28/01/2025 - Mahdi Fleifel’s film wins the Grand Prize at the Angers festival; Antoine Chevrollier’s Block Pass wins the Audience and Best Actor Awards

Triumph at the 37th Angers European Film Festival for To a Land Unknown [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mahdi Fleifel
film profile] by Danish-Palestinian filmmaker Mahdi Fleifel, given the Grand Prize in the European Features Competition by a jury presided by Nicole Garcia. Discovered in Cannes (in Directors’ Fortnight), screened in Toronto and San Sebastián, and winner at the Montpellier Cinemed among others, To a Land Unknown will be distributed in France by Eurozoom on 12 March 2025.

Also amongst the winners is Block Pass [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Antoine Chevrollier
film profile] by French filmmaker Antoine Chevrollier (unveiled in Cannes’ Critics’ Week), which took home the Audience Award and saw Sayyid El Alami (recently nominated for the Newcomer Lumière Award and part of the 2025 promotion of Unifrance’s 10 To Watch) win the Best Actor Award. The French release will be led by Tandem on 5 February.

Also worth noting the Special Mention of the jury given to Kneecap [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Red Carpet @ European Film …
film profile] by British director Rich Peppiat (NEXT Audience Award at Sundance, screened in Tribeca and winner at Les Arcs; French release on 18 June 2025 through Wayna Pitch) and the Best Actress Award given to Portuguese actress Joana Santos for her turn in On Falling [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Laura Carreira
film profile] by her compatriot Laura Carreira (discovered in Toronto’s Discovery section and Best Directing Award winner in San Sebastián; French release via Survivance on 1 October 2025).

Finally, the future was also on the menu with the screenplay readings awards which went to Hôtel Saga by Clara Lemaire Anspach and Corps étranger by Zoé Cauwet.

The full list of winners:

European Feature Films

Grand Jury Prize
To a Land Unknown [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mahdi Fleifel
film profile] - Mahdi Fleifel (United Kingdom/France/Germany/Greece/Netherlands/Qatar/Saudi Arabia/Palestine)

Special Mention
Kneecap [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Red Carpet @ European Film …
film profile] - Rich Peppiatt (Ireland/United Kingdom)

Jeanne Moreau Audience Award
La Pampa [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Antoine Chevrollier
film profile] – Antoine Chevrollier (France)

Bouvet Ladubay Prize for Best Actress
Joana Santos - On Falling [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Laura Carreira
film profile] (United Kingdom/Portugal)

Bouvet Ladubay Prize for Best Actor
Sayyid El Alami - Block Pass

Scania Diversity Award
Block Pass – Antoine Chevrollier

Activités sociales de l’Énergie Award
The Exiles [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Belén Funes (Spain/Chili)

Diagonales

Audience Award
Intercepted [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Oksana Karpovych (Ukraine/France/Canada)

European short films

Grand Jury Prize
I Died in Irpin - Anastasia Falileieva (Czech Republic/Slovakia/Ukraine)

Special Mention
A capella – Marcin Kluczykowski (Poland)

Audience Award
It’s Nice in Here – Jan Saska (Czech Republic/France/Slovakia)

French Short Films

Grand Jury Prize
L’avance – Djiby Kebe (France)

Audience Award
La vérité – Malou Lévêque (France)

Best Actress Award
Oumnia Hanader - La vérité

Best Actor Award
Samuel Kalambay and Oscar Bloess - Les petits monstres (France)

Libraries Award
La vérité – Malou Lévêque

International Youth Award
La vérité – Malou Lévêque

Graduation Films

Grand Jury Prize
Between The Lines – Niklas Pollman (Austria)

Audience Award
Humanity – Tereza Kovandová (Czech Republic)

Angers Students Award
Between The Lines – Niklas Pollman

Animated Films

Audience Award
Les belles cicatrices – Raphaël Jouzeau (France)

Nef Animation Award
It’s Just A Whole – Biance Scali (Germany)

Nef Animation Special Mention
Entre les jours – Martin Bonnin (France)

Extra Short Award
Entre les jours – Martin Bonnin

Screenplay Readings

Audience Award for Best Feature Film Screenplay
Hôtel Saga - Clara Lemaire Anspach (France)
Production : Belladone Films, Le Bureau Films

Visio Foundation Prize for Best Feature Film Screenplay
Corps étranger - Zoé Cauwet (France)
Production : Mabel Films

Audience Award for Best Short Film Screenplay
Le printemps des miens – Murat Kilinc (France)

(Translated from French)