The 36th Dinard British & Irish Film Festival concluded at the weekend, allowing its attendees in coastal Brittany to see some of the year’s best new films from across the Channel. With the picturesque town of Dinard decked out in both Union Jacks and Irish flags, as well as novelty red phone boxes lining the main streets, the British cultural theme extends to the name of the awards themselves, which are called the Golden Hitchcocks. Further along the coast from the key festival venues, you can see the unmistakable Victorian facade of the home that inspired Norman Bates’s from Psycho, although the line-up’s typical programming isn't quite so macabre.

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This year’s main competition jury was composed of UK and French cultural luminaries Rupert Everett, Jennifer Saunders, Ruby Wax, Molly Dineen, Rachida Brakni, Reda Kateb and Claire Chazal. Everett was set to be jury president until an urgent family matter obliged him to fly home immediately, and Chazal, a well-known journalist in France, took over the role.

Paul Andrew Williams’ Dragonfly [+lire aussi :
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fiche film], it’s released in the UK through Conic next month, and the Dinard win will create momentum for further French theatrical exposure.

Of the five-strong competition line-up, the jury also rewarded Harry Lawtey for his performance as a young Richard Burton in Mr. Burton [+lire aussi :
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interview : Akinola Davies Jr.
fiche film] also competing, this fed into the main subject of the festival’s day-long industry programme, which debated “What Determines a Film’s Nationality?”.

The full list of award winners is below:

Golden Hitchcock for Best Film
Dragonfly [+lire aussi :
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Best Performance
Harry Lawtey - Mr. Burton [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] (UK/USA/Canada)

Special Barrière Prize
The Damned - Thordur Palsson (UK/Iceland/Ireland/Belgium/USA)

Hitchcock Audience Award, Best Feature
Mr. Burton - Marc Evans

Hitchcock Audience Award, Best Short
Run Like We - Rhys Aaron Lewis (UK)

Ouest-France “Talent of Tomorrow” Prize
Lollipop - Daisy-May Hudson (UK)