28/11/2023 - The documentary by French director Émilie Brisavoine also wins a Special Mention from the jury in a competition dominated by The Day I Met You by Brazil’s André Novais Oliveira

Dedicated to young, independent and innovative cinema, the Entrevues Belfort Festival has delivered the verdict for its 38th edition (which took place from 20 to 26 Novembre) with a list of winners dominated by The Day I Met You (O dia que te conheci) by Brazil’s André Novais Oliveira to whom the jury (composed of screenwriter Mariette Désert, actress Guslagie Malanda, actor Jean-Christophe Folly, director Narimane Mari and cinematographer Jonathan Ricquebourg) have the Janine Bazin Grand Prize. The film centres on Zeca who always does everything the same: he tries to get up early to catch the bus and arrive an hour and a half later at the school in the neighbouring town, where he works as a librarian. Getting out of bed is becoming increasingly difficult; something prevents him from maintaining this daily routine. One day, Zeca meets Luisa… For the record, the filmmakers discovered in Rotterdam in 2015 with Ela Volta na Quinta had won the audience award in Belfort in 2018 with Temporada. 

The main jury gave a special mention to the striking, very personal and extremely inventive Keeping Mum [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Emilie Brisavoine
film profile] by French director Émilie Brisavoine, who has also won the Audience Award. Appreciated in July in the Proxima competition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, the second long documentary by the director after Oh La La Pauline! [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (ACID Cannes 2015) is sold internationally by Best Friend Forever. It will be distributed in French cinemas by Tandem. 

It is worth noting that the distribution support award went to the French-Nigerian co-production Coconut Head Generation by Alain Kassanda, which won this year at Cinéma du réel.

Finally, the post-production support prize of the 15th edition of the [Films en cours] program went to the documentary Festa Mayor by France’s Jean-Baptiste Alazard. Produced by Stank, the film takes place in a small village in the Pyrenees of Catalonia. Every single year, for the last 125 years, as September nears, the village celebrates Festa Mayor. A mad four-day celebration where people of all ages, walks of life, sex, locals, guests, and strangers from neighbouring valleys and beyond, dance, drink, and rejoice together…

This 38th edition of the Entrevues Belfort Festival paid homage to the late Sophie Fillières and dedicated special focus sections on filmmakers Luc Moullet and Sophie Letourneur and on the series Small Axe [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by British director Steve McQueen.

The full list of winners:

Janine Bazin Grand Prize
The Day I Met You (O dia que te conheci) – André Novais Oliveira (Brazil)

Feature Film Special Mention
Keeping Mum [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Emilie Brisavoine
film profile] - Émilie Brisavoine (France)

Ciné + Distribution Support Award
Coconut Head Generation - Alain Kassanda (France/Nigeria)

André S. Labarthe Grand Prize for Best Short Film
An Asian Ghost Story – Bo Wang (Hong Kong/The Netherlands)

Short Film Special Mention
Uje - Jean Luc Mitana (Rwanda)

One+One Prize
Pacheû - Camille Llobet (France)

Audience Award - Feature Film
Keeping Mum - Émilie Brisavoine

Audience Award - Short Film
Losing Ground – Anonyme (Burma)

[Films en cours] Post-production Support Prize
Festa Mayor - Jean-Baptiste Alazard (France)

Gérald Frot-Coutaz Prize
Astrakan [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - David Depesseville (France)

New Talents
Bilel Belmahdi
Timothée Gutmann

(Translated from French)