Marking the end of its 52nd edition, Film Fest Gent crowned its awardees during a ceremony on 18 October, ahead of the festival’s Closing Film, Urchin [+lee también:
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entrevista: Harris Dickinson
ficha de la película], the directorial feature debut by British actor Harris Dickinson (Triangle of Sadness [+lee también:
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entrevista: Ruben Östlund
entrevista: Ruben Östlund
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The winners were selected by the official jury, presided over by Theresa Russell, and consisting of Belgian musician Charlotte Adigéry, Belgian editor Alain Desauvage, Hanami [+lee también:
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entrevista: Denise Fernandes
ficha de la película] director Denise Fernandes and two more helmers: Maxime Jean-Baptiste and Ramon Zürcher. Together, they awarded the Grand Prix for Best Film to Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania’s “call to humanity”, The Voice of Hind Rajab [+lee también:
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entrevista: Kaouther Ben Hania
ficha de la película].

The winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Venice, where the movie had its world premiere, it uses the tools of fiction to reconstruct the attempts by Red Crescent volunteers to save the life of five-year old Hind Rajab and was praised by the jury as “a powerful cinematic construction, blending fiction and reality with precision and empathy, [transforming] this cry into an act of resistance – preserving a memory that should never be forgotten”. The Voice of Hind Rajab thus receives a €20,000 distribution grant and a media campaign worth €30,000, including €12,500 for promotion in De Morgen, and will be released in Belgian cinemas by Cinéart on 19 November. The jury also gave a Special Mention to The Love That Remains [+lee también:
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entrevista: Hlynur Pálmason
ficha de la película] by Icelandic director Hlynur Pálmason, calling it “a highly original and poetic film that resonates on both an emotional and an artistic level, with its playful blend of humour and humanity”.

The jury was also tasked with giving out the Georges Delerue Award for Best Soundtrack, which went to Barrio Triste, the feature debut by Stillz, a Colombian-US photographer and music-video director. Film Fest Gent annually highlights the essential role of music and sound in cinema, celebrated with an award named after Delerue, and the jury praised both the sound design and the film music by experimental artist Arca, which “mirror the movie perfectly – uncompromising, abrasive and loud”, according to their statement.

In the Emerging Talent Competition, judged by a special jury consisting of six young critics aged from 18-26, Canadian filmmaker Sophy Romvari received the Explorer Award for her Locarno-winning debut, Blue Heron [+lee también:
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ficha de la película], where fiction and memory mix in a delicately personal reflection on family, loss and belonging. A Special Mention was given to Anything That Moves by Alex Phillips. Blue Heron will be released in Belgium by Cherry Pickers Filmdistributie with a media campaign worth €34,750 in De Morgen and Knack Focus, as well as on radio station MNM.

The festival also recognised actress and jury president Theresa Russell with its Joseph Plateau Honorary Prize for lifetime achievement.

Here is the full list of winners:

Competition

Grand Prize
The Voice of Hind Rajab [+lee también:
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entrevista: Kaouther Ben Hania
ficha de la película] - Kaouther Ben Hania (Tunisia/France)
Special Mention
The Love That Remains [+lee también:
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entrevista: Hlynur Pálmason
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Georges Delerue Award for Best Soundtrack
Arca - Barrio Triste (Colombia/USA)

Explore Zone

Explorer Award
Blue Heron [+lee también:
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ficha de la película] - Sophy Romvari (Canada/Hungary)
Special Mention
Anything That Moves - Alex Phillips (USA)

International Short Film Competition

Best Short Film Award
O Rio de Janeiro - Continua Lindo - Felipe Casanova (Belgium/Brazil/Switzerland, short film)
Special Mention
Odamado - Émilien Dubuc (France, short film)

Belgian Student Short Film Competition

Best Belgian Student Short Film
Maman, - Niko Wei (Belgium, short film)
Special Mention
Far From Beyrouth - Mon Dewulf (Belgium, short film)

Belgian Student Short Audience Award
Shutterspeed - Jasper De Maeseneer (Belgium, short film)

Other prizes

Joseph Plateau Honorary Prize
Theresa Russell