Something Like Happiness, the big winner at Angers
The 18th Festival Premiers Plans at Angers ended on Saturday. The jury, presided over by Radu Mihalieanu (read news) accompanied by French actresses Ariane Ascaride and Amira Casar, director Solveig Anspach and the Italian director Mario Brenta consulted before awarding the Jury Grand Prix: Stesti [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Bohdan Slama
interview: Pavel Strnad
film profile] (Something Like Happiness) by Czech Bohadan Slama (to which Cineuropa recently dedicated a Focus) and Een Ander zijn Geluk [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (Someone Else's Happiness) from Belgian Fien Troch (read interview) are ex aeaquo. And the two films are the two faces of the same coin : they scrutinize, one in an urban quarter, the other in the suburbs, our "modern desert ", in the words of the Czech director. Stesti is gathering prizes with Best Interpretation male and female given to the entire cast and the Public Prize . The Austrian Schläfer (Sleeper) by Benjamin Heisenberg (screened in Directors’ fortnight at Cannes – read review) won the Special Jury Prize.
Two short films shared the most important prizes of the festival : one Belgian Retraite by François Pirot won the Grand Jury prize and Best Actor for Jean-Benoît Ugeux while Milk from British Peter Mackie Burns won the Special Jury Prize and the Best Actress (Kathleen McDermott) and these two share a common theme, the confrontation of father and son on one part, and of grandmother and granddaughter in the other. As for the public, they voted for a Fiinnish animated film Elukka by Tatu Pohjavinta.
The Special Mention from GNRC (Groupement National des Cinémas de Recherche), which goes towards aiding distribution of a first feature in France went to Irish Pavve Lackeen by Perry Ogden (read interview).
(Translated from French)
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