21/10/2013 - The candidate from Cannes by Dutch filmmaker Alex van Warmerdam won the 46th edition of the Catalan Fantastic Film Festival, whose popularity is maintained despite it being a day shorter

What creates the most impatience at the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival, which is a unique meeting point for the industry and public, was never its winners’ list, although over the years, the event has uncovered real jewels. On Sunday (October 20), Sitges rewarded the Dutch title, which competed in Cannes, Borgman [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alex van Varmerdam
interview: Reinout Scholten van Aschat
film profile], by Alex van Warmerdam as Best Fantastic Film and thus ended ten days of screenings and encounters with filmmakers, which enabled all the participants and visitors to discover the annual production of fantastic films, and this is in itself the most exciting part of the festival.

Especially since if there is a genre that works well in Spain these days, and also exports itself well abroad, it is indeed fantastic films. One of the main titles this year is undoubtedly Grand Piano [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Eugenio Mira
film profile], the second feature by Eugenio Mira, filmed in English with American actor Elijah Wood in the main role.

As for the laureates, another candidate from Cannes stands out, the Anglo-German-American coproduction Only Lovers Left Alive [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Jim Jarmusch, which won the Prize of the Jury. The rest of the winners’ list is dominated by non-European films. Israeli movie Big Bad Wolves brought a Best Director Award to Navot Papushado and Aharon Keshales. Best Actress went to Juno Temple for her role in the American-Chilean title Magic Magic, while Best Actor went to Chinese actor Andy Lau for his role in Blind Detective. Finally, the Best Screenplay Award was given to American filmmaker James Ward Byrkit for Coherence, which he also directed.

Àngel Sala, the Festival’s artistic director, took advantage of the closing ceremony to defend the role of culture, “which saves us from barbarism”.

In terms of popularity, while no official definitive figures have been unveiled, the number of admissions sold in Sitges is evaluated to be over 60 000, which is a very satisfying result considering the fact that the festival was a day shorter this year.

(Translated from Spanish)