09/10/2023 - Young Belgian director Paloma Sermon-Daï wins her second Bayard d’Or at the festival, after Petit Samedi en 2020

Paloma Sermon-Daï, director of It's Raining in the House, with lead actors Purdey and Makenzy Lombet, during the festival (© Lore Thouvenin/FIFF)

The 38th Namur International French-Language Film Festival (FIFF) ended last Friday with the announcement of its award winners. For her film It's Raining in the House [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Paloma Sermon-Daï
film profile], the young Belgian director Paloma Sermon-Daï won the Grand Prix, the Bayard d’Or, which she had already won in 2020 for her debut feature, the very beautiful documentary Petit Samedi [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Paloma Sermon Daï
film profile]. Discovered in May in Critics’ Week at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Prix French Touch, the film offers a sensitive chronicle of the last teenage summer of a brother and sister, thrown against their wish into the world of adults. It is a powerful film about the glass ceiling and classism, painting a tender and moving family portrait of two simple young people, played by two “real” siblings. Purdey and Makenzy Lombet in fact won the Bayard for Best Performance handed out by the official Jury, underlining the high quality of their acting and the naturalistic power of the film. 

Another film has won two awards: Cédric Kahn’s The Goldman Case [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Cédric Kahn
film profile],which opened the Directors’ Fortnight section in May in Cannes, carried by impressive performances from Arieh Worthalter and Arthur Harari. The film has won the Special Jury Bayard, as well as the Bayard for Best Photography. 

The Bayard for Best Screenplay, meanwhile, went to Sébastien Laudenbach and Chiara Malta for the French-Italian animated film Chicken for Linda! [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]. Finally, and still within the Official Competition, Mambar Pierrette [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Rosine Mbakam
film profile] by Rosine Mbakam — also discovered in Directors’ Fortnight — won the Agnès Award.

The Namur Festival also organises a Competition dedicated to First Films, judged by a student jury. The latter awarded the Quebecois-French film Temporaries [+see also:
film review
film profile] by Pier-Philippe Chevigny. The jury was also moved by the debut feature from Ramata-Toulaye Sy, Banel & Adama [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ramata-Toulaye Sy
film profile], which premiered in Competition at the Cannes Film Festival. The film received the Discovery Prize from the Cantillon Jury, as well as the Agnès Award in that section. The Award for Best Performance, meanwhile, went to Jeanne Balibar for Laissez-moi [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Swiss director Maxime Rappaz.

Two other jurys were handing out awards. The Junior Jury recognised another debut feature, the French film Sisterhood [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Nora El Hourch
film profile] by Nora El Hourch. The Critics’ Jury awarded the documentary by Bernard Bellefroid, titles Une des mille collines [+see also:
film review
interview: Bernard Bellefroid
film profile].

The two audience awards went to Belgian films: The Jolly Forgers [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Yolande Moreau
film profile] by Yolande Moreau won the Audience Award for Best Fiction Feature, while Une des mille collines won the Audience Award for Best Documentary. 

The full list of winners:

Official Competition

Bayard d’Or for Best Film
It's Raining in the House [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Paloma Sermon-Daï
film profile] - Paloma Sermon-Daï (Belgium/France)

Special Jury Bayard
The Goldman Case [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Cédric Kahn
film profile] - Cédric Kahn (France)

Bayard for Best Screenplay
Sébastien Laudenbach, Chiara Malta - Chicken for Linda! [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (France/Italy)

Bayard for Best Photography
Patrick Ghiringhelli - The Goldman Case

Bayard for Best Performance
Makenzy et Purdey Lombet - It's Raining in the House

Agnès Award
Mambar Pierrette [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Rosine Mbakam
film profile] - Rosine Mbakam (Belgium/ Cameroon)

First Film Competition

Bayard for the Best First Film
Temporaries [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Pier-Philippe Chevigny (Québec/France)

Discovery Prize
Banel & Adama [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ramata-Toulaye Sy
film profile] - Ramata-Toulaye Sy (France/ Senegal/ Mali)

Award for Best Performance
Jeanne Balibar - Laissez-moi [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Switzerland/France/Belgium)

Agnès Award
Banel & Adama - Ramata-Toulaye Sy

Other awards

Junior Jury Prize
Sisterhood [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Nora El Hourch
film profile] - Nora El Hourch (France/Morocco)

Critics’ Prize
Une des mille collines [+see also:
film review
interview: Bernard Bellefroid
film profile] - Bernard Bellefroid (Belgium)

RTBF Prize
Party of Fools [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Arnaud des Pallières (France)

BeTV Prize
The Goldman Case - Cédric Kahn

Audience Award for Best Fiction Feature
The Jolly Forgers [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Yolande Moreau
film profile] - Yolande Moreau (France/Belgium)

Audience Award for Best Documentary
Une des mille collines - Bernard Bellefroid

(Translated from French)