25/07/2016 - The Best Director Award went to Cristian Mungiu, while Lily Lane was crowned Best Film in the Eastern European section

Maren Ade's Toni Erdmann [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Maren Ade
film profile] won the main Golden Tower for Best Film at the 23rd European Film Festival Palić (16-22 July). The Cannes title triumphed in the competition involving 14 films, including Gianfranco Rosi’s Fire at Sea [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Gianfranco Rosi
film profile], Bruno Dumont’s Slack Bay [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Bruno Dumont
film profile], Nicolas Winding Refn’s The Neon Demon [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Nicolas Winding Refn
film profile], Ivan I Tverdovsky’s Zoology [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ivan I Tverdovsky
film profile] and Juho Kuosmanen’s The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Juho Kuosmanen
film profile]. 

The Golden Tower for Best Director went to Cristian Mungiu for Graduation [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Cristian Mungiu
interview: Cristian Mungiu
film profile], while Tomasz Wasilewski's Silver Bear winner United States of Love [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Tomasz Wasilewski
film profile] and Serbian director Miloš Radović's Train Driver’s Diary [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Milos Radović
film profile] received Special Mentions.

Atila Till's Karlovy Vary entry Kills on Wheels [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] won the Audience Award.

In the Parallels and Encounters programme, dedicated to Eastern European cinema, the Best Film Award went to Bence Fliegauf's Lily Lane [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], and a Special Mention was given to Marko Škop's Eva Nová [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Marko Škop
film profile]. 

The newly established Eye to Eye programme, part of Wide Management's initiative dedicated to high-school and university audiences, saw the young jury vote for Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov's The Lesson [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kristina Grozeva, Petar Val…
interview: Margita Gosheva
film profile].

This year's laureates of the honorary Aleksandar Lifka Award for exceptional contribution to European cinema were Ulrich Seidl and cult Serbian director Slobodan Šijan, while the Underground Spirit Award was presented to another legend of Yugoslav cinema, Karpo Godina. 

The Cannes Critics' Week title Apnée [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Jean-Christophe Meurisse had its first screening outside France in Palić's Young Spirit of Europe programme, which also included Mauro Herze's Dead Slow Ahead [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mauro Herce
film profile], and Estonian directors Priit Pääsuke and Mart Taniel's Impromptu. Other sidebars were a Focus on Baltic Cinema, New Hungarian Film and Eco Dox.

The European Film Festival Palić was, appropriately, the first Serbian festival to benefit from the country's participation in the MEDIA Programme, having received €41,000.

Here is the complete list of award winners:

Golden Tower for Best Film
Toni Erdmann [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Maren Ade
film profile] – Maren Ade

Golden Tower for Best Director
Graduation [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Cristian Mungiu
interview: Cristian Mungiu
film profile] – Cristian Mungiu

Special Mentions
United States of Love [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Tomasz Wasilewski
film profile] – Tomasz Wasilewski
Train Driver’s Diary [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Milos Radović
film profile] – Miloš Radović

Audience Award
Kills on Wheels [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] – Atila Till

Parallels and Encounters

Best Film
Lily Lane [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] – Bence Fliegauf

Special Mention
Eva Nová [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Marko Škop
film profile] – Marko Škop

Eye to Eye

Best Film
The Lesson [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kristina Grozeva, Petar Val…
interview: Margita Gosheva
film profile] – Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov 

Aleksandar Lifka Award
Ulrich Seidl
Slobodan Šijan 

Underground Spirit Award
Karpo Godina