Halfway Home bags the Silver Méliès at the BIFFF

by Aurore Engelen

24/04/2023 - Two Hungarian films distinguished themselves at the 41st edition of the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival

Halfway Home bags the Silver Méliès at the BIFFF

Halfway Home by Isti Madarasz

The 41st edition of the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival wrapped on Sunday with an awards ceremony which saw two Hungarian productions shining especially bright. Halfway Home [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Isti Madarasz - a romantic-horrific, absurdist humour comedy which was presented by the festival programmers as a cross between Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Tim Burton - walked away with the Silver Méliès (the European Competition’s Grand Prize, which qualifies the film for the Golden Méliès race), while Kristóf Deák’s The Grandson - telling the story of a young man who sets off in pursuit of a group of thugs who scammed his grandfather on the phone - triumphed in the Black Raven Competition (focused on thrillers).

After three editions heavily impacted by Covid, the BIFFF has clearly found its stride again, not to mention its horde of horror and genre film fans, having attracted upwards of 40,000 viewers in just 10 days, despite the fact that its previous edition only took place 6 months ago in September.

In terms of the international competition, Anglo-Saxon and Japanese films had the inside track: Australian movie Talk to Me by the Philippou brothers bagged the Golden Raven, while the Silver Raven was jointly awarded to Japan’s Makoto Shinkai for Suzume and to Brandon Cronenberg for Infinity Pool [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], co-produced by Canada, France, and by Hungary, of course. Meanwhile, Sisu [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Jalmari Helander (Finland), which won the Grand Prize in Sitges back in the autumn and which fulfilled the obligatory evil Nazi quota essential to all self-respecting genre film festivals, not only earned itself a special mention but the Audience Award too.

The White Raven competition was won by Caye Casas’ Spanish movie The Coffee Table, which tells the tale of a couple who rip each other to shreds over a low table of undoubtedly dubious taste which isn’t bringing them the joy and happiness the salesman definitely promised them.

The festival also introduced a brand-new competition this year, dedicated to first and second works, and whose Emerging Raven was bestowed upon American movie Soft & Quiet by Beth de Araújo, which also won the Critics’ Award.

Last but not least, France found itself honoured in the short films category when the international competition’s Grand Prize was awarded to Maël Le Mée’s La Machine d’Alex, while the Silver Méliès for Best Short Film went to Pauline Ouvrard for Jeanne Dinde. Joost Jansen, for his part, triumphed in the Belgian competition on account of his sophisticated animated movie Drifter.

The full list of award-winners is as follows:

International Competition

Golden Raven
Talk to Me - Danny & Michael Philippou (Australia)

Silver Raven (tie-break)
Infinity Pool [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Brandon Cronenberg (Canada/Hungary/France)
Suzume - Makoto Shinkai (Japan)

Special Mention
Sisu [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Jalmari Helander (Finland)

European Competition

Silver Méliès
Halfway Home [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Isti Madarasz (Hungary)

Black Raven Competition

Black Raven
The Grandson - Kristóf Deák (Hungary)

White Raven Competition

White Raven
The Coffee Table - Caye Casas (Spain)

Special Mention
Lily Sullivan - Monolith (Australia)

Emerging Raven Competition

Emerging Raven
Soft & Quiet - Beth de Araújo (USA)

Special Mention
Farador - Edouard Albernhe Tremblay (Canada/Belgium)

Short Film Competition