FESTIVALS / AWARDS France / Italy
The Palatine Prize goes to The Quiet Son and The Time It Takes
- The film directed by sisters Delphine and Muriel Coulin and another by Francesca Comencini have been crowned victorious by the young French-Italian jury
Boasting a jury comprising 2,000 high school students and following on from 50 films screenings organised in France and Italy, the 2025 edition of the Palatine Prize has chosen a trio of women directors as its winners: Delphine and Muriel Coulin’s movie The Quiet Son [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Delphine and Muriel Coulin
film profile] has been designated Best French Film while Francesca Comencini’s The Time It Takes [+see also:
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trailer
interview: Francesca Comencini
film profile] scooped Best Italian Film.
Presented in premieres in 10 Italian towns (from Rome to Turin, by way of Milan, Bari, Bologna and Foggia), The Quiet Son (released in Italy by I Wonder Pictures) generated plenty of buzz and debate. "We’ll walk away with wonderful memories of our conversations with students and we’re particularly touched that a film championing democracy and humanist values has been singled out by young Italians", Delphine and Muriel Coulin enthused. The other two titles in competition (selected in collaboration with the Rendez-Vous in Paris organised by Unifrance and the Institut Français Italia) were Stella in Love [+see also:
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interview: Sylvie Verheyde
film profile] by Sylvie Verheyde (distributed by No.Mad Entertainment) and Wild Diamond [+see also:
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interview: Agathe Riedinger
film profile] by Agathe Riedinger (distributed by Academy Two).
For her part, Francesca Comencini, who triumphed with The Time It Takes (released in France by Pyramide) stressed that "bridging the generational divide and successfully communicating with young people through cinema is essential." Her film was up against Parthenope [+see also:
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film profile] by Paolo Sorrentino (distributed by Pathé) and Vermiglio [+see also:
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interview: Maura Delpero
film profile] by Maura Delpero (Paname Distribution).
Every year, the Palatine Prize showcases a selection of six films (three French, three Italian), each of which are accompanied by a teaching pack and a meeting-debate with the filmmakers. Last year’s event saw students interacting with Michel Gondry, Nicolas Philibert, Matteo Garrone, Marta Savina and Jean-Baptiste Durand, to name just a few.
Organised by the Palatine and Lutetia associations in collaboration with Primavera Cinema and Eikon, the Palatine Prize is backed by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, the Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the French Embassy in Italy, the French Consulate General in Rome, the Italian Embassy in France, the Italian general consulates in Paris and Lyon, the Italian Cultural Institute in Paris, the Rectorate of Paris-DRAREIC, the Institut Français in Italy, the Committees of Paris, the Milan Film Library, Cinecittà and Unifrance.
(Translated from French)
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