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AWARDS Belgium

The 2019 Magritte Awards: a close-run competition

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- The 9th edition of the Belgian film awards could go a number of different ways, with nominations garnered by Our Struggles, Let the Corpses Tan, Above the Law and Girl

The 2019 Magritte Awards: a close-run competition
Our Struggles by Guillaume Senez

The 9th edition of the Belgian Magritte film awards promises to be a close one, with three films leading the nominations race: Let the Corpses Tan [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Hélène Cattet & Bruno Forzani
film profile
]
by Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani, Our Struggles [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Guillaume Senez
film profile
]
by Guillaume Senez and Above the Law [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: François Troukens
film profile
]
by François Troukens and Jean-François Hensgens. All three films are competing in seven to nine categories, including for Best Film and Best Director.

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Let the Corpses Tan has scooped up a number of nominations in the technical categories (image, sound, editing, set and costume design), a testament to the film's aesthetic power, while Above the Law – in addition to obvious nominations for its co-director and chief operator Jean-François Hensgens in the Best Picture category – has also received a host of nominations for its cast (Lubna Azabal, Olivier Gourmet, Bouli Lanners and Bérénice Baoo). 

Guillaume Senez has delivered once again, just two years after Keeper [+see also:
film review
trailer
making of
interview: Guillaume Senez ­
interview: Kacey Mottet Klein
film profile
]
, which received eight nominations and won three prizes (including the Magritte for Best First Film). 

The other two nominees in the main category are Bitter Flowers [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Olivier Meys
film profile
]
, Olivier Meys' debut feature, and Mon Ket [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: François Damiens
film profile
]
, also a debut feature by the French actor François Damiens.

It's also worth noting that Girl [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lukas Dhont
film profile
]
(nine nominations) – which was directed by the Flemish filmmaker Lukas Dhont – has scooped up a nomination for its impressive score, despite not receiving any in the Best Film or Best Director categories. The Benefit of the Doubt [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Samuel Tilman
film profile
]
by Samuel Tilman also picked up a fair few nominations (seven), in the Best First Film category, of course, but also in five of the six acting categories.

As for the performances themselves, Victor Polster – very popular at festivals and in the press this year – is nominated for his unforgettable performance in Girl and will be up against serious contenders such as Benoît Poelvoorde, Olivier Gourmet (both already awarded in the past) and François Damiens (who has received six previous nominations in this category but has yet to win an award.)

In terms of performances by actresses, Natacha Régnier has received her first nomination in the Best Actress category for her performance in The Benefit of the Doubt. She's up against Yolande Moreau, Cécile de France and Lubna Azabal, who previously scooped up an award in this category in 2012 for her role in Incendies.

The nominations:

Best Film
Bitter Flowers
 [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Olivier Meys
film profile
]
- Olivier Meys (Belgium/France/Switzerland/China)
Let the Corpses Tan [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Hélène Cattet & Bruno Forzani
film profile
]
- Hélène Cattet, Bruno Forzani (Belgium/France)
Mon Ket [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: François Damiens
film profile
]
- François Damiens (Belgium/France)
Our Struggles [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Guillaume Senez
film profile
]
- Guillaume Senez (Belgium/France)
Above the Law [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: François Troukens
film profile
]
- François Troukens et Jean-François Hensgens (Belgium/France) 

Best First Film
Bitter Flowers
- Olivier Meys
The Faithful Son [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Guérin Van de Vorst
film profile
]
- Guérin Van de Vorst (Belgium/France)
Above the Law - François Troukens, Jean-François Hensgens
The Benefit of the Doubt [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Samuel Tilman
film profile
]
- Samuel Tilman (Belgium/France/Switzerland) 

Best Director
Olivier Meys - Bitter Flowers
Hélène Cattet, Bruno Forzani - Let the Corpses Tan
Guillaume Senez - Our Struggles
François Troukens, Jean-François Hensgens – Above the Law  

Best Flemish Film
Girl
 [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lukas Dhont
film profile
]
- Lukas Dhont (Belgium/the Netherlands)
Don't Shoot [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
- Stijn Coninx (Belgium/the Netherlands)
Gangsta [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fal…
interview: Matteo Simoni
film profile
]
- Adil El Arbi, Bilall Fallah (Belgium/the Netherlands)
Angel [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Koen Mortier
film profile
]
- Koen Mortier (Belgium/the Netherlands)

Best Foreign Co-Production
The Death of Stalin
 [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
- Armando Iannucci (UK/France/Belgium/Canada)
The Man Who Killed Don Quixote [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Terry Gilliam
film profile
]
Terry Gilliam (Spain/France/Belgium/Portugal)
Nico, 1988 [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Susanna Nicchiarelli
film profile
]
- Susanna Nicchiarelli (Italy/Belgium)
The Happy Prince [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
- Rupert Everett (Germany/Belgium/UK/Italy) 

Best Original Screenplay or Adaptation
Maarten Loix, Olivier Meys - Bitter Flowers
Sam Garbarski - Bye Bye Germany [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
(Germany/Luxembourg/Belgium)
Lukas Dhont, Angelo Tijssens – Girl
Guillaume Senez - Our Struggles

Best Actress
Yolande Moreau - I Feel Good [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
(France)
Cécile de France - Mademoiselle de Joncquières [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Emmanuel Mouret
film profile
]
(France)
Lubna Azabal – Above the Law
Natacha Régnier – The Benefit of the Doubt

Best Actor
Benoit Poelvoorde - Keep an Eye Out! [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
(France/Belgium)
Victor Polster – Girl
François Damiens - Mon Ket
Olivier Gourmet – Above the Law

Best Supporting Actress
Tania Garbarski – Bye Bye Germany...
Salomé Richard - The Faithful Son
Lucie Debay - Our Struggles
Erika Sainte - The Benefit of the Doubt

Best Supporting Actor
Arieh Worthalter – Girl
Pierre Nisse - Let the Corpses Tan
Bouli Lanners – Above the Law
Yoann Blanc - The Benefit of the Doubt

Most Promising Actress
Nawell Madani - Stand-Up Girl! [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Nawell Madani
film profile
]
(Belgium/France)
Anaël Snoek - The Wild Boys [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Bertrand Mandico
film profile
]
(France)
Lena Girard Voss - Our Struggles
Bérénice Baoo – Above the Law
Myriam Akheddiou – The Benefit of the Doubt 

Most Promising Actor
Thomas Mustin - The Royal Exchange [+see also:
trailer
interview: Anamaria Vartolomei
film profile
]
(Belgium/France)
Matteo Salamone - Mon Ket
Basile Grunberger - Our Struggles
Baptiste Lalieu – The Benefit of the Doubt

Best Photography
Frank van den Eeden – Girl
Manu Dacosse - Let the Corpses Tan
Jean-François Hensgens – Above the Law 

Best Sound
Yanna Soentjens – Girl
Yves Bemelmans, Benoît Biral, Dan Bruylandt, Olivier Thys - Let the Corpses Tan
Marc Engels, Thomas Gauder, Ingrid Simon - Above the Law 

Best Set Design
Véronique Sacrez – Bye Bye Germany...
Philippe Bertin – Girl
Alina Santos - Let the Corpses Tan

Best Costume Design
Nathalie Leborgne – Bye Bye Germany...
Catherine Van Bree – Girl
Jackye Fauconnier - Let the Corpses Tan 

Best Original Score
Simon Fransquet - When Arabs Danced [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
(Belgium/Morocco/France/Egypt/Iran)
Manuel Roland - The Faithful Son
Vincent Liben – The Benefit of the Doubt 

Best Editing
Alain Dessauvage – Girl
Bernard Beets - Let the Corpses Tan
Julie Brenta - Our Struggles 

Best Short Fiction Film
Calamity - Séverine de Streyker, Maxime Feyers
D’un château l’autre - Emmanuel Marre
Icare - Nicolas Boucart
Une sœur - Delphine Girard 

Best Short Animated Film
La Bague au doigt - Gerlando Infuso
Le Quatuor à cornes - Arnaud Demuynck, Benjamin Botella
Not Today - Marine Jacob
Simbiosis carnal - Rocío Álvarez

Best Documentary
Des cowboys et des Indiens, le cinéma de Patar et Aubier - Fabrice du Welz
Holy Tour [+see also:
trailer
interview: Meryl Fortunat-Rossi and Va…
film profile
]
- Méryl Fortunat-Rossi, Valéry Rosier (Belgium/France)
Manu [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Emmanuelle Bonmariage
film profile
]
- Emmanuelle Bonmariage
Mitra [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
- Jorge León (Belgium/France)
So Help Me God [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jean Libon and Yves Hinant
film profile
]
- Jean Libon et Yves Hinant (France/Belgium)

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(Translated from French)

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