30/06/2020 - Guillaume Brac’s film walks away with the Grand Prize at the 34th edition of the Normandy festival dedicated to romantic cinema, the first public event to be held post COVID-19

The first public film gathering to be held in France since the end of nationwide lockdown, the 34^th Cabourg Film Festival, Journées Romantiques will close tomorrow in the Norman city after three days of screenings in Normandy and Ciné Plage cinemas. The various juries, meanwhile, have already delivered their verdicts, with the panel in charge of the feature film competition, presided over by actor Benoît Magimel, awarding the 2020 Grand Prize to the hugely entertaining, intelligent and refreshing À l’abordage [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Guillaume Brac
film profile] by Guillaume Brac.

Unveiled in the Berlinale’s Panorama line-up, chiefly starring Éric Nantchouang, Salif Cissé, Édouard Sulpice and Asma Messaoudene, and co-written by the director in league with Catherine Paillé, the film tells of the impromptu holiday and pie-in-the-sky love schemes of a surprising trio. Produced by Grégoire Debailly for Geko Films in co-production with Arte France, the feature film will be distributed in France (on a date yet to be confirmed) by Jour2Fête, with international sales in the hands of The Party Film Sales.

The winners are as follows:

Feature Film Competition

Grand Prize
À l’abordage [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Guillaume Brac
film profile] - Guillaume Brac (France)

Special Mention
Balloon - Pema Tseden (China)

Short Film Competition

Best Short Film
La Grande nuit - Sharon Hakim (France)

Jury Award
Aline - Simon Guélat (France)

Special Mention
Shakira - Noémie Merlant (France)

Best Actress
Catalina Danca - Shakira
Tamara Saade - La Grande nuit

Best Acting Duo
Paulin Jaccoud and Schemci Lauth – Aline

Other Awards

Golden Swann (film professionals jury)

Best Director
Nicolas Bedos - La Belle Époque [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Nicolas Bedos
film profile] (France)

Best Film
Gloria Mundi [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Robert Guédiguian
film profile] - Robert Guédiguian (France/Italy)

Gonzague Saint Bris Award for Best Literary Adaptation
Dominik Moll and Gilles Marchand (based upon Colin Niel’s eponymous work) – Only the Animals [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Dominik Moll
film profile] (France/Germany)

Best Female Newcomer
Luàna Bajrami - Portrait of a Lady on Fire [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Céline Sciamma
film profile] (France)

Best Male Newcomer
Benjamin Voisin -  Man Up! [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]  (France/Belgium)

Best Actress
Chiara Mastroianni – On A Magical Night [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Christophe Honoré
film profile] (France/Belgium/Luxembourg)

Best Actor
Lambert Wilson - De Gaulle [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (France)

Best First Film
You Deserve a Lover [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Hafsia Herzi
film profile] - Hafsia Herzi (France)

First Performances (first appearance in a film)
Zahia Dehar – An Easy Girl [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Rebecca Zlotowski
film profile] (France)
Alex Wetter – Miss (France)

(Translated from French)