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BIFFF 2018 Awards

Inuyashiki scoops the Golden Raven at the BIFFF

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- The film by Japanese director Shinsuke Sato went home with the top prize from the Brussels-based festival and stands as a testament to the quality of Asian productions

Inuyashiki scoops the Golden Raven at the BIFFF
Inuyashiki by Shinsuke Sato

The closing ceremony of the 36th edition of the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFFF), an event whose success does not seem to be wavering in the slightest, took place on Sunday 15 April. This year, the gathering drew in more than 58,000 viewers, which represents 4,000 more than last year. The spokesperson for the event, Jonathan Lenaerts, reckons that the presence of Oscar-winning Mexican director Guillermo del Toro, who was invited to lead an exceptional master class, contributed significantly to this rise in attendance. This year also saw the second edition of the Brussels International Film Market (4-6 April), the first film market dedicated exclusively to genre-film professionals. “The advantage of the BIF Market is that, as it’s extremely modest in comparison to the big markets, like the ones at Berlin or Cannes, it gives you time to chat, to see films and watch works in progress,” stated Lenaerts.

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This edition of the festival once again put Asian genre film centre stage, with the triumph of Inuyashiki by Shinsuke Sato, an adaptation of the Japanese manga by Hiroya Oku, which went home with the Golden Raven. The director is a regular visitor to the event, and his film I Am a Hero also scooped the Golden Raven in 2016. Particularly notable among the jury members was Julia Ducournau, the director and writer of Raw [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Julia Ducournau
film profile
]
. Meanwhile, the Silver Raven was bestowed upon Mon mon mon Monster, a comedy-horror by Taiwan’s Giddens Ko, as well as Tigers Are Not Afraid by Issa Lopez, which tells the story of a young orphan girl who sees ghostly apparitions, and which also snagged the Audience Award.

In the European competition, the Silver Raven went to The Cured [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, the feature debut by David Freyne. The Best Thriller Award was handed to Memoir of a Murderer by Shin-yeon Won, and the jury also gave a Special Mention to A Special Lady by his fellow countryman An-kyu Lee. The 7th Parallel Award was presented to Blue My Mind [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lisa Brühlmann
interview: Luna Wedler
film profile
]
 by Lisa Brülmann, which previously picked up the Best Fiction Film, Best Screenplay and Best Actress Awards at the Swiss Film AwardsThe Place [+see also:
film review
trailer
making of
film profile
]
 by Paolo Genovese took home a Special Mention. Lastly, the critics bestowed their prize upon Dhogs [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
 by Andrés Goteira

Here is the full list of winners at the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival:

International Competition

Golden Raven 
Inuyashiki – Shinsuke Sato (Japan)

Silver Raven (ex-aequo)
Tigers Are Not Afraid – Issa Lopez (Mexico)
Mon mon mon Monsters – Giddens Ko (Taiwan)

European Competition

Silver Raven 
The Cured [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
 – David Freyne (Ireland)

Thriller Competition

Best Thriller Award
Memoir of a Murderer – Shin-yeon Won (South Korea)

Special Mention 
A Special Lady – An-kyu Lee (South Korea)

7th Parallel Competition

7th Parallel Award 
Blue My Mind [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lisa Brühlmann
interview: Luna Wedler
film profile
]
 – Lisa Brülmann (Switzerland)

Special Mention
The Place [+see also:
film review
trailer
making of
film profile
]
 – Paolo Genovese (Italy)

Critics’ Award 
Dhogs [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
 – Andrés Goteira (Spain)

Audience Award 
Tigers Are Not Afraid – Issa Lopez (Mexico)

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(Translated from French)

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