06/09/2016 - The Montreal World Film Festival bestows the Grand Prize of the Americas upon Rajko Grlic’s film, while other European titles also come home with awards

The 40^th edition of the Montreal World Film Festival, which celebrated cinema from every country around the globe with several world premieres from 25 August to 5 September (read more), has come to a close with the handing-out of its awards. 

The World Competition – whose jurors were Pierre-Henri Deleau, Claude Gagnon, Goran Markovic, Donald Ranvaud, and Eliseo Subiela – saw the triumph of Croatian film The Constitution [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Rajko Grlić
film profile], directed by Rajko Grlic, a movie about four very different people who live in the same building and whose lives become entangled in ways that profoundly challenge a series of social, political and ethnic issues still unresolved in the former Yugoslav territories. The Special Grand Prix of the Jury went to Soleen Yusef’s German-Kurdish title House Without Roof, while Best Director went to Belgium’s Nic Balthazar for Everybody Happy [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and Best Actress went to Hannah Hoekstra for the Dutch film The Fury [+see also:
trailer
interview: Hannah Hoekstra
film profile] by André van Duren. Turkish film Swaying Waterlily by Seren Yüce snagged the Best Screenplay Award.

In the meantime, in the World First Films Competition, the awards, given out by a jury comprising Maurie Alioff, Mariangiola Castrovilli and Pierre-Henri Deleau, celebrated European films such as the German-Kosovar title Echo by Dren Zherka and the Italian film Two Euros per Hour [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Andrea D’Ambrosio.

Here is the list of the award winners:

World Competition

Grand Prize of the Americas (Best Film)
The Constitution [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Rajko Grlić
film profile] - Rajko Grlic (Croatia/Czech Republic/Slovenia/Macedonia)

Special Grand Prix of the Jury
House Without Roof - Soleen Yusef (Germany/Kurdistan)

Best Director
Nic Balthazar - Everybody Happy [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (Belgium/Netherlands)

Best Actress
Hannah Hoekstra – The Fury [+see also:
trailer
interview: Hannah Hoekstra
film profile] (Netherlands)

Best Actor
Willem Dafoe – My Hindi Friend (Brazil)

Best Screenplay
Swaying Waterlily - Seren Yüce (Turkey)

Best Artistic Contribution
Tatara Samurai - Yoshinari Nishikori (Japan)

Innovation Award
Embrasse-moi comme tu m’aimes - André Forcier (Canada)

World First Films Competition

Golden Zenith for the Best First Fiction Feature Film
A Father’s Will - Bakyt Mukul, Dastan Zhapar Uulu (Kyrgyzstan)

Silver Zenith for the First Fiction Feature Film
Echo - Dren Zherka (Germany/Kosovo)

Bronze Zenith for the First Fiction Feature Film (ex-aequo)
If You Were Here - Yu Lan (China)
Two Euros per Hour [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Andrea D’Ambrosio (Italy)

World Competition Documentaries

Best Documentary Award (ex-aequo)
Ken San - Yuichi Hibi (Japan)
Albert and Alma in 16 Strings - Philippe Frenette-Roy (Canada)

Short Films

1st prize
The Session - Morgane Becerril (USA/France/Italy)

Jury Award
Silence - Dejan Mrkic (Australia)