Jan Ole Gerster has triumphed at the 5th Reims Polar International Thriller Film Festival, whose guest of honour was Stephen Frears and which also paid homage to Kiyoshi Kurosawa. Indeed, the main competition jury, presided by Bruno Podalydès (supported by Anne Le Ny, Arnaud Valois, Hugues Pagan, Jonathan Zaccaï, Alice Taglioni and Caroline Proust) gave the Grand Prize to Islands [+lee también:
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ficha de la película], the German filmmaker’s third feature after Lara [+lee también:
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entrevista: Jan Ole Gerster
ficha de la película] (awarded at Karlovy Vary in 2019) and Oh Boy [+lee también:
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entrevista: Jan Ole Gerster
ficha de la película] (2012).

Unveiled last February as a special screening in Berlin, this English-language film whose story takes place on the Spanish island of Fuerteventura, stars Sam Riley, Stacy Martin and Jack Farthing amongst others. Sold internationally by Protagonist Pictures, Islands will be distributed in France by Jour2Fête.

A Jury prize went to Little Jaffna [+lee también:
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entrevista: Lawrence Valin
ficha de la película], the debut feature by French filmmaker Lawrence Valin, which also won the Audience Award. Discovered in Critics’ Week in Venice, the film is sold by Charades and will be released in French cinemas on 30 April by Zinc Distribution.

The third big winner of this edition of Reims Polar is The Things You Kill [+lee también:
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entrevista: Alireza Khatami
ficha de la película] by Iranian filmmaker Alireza Khatami, which took home a Jury prize and the Critics’ Prize. Winner of the Best Directing Award in Sundance, this production between France, Poland, Canada and Turkey is sold by Best Friend Forever and will be distributed in France by Le Pacte.

Worth mentioning, too, are the three awards won by We Believe You [+lee también:
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entrevista: Arnaud Dufeys y Charlotte …
ficha de la película], directed by Belgian filmmakers Charlotte Devillers and Arnaud Dufeys, in the New Blood competition (whose jury was presided by Sami Bouajila, accompanied by Noée Abita, Stefan Crépon, Sayyid el Alami and Florence Loiret Caille): the main award, an exceptional Best Acting Award for Myriem Akheddiou, and the Youth Jury Prize. Finally, the Police Prize went to Spanish production Undercover [+lee también:
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ficha de la película] by Arantxa Echevarría.

The full list of winners:

Grand Prize
Islands [+lee también:
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ficha de la película] - Jan Ole Gerster (Germany)

Jury Prize
Little Jaffna [+lee también:
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entrevista: Lawrence Valin
ficha de la película] - Lawrence Valin (France)
The Things You Kill [+lee también:
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entrevista: Alireza Khatami
ficha de la película] - Alireza Khatami (France/Poland/Canada/Turkey)

Police Prize
La infiltrada [+lee también:
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ficha de la película] - Arantxa Echevarría (Spain)

Critics’ Prize
The Things You Kill - Alireza Khatami

Audience Award
Little Jaffna - Lawrence Valin

New Blood Prize
We Believe You [+lee también:
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entrevista: Arnaud Dufeys y Charlotte …
ficha de la película] - Charlotte Devillers and Arnaud Dufeys (Belgium)

New Blood Exceptional Best Acting Award
Myriem Akheddiou - We Believe You

New Blood awarded by the Grand Est Region Youth Jury
We Believe You - Charlotte Devillers and Arnaud Dufeys

Claude Chabrol Prize
The Kingdom [+lee también:
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entrevista: Julien Colonna
ficha de la película] – Julien Colonna (France)