N: The Madness of Reason is the surprise winner of the 2015 Ensors

by Aurore Engelen

21/09/2015 - The sixth edition of the Ensors, the Flemish film awards, has crowned Peter Kruger's film with the top honours, while Waste Land by Pieter Van Hees also got its fair share of trophies

N: The Madness of Reason is the surprise winner of the 2015 Ensors

The winners of the Ensors

The results of the sixth edition of the Ensors, the Flemish film awards, looked like they could have been anyone's guess. Waste Land [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Pieter Van Hees
film profile], Pieter Van Hees' thriller set in Brussels, starring Jérémie Rénier, had been leading the pack in the nominations and had established itself as a serious contender. Indeed, the movie received a commendation from the jury. As a reminder, the Ensors are not handed out by an academy, but by a jury comprising nine professionals from the art world (the audiovisual sphere, of course, but also music and literature). At the ceremony, Pieter Van Hees was given the Best Director and Best Screenplay Awards, while Waste Land also earned its actors Babetida Sadjo and Peter Van den Begin the Best Supporting Actress and Actor Awards.

But the big surprise of the night came when the Best Film Award was handed to N: The Madness of Reason [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Peter Kruger, an atypical film that tells the story of an unusual obsession. Raymond Borremans, who left Europe and headed to Africa in the mid-20^th century, dedicated his life to compiling the first encyclopaedia of this whole other world, but he died having only reached the letter N. This story of wisdom and knowledge, of death and ghosts, teeters between western rationality and African spirituality. Borremans was a pioneer and was one of the first people to introduce the medium of film in Africa. In addition to its director Peter Kruger, the film impresses on account of its artistic credits. Written by Nigerian novelist Ben Okri, the movie is narrated by Michael Lonsdale, and stars Malian singer Fatoumata Diawara and Vieux Farka Touré, Ali Farka Touré's son. The film also bagged the Ensor for Best Music for Walter Hus, as well as that for Best Editing for Nico Leunen (who had also been nominated for Waste Land).

The Best Actor Award was bestowed upon Gene Bervoest for Paradise Trips [+see also:
trailer
interview: Raf Reyntjens
film profile], and Best Actress went to Amaryllis Uitterlinden for Brabançonne [+see also:
trailer
film profile]. Lastly, the Best French-language Co-production Award was handed to Alleluia [+see also:
film review
trailer
making of
interview: Fabrice Du Welz
film profile] by Fabrice du Welz.