07/10/2024 - The feature film by Tunisian director Lotfi Achour won the top prize at the Namur International French Film Festival

The 39th Namur International French Film Festival (FIFF) wrapped this weekend with the revelation of its winners, over whom Red Path [+see also:
film review
film profile] reigned supreme. Co-produced in Belgium and France and discovered back in the summer within the Locarno Film Festival’s Cineasti del Presente section, this movie by Tunisian director Lotfi Achour also scooped the Bayard for Best Cinematography courtesy of Polish director of photography Wojciech Staroń. Red Path is a powerful exploration of the psychological impact of terrorist violence on a young 13-year-old boy, interweaving naturalist and dreamlike approaches.

The Official Competition Jury’s Special Jury Bayard, meanwhile, went to Ludovic and Zoran Boukherma’s And Their Children After Them [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], an ambitious adaptation of Nicolas Mathieu’s Goncourt Prize-winning book which was unveiled in Venice, while Michel Hazanavicius and Jean-Claude Grimberg won the Bayard for Best Screenplay thanks to The Most Precious of Cargoes [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Michel Hazanavicius
film profile], which is the French filmmaker’s first animated movie, first discovered in Cannes back in the spring. The Agnès Award for Best Egalitarian Imaginary was bestowed upon François-Xavier Destors and Gaël Kamilindi’s documentary Didy, and, last but not least, in terms of jury trophies, the Best Actor Award was handed to young Belgian actress Maria Cavalier Bazan for her performance in Lenny and Harpo Guit’s Heads or Fails [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lenny and Harpo Guit
film profile], a trashy and wacky comedy which sees the actress making quite an impression in a first film role which gambles with the body in a uniquely singular fashion. The movie also earned itself a Special Jury Mention.

Likewise of note is the fact that the festival’s opening film, The Marching Band [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Emmanuel Courcol
film profile] by Emmanuel Courcol, scooped the Audience Award, as well as the BeTV Prize, while David Oelhoffen’s The Fourth Wall [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: David Oelhoffen
film profile] (adapted from Sorj Chalandon’s novel of the same name which won the High Schoolers’ Goncourt Prize in 2013) walked away with the RTBF trophy.

The festival further hosted a competition dedicated to first works, whose movies were especially well-received by the Emile Cantillon Youth Jury. They awarded their Best First Work Bayard to another Tunisian title, Who Do I Belong To [+see also:
film review
interview: Meryam Joobeur
film profile] by Meryam Joobeur, which is a co-production between France and Quebec. A Special Mention was also bestowed upon Niki [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Céline Sallette, while Lawrence Valin’s Little Jaffna [+see also:
film review
interview: Lawrence Valin
film profile] earned itself the Discovery Prize, and the Best Performance Prize went to Malou Khebizi for her part in Agathe Riedinger’s Wild Diamond [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Agathe Riedinger
film profile], which also nabbed the Critics’ Award. Last but not least, the Mini Agnès for Best Egalitarian Imaginary was awarded to Emilie Maréchal and Camille Meynard’s documentary L’Amazone. The Junior Jury also singled out a film taking part in this First Works Competition: Ollie [+see also:
film review
interview: Antoine Besse
film profile] by Antoine Besse.

The festival also included a sizeable Short Films Competition.

The full list of festival winners:

Official Competition

Golden Bayard for Best Film
Red Path [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Lotfi Achour (Tunisia/Belgium/France)

Special Jury Bayard
And Their Children After Them [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Ludovic and Zoran Boukherma (France)

Bayard for Best Screenplay
Michel Hazanavicius and Jean-Claude Grimberg – The Most Precious of Cargoes [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Michel Hazanavicius
film profile] (France/Belgium)

Bayard for Best Cinematography
Wojciech Staron – Red Path

Bayard for Best Performance
Maria Cavalier Bazan – Heads or Fails [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lenny and Harpo Guit
film profile] (Belgium)

Agnès Award
Didy - François-Xavier Destors and Gaël Kamilindi (Rwanda/Switzerland/France)

Jury Special Mention
Heads or Fails - Lenny and Harpo Guit

1st Work Competition

Bayard for Best 1st Work
Who Do I Belong To [+see also:
film review
interview: Meryam Joobeur
film profile] - Meriam Joobeur (Tunisia/France/Quebec)

Special Mention
Niki [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Céline Sallette (France)

Discovery Prize
Little Jaffna [+see also:
film review
interview: Lawrence Valin
film profile] - Lawrence Valin (France)

Best Acting Award
Malou Khebizi – Wild Diamond [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Agathe Riedinger
film profile] (France)

Mini Agnès Award
L’Amazone - Emilie Maréchal and Camille Meynard (Belgium)

Short Films Competition

Bayard for Best Short Film
Maison blanche - Camille Dumortier (France)

Jury Special Mention
Été 2000 - Laurence Olivier and Virginie Nolin (Quebec)

Jury Prize – International Coup de Cœur
Le jeune Sofiane - Fabien Ara (France)

Jury Prize – Belgian Coup de Cœur
Frappe à ma porte - Louise Toussaint (Belgium)

Best Director
Chico - Enzo Lorenzo (France/Belgium)

Best Cinematography
Akram Kbibchi - Terre de Dieu (Morocco)

PlayRight Best Acting Award 
Wanga Kasongo - Metha (Belgium)

Other awards

Junior Jury Award
Ollie [+see also:
film review
interview: Antoine Besse
film profile] - Antoine Besse (France)

Audience Award
The Marching Band [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Emmanuel Courcol
film profile] - Emmanuel Courcol (France)

Audience Award for Best Short
Home Sweet Home - Tiffany Deleuze (Belgium)

BeTV Prize
The Marching Band - Emmanuel Courcol

BeTV Prize for Best Short
Home Sweet Home - Tiffany Deleuze

RTBF Prize
The Fourth Wall [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: David Oelhoffen
film profile] - David Oelhoffen (France/Luxembourg/Belgium)

RTBF-La Trois Prize for Best Short
Home Sweet Home - Tiffany Deleuze

Namur University Prize for Best Short
En mille pétales - Louise Bongartz (Belgium)

Manifest Prize for Best Short
Silent panorama - Nicolas Piret (Belgium)

Marion Hänsel Award for Best Short
Mercenaire - Pier-Philippe Chevigny (Quebec)

(Translated from French)