17/09/2018 - Scooping six statuettes last Saturday, Michael R Roskam’s film took the lion's share of the Ensor Awards, with Zagros also performing well

Racer and the Jailbird [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Michael Roskam
film profile], the latest film by Michael R Roskam (Bullhead [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Bart Van Langendonck
interview: Michaël R. Roskam
film profile]), dominated the Ensors on Saturday night, scooping the ceremony’s main awards. Zagros [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Sahim Omar Kalifa
film profile], the first film by Sahim Omar Kalifa, tied for Best Film (and Best Screenplay), while the TV series Tabula Rasa also did brilliantly.

This year’s updated version of the Ensors Awards placed newfound importance on television series. The addition of TV series categories at the awards ceremony highlights the porosity of cinema and television in the Flemish audiovisual world, with numerous award-winning television talents also nominated for film awards, and vice versa.

Kaat Beels, director of the award-winning TV series Tabula Rasa, was also nominated for an Ensors award for Best Direction for her film Façades [+see also:
trailer
film profile], while the heroine of Façades, Natali Broods – winner of the Ensors award for Best Film Actress – was also nominated for roles in two TV series, Tabula Rasa and De infiltrant. Finally, the actress Veerle Baetens (The Broken Circle Breakdown [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Felix van Groeningen
interview: Felix Van Groeningen
interview: Felix Van Groeningen
film profile], Mothers' Instinct [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Olivier Masset-Depasse
film profile]) won an award in a television category, as did the actor Peter van den Begin, winner of the Magritte last year (French Belgian cinema awards) for Best Actor for King of the Belgians [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jessica Woodworth, Peter Br…
film profile].

Michael R. Roskam’s success in the film competition only serves to confirm his status as a Flemish film superstar, just like Matthias Schoenaerts (Best Actor), who now boasts an international career (soon to be seen in Close Enemies [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: David Oelhoffen
film profile] by David Oelhoffen and Kursk [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Thomas Vinterberg
film profile] by Thomas Vinterberg) – briefly returning home to support the country that brought him his fame.

Unsurprisingly, Lukas Dhont received the award for Best First Film for Girl [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lukas Dhont
film profile] – winner of the Caméra d'Or last May at Cannes, and due to represent Belgium in the Oscar race.

The Awards

Feature Films

Best Film
Racer and the Jailbird [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Michael Roskam
film profile] - Michaël R. Roskam  (Belgium/France/the Netherlands)
Zagros [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Sahim Omar Kalifa
film profile] - Sahim Omar Kalifa (Belgium/the Netherlands)

Best Direction
Michaël R. Roskam - Racer and the Jailbird

Best Screenplay
Sahim Omar Kalifa, Jean-Claude van Rijckeghem - Zagros

Best Film Actor
Matthias Schoenaerts - Le Fidèle

Best Film Actress
Natali Broods - Façades [+see also:
trailer
film profile]

Best Photography
Nicolas Karakatsanis - Racer and the Jailbird

Best Set Design
Geert Paredis, Kristin Van Passel, Mariel Hoevenaars - Racer and the Jailbird

Best Original Music
Liesa van der Aa – Cargo [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Gilles Coulier
film profile] (Belgium/the Netherlands /France)

Best Editing
Alain Dessauvage - Racer and the Jailbird

Best Documentary
Rabot [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Christina Vandekerckhove

Best Film for a Young Audience
Rosie & Moussa - Dorothée van den Berghe

Best Box Office Film
F.C. De Kampioenen 3 : Kampioenen Forever [+see also:
trailer
film profile] – Jan Verheyen

Best First Film
Girl [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lukas Dhont
film profile] - Lukas Dhont (Belgium/the Netherlands)

Telenet Audience Award
Patser [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fal…
interview: Matteo Simoni
film profile] - Adil el Arbi and Bilall Fallah (Belgium/the Netherlands)

International Recognition Award
Jakob Verbruggen

Television Series

Best Television Series
Tabula rasa - Kaat Beels & Jonas Govaerts

Best Screenplay
Malin - Sarah Gozin, Veerle Baetens, Christophe Dirickx - Tabula rasa

Best Direction
Kaat Beels & Jonas Govaerts - Tabula rasa

Best TV Actor
Peter Van den Begin - Tabula rasa

Best TV Actress
Veerle Baetens - Tabula rasa

(Translated from French)