After a run of more than two weeks, the 16th edition of CinÉast (5-22 October) came to an end with an awards ceremony held at Kinepolis Kirchberg in Luxembourg City. The festival’s main themes were adaptation and inclusion – a common denominator woven into all seven competition films as well as the other movies, whether they were about adapting to health issues, to a new chapter in life or to becoming an inclusive family.

The international jury was led by French director Patrice Leconte (Maigret [+lee también:
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entrevista: Iryna Tsilyk
ficha de la película]) and Andrija Mardešić (On the Border, The Uncle [+lee también:
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entrevista: Andrija Mardešić y David K…
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The jurors awarded the Grand Prix to Tinatin Kajrishvili’s daring Citizen Saint [+lee también:
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entrevista: Tinatin Kajrishvili
ficha de la película], a Georgian-French-Bulgarian co-production. The surreal black-and-white feature about a saint thought to have come back from the dead received praise for its originality and unique visual atmosphere: “An incredible story of great originality, about false idols. The mise-en-scène and cinematography unanimously amazed the jury. A totally accomplished film with elements of magical realism, shifting from humour to terror.”

The other big winner was Stephan Komandarev's social thriller Blaga’s Lessons [+lee también:
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entrevista: Stephan Komandarev
ficha de la película], which follows an elderly lady (portrayed by Eli Skorcheva), who, after falling victim to a phone scam, has nothing left to lose and ends up on the wrong path. The film struck a chord with the press jury and the international jury alike. It thus took home the Critics’ Prize and the Special Jury Prize.

The press jury (consisting of Tómas Atli Einarsson, Isabelle Debuchy and Cineuropa’s own Katrin Büchler) also gave a Special Mention to the documentary Smoke Sauna Sisterhood [+lee también:
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entrevista: Anna Hints
ficha de la película] by Anna Hints (which is, furthermore, a contender for this year’s LUX Audience Award), highlighting its place in a broader discourse about women’s position in society and building a bridge to Blaga’s Lessons: if Blaga had had a smoke sauna sisterhood of her own, she might have fared better.

Four further films unspooled in the Official Competition: A Cup of Coffee and New Shoes On [+lee también:
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entrevista: Gentian Koçi
ficha de la película] by Gentian Koçi, about deaf-mute twin brothers learning that they will also lose their eyesight; Bread and Salt [+lee también:
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entrevista: Damian Kocur
ficha de la película] by Damian Kocur, a drama centred on a young pianist ending up in xenophobic circles; Housekeeping for Beginners [+lee también:
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entrevista: Goran Stolevski, Alina Ser…
ficha de la película] by Goran Stolevski, about what it means to be a family against all odds; and Stepne [+lee también:
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ficha de la película] by Maryna Vroda, hinging on a Ukrainian man returning home to take care of his dying mother.

The Young Talents Award, handed out by a jury of film students, went to the film Larry by Szilárd Bernáth, about a young man resorting to hip-hop to overcome his stuttering. Linda Olte’s Sisters [+lee también:
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ficha de la película], a drama shining a light on the harsh realities of international adoptions, was the public’s favourite and consequently received the Audience Award for Best Feature Film.

At the end of the awards ceremony, Radek Lipka, CinÉast’s festival director, announced the creation of the new Eastern European Film Festival Network, together with the BEAST International Film Festival (Porto, Portugal), EU Youth Cinema: Green Deal (several events in Austria and Eastern Europe), the Eastern Neighbours Film Festival (The Hague, Netherlands) and the Go East Film Festival (Wiesbaden, Germany).

Here is the full list of award winners:

Feature Competition

Grand Prix
Citizen Saint [+lee también:
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entrevista: Tinatin Kajrishvili
ficha de la película] – Tinatin Kajrishvili (Georgia/France/Bulgaria)

Special Jury Prize
Blaga’s Lessons [+lee también:
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entrevista: Stephan Komandarev
ficha de la película] – Stephan Komandarev (Bulgaria/Germany)

Critics’ Prize
Blaga’s Lessons – Stephan Komandarev
Special Mention of the Press Jury
Smoke Sauna Sisterhood [+lee también:
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entrevista: Anna Hints
ficha de la película] – Anna Hints (Estonia/France/Iceland)

Young Talents Competition

Young Talents Award
Larry – Szilárd Bernáth (Hungary)

Audience Awards

Audience Award for Best Feature Film
Sisters [+lee también:
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ficha de la película] – Linda Olte (Latvia/Italy)

Audience Award for Best Short Fiction Film
Island of Freedom – Petr Januschka (Czech Republic)

Audience Award for Best Short Documentary Film
The Silence of the Banana Trees – Eneos Çarka (Hungary/Belgium/Portugal/Albania)

Audience Award for Best Short Animated Film
Crab – Piotr Chmielewski (Poland)