Sahebi’s Swiss documentary Zeit des Abschieds (lit. “Time for Farewell”) – winner of two awards – as well as Portuguese short Rapace by Joao Nicolau. The competition also gave audiences a chance to see Kinetta by Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos and Falkenberg Farewell by Sweden’s Jesper Ganslandt.

In addition to a retrospective on Italian director Marco Bellochio with, as a highlight the premiere of his latest film The Wedding Director, football and eccentric film fans were treated to Substitute by Fred Poulet, a story about the tribulations of French player Vikash Dhorasoo during this year’s World Cup.

(Translated from French)