The international competition jury of the 17th La Roche-sur-Yon International Film Festival has awarded the Grand Prize (endowed by Ciné+ OCS with a minimum €15,000 acquisition from the French distributor) to the docufiction Tristan Forever by Swiss filmmaker Tobias Nölle and French director Loran Bonnardot, which was originally unveiled in the Panorama of the latest Berlinale.

The main jury (comprising Tara-Jay Bangalter, Lou Lampros and Pierre-Yves Walder) also handed the Special Prize to Sunshine Radio by Belgian helmer Valéry Rosier, a film starring Corinne Masiero, Philippe Rebbot and Tom Audenaert, which enjoyed its international premiere at La Roche­-sur­-Yon. A Special Mention also went to Yo (Love Is a Rebellious Bird) by US filmmakers Anna Fitch and Banker White.

The New Waves Competition notably spotlighted two Chinese debut features, awarding Best Film to Atlantic Rhapsody by Zhong Kaifeng and a Special Mention to Light Pillar by Xu Zao (which screened in the Berlinale’s Perspectives section). Another Special Mention went to the documentary Heat by Swiss filmmaker Jacqueline Zünd, unveiled at Visions du Réel.

For its part, the audience crowned the documentary NAZA by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, which topped the vote ahead of Violette by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Wild Horse Nine by Martin McDonagh.

Here is the full list of award winners:

International Competition

Ciné+ OCS Grand Prize
Tristan Forever - Tobias Nölle, Loran Bonnardot (Switzerland)

Special Prize
Sunshine Radio - Valéry Rosier (Belgium/France)

Special Mention
Yo (Love Is A Rebellious Bird) - Anna Fitch and Banker White (USA)

New Waves Competition

New Waves Prize
Atlantic Rhapsody - Zhong Kaifeng (China)

Special Mentions
Light Pillar - Xu Zao (China)   
Heat - Jacqueline Zünd (Switzerland)

Other awards

Trajectoires Prize (high-school jury)
Takkuuk - Zak Norman, Charlie Miller (UK/Greenland/Norway/Sweden)

Variété MadMovies Prize
Forgotten Island - Januel Mercado, Joel Crawford (USA)

Audience Award
NAZA - Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor (UK)

La Roche-sur-Yon IUT Infocom Department Favourite
Violette - Jean-Pierre Jeunet (France/Italy)

Middle School Favourite
Iron Boy - Louis Clichy (France/Belgium)

Primary School Favourites
Into the Forest – Antonin Niclass (Switzerland, short film)
Little Jø – Mathias Varin (France, short film)