Saint Omer [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Alice Diop
intervista: Kayije Kagame
scheda film], the debut fiction piece from French-Senegalese documentary filmmaker Alice Diop (We [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Alice Diop
scheda film], On Call [+leggi anche:
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trailer
scheda film]), is on a steady path to success as it continues to rack up award after award. Having already won in Venice, Gante and Chicago, with a nomination for Best Director at the European Film Awards and at the Oscars representing France, the film can now add another milestone to the list after receiving the Giraldillo de Oro for the best feature film in the Official Section at the 19th Seville European Film Festival on Saturday. It also won the prize for best screenplay, written by Diop with Amrita David and Marie Ndiaye.

The jury at the event in Andalusia, Spain, consisted of Mounia Akl, Charles Tesson, Laurentina Guidotti, Elisa Victoria and Rocío Mesa (Tobacco Barns [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Rocío Mesa
scheda film]), who praised “the huge role entrusted to the power of words - in a courtroom setting - to understand reality while also using them to show us the haze of the inexplicable.” The film, based on a true story of a woman who caused the death of her baby, deals with the racial prejudices and critical awareness of a multicultural society, as well as the contradictions and conflicts that come with motherhood in the modern world.

This year's event, says José Luis Cienfuegos, recovered more than 12% of its audience compared with 2021: the screening were full of spectators, many of them young; this is one of the concerns of festivals today, as they are keen to build up the audiences of the future. This was evident in an event where the other award-winners were also announced, including the films that shared the Grand Jury Prize: Close [+leggi anche:
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trailer
intervista: Eden Dambrine
intervista: Lukas Dhont
intervista: Lukas Dhont
scheda film], by the Belgian film-maker Lukas Dhont, another work that has shot straight to the top this season, and Will-o’-the-Wisp [+leggi anche:
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intervista: João Pedro Rodrigues
scheda film], by Portugal's Joao Pedro Rodrigues, a fun and very daring queer-environmental musical cocktail with a socio-political backdrop and a tragic-romantic halo.

The remaining awards went to the Italian Pietro Marcello –who triumphed here three years ago with  Martin Eden [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Pietro Marcello
scheda film]–, this time winning Best Director for Scarlet [+leggi anche:
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trailer
intervista: Pietro Marcello
scheda film]; actors Eden Dambrine (Best Actor in Close) and Julie Ledru, Best Actress for her role in Rodéo [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Lola Quivoron e Julie Ledru
scheda film], shared with Zahra Amir Ebrahimi for  Holy Spider [+leggi anche:
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trailer
intervista: Ali Abbasi
intervista: Ali Abbasi
intervista: Zar Amir Ebrahimi
scheda film]; Spain's Mauro Herce (Best Photography for his work on the coproduction between his country, Argentina and France on Matadero [+leggi anche:
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trailer
scheda film]); and Géraldine Mangenot, Best Editing for Other People's Children [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Rebecca Zlotowski
scheda film], the film that opened this year’s festival.

In the Directors’ section, the jury gave a special mention to Paolo Taviani for his Leonora Addio [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Paolo Taviani
scheda film], a film dedicated to his late brother Vittorio: “With apparent simplicity,” they said, “the film-maker deals with deep-seated issues: Pirandello, 20th century Italy, the journey taken by the writer’s ashes. And, following in the footsteps of Sergio Leone, he delivers his own particular Once upon a Time in America with wonderful minimalism.”

The award winners:

Official Section

Giraldillo de Oro for Best Film
Saint Omer [+leggi anche:
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trailer
intervista: Alice Diop
intervista: Kayije Kagame
scheda film] - Alice Diop (France)

Grand Jury Prize (ex aequo)
Close [+leggi anche:
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trailer
intervista: Eden Dambrine
intervista: Lukas Dhont
intervista: Lukas Dhont
scheda film] - Lukas Dhont (Belgium/France/Netherlands)
Will o’ the Wisp [+leggi anche:
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trailer
intervista: João Pedro Rodrigues
scheda film] - João Pedro Rodrigues (Portugal/France)

Best Director
Pietro Marcello – Scarlet [+leggi anche:
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trailer
intervista: Pietro Marcello
scheda film] (France/Italy/Germany)

Best Actor
Eden Dambrine - Close

Best Actress (ex aequo)
Julie Ledru – Rodéo [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Lola Quivoron e Julie Ledru
scheda film] (France)
Zar Amir Ebrahimi - Holy Spider [+leggi anche:
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trailer
intervista: Ali Abbasi
intervista: Ali Abbasi
intervista: Zar Amir Ebrahimi
scheda film] (Germany/Denmark/France/Sweden)

Best Screenplay
Alice Diop, Amrita David, Marie Ndiaye - Saint Omer

Best Editing
Geraldine Mangenot - The Children of Others [+leggi anche:
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trailer
intervista: Rebecca Zlotowski
scheda film] (France)

Best Photography
Mauro Herce – Matadero [+leggi anche:
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trailer
scheda film] (France/Spain/Argentina)

New Waves

Best Film
Aftersun [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] - Charlotte Wells (United Kingdom/United States)

New Non-Fiction Waves Best Film
Journey to the Sun- Susana de Sousa Dias, Ansgar Schaefer (Portugal)

New Waves Special Award
The Bride [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] - Sergio Trefaut (Portugal)

Endless Revolutions

Best Film
Afterwater [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] - Dane Komlijen (Germany/South Korea/Spain/Serbia)

Andalusian Panorama

Best Film
Como ardilla en el agua - Mayte Gomez Molina, Mayte Molina Romero (Spain)

Rosario Valpuesta Award for Best Short Film
Mothertruckers - Paula Romero (Spain)

Rosario Valpuesta Award for technical-artistic contribution
Menudo viaje. El sueño torcido del arte contemporáneo - María Cañas (short film) (Spain)

Other Awards

Audience Award for Best Film in the Extraordinary Stories Section
Blue Jean [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Georgia Oakley
scheda film] - Georgia Oakley (United Kingdom)

Grand Audience Award for Best Film in the EFA Selection
Tori and Lokita [+leggi anche:
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trailer
intervista: Joely Mbundu
intervista: Luc e Jean-Pierre Dardenne
scheda film] - Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne (Belgium/France)

AC/E (Spanish Cultural Action) Award for Best Spanish Film Director
Carlos Pardo Ros – H [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Carlos Pardo Ros
scheda film] (Spain)

Award for Best Director of first or second European feature film
Nikola Spasić – Christina [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Nikola Spasic
scheda film] (Serbia)

Future Film-lovers’ Award
Rodéo - Lola Quivoron

Junior European Film Award
Las vacaciones de Yoko - Juanjo Elordi (Spain)

ASECAN Award for Best Film from the Official Section
Siete Jereles - Pedro G. Romero y Gonzalo García-Pelayo (Spain)

Ocaña Freedom Award
Skin Deep [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Alex Schaad
scheda film] - Alex Schaad (Germany)

AAMMA Women in Focus Award
Blue Jean - Georgia Oakley

15th University of Seville European Film Award-Cinematographic Screenplay - Fiction
En recuerdo de Lupi - Silvia Mares García  

15th University of Seville European Film Award-Cinematographic Screenplay - Non-fiction
Erosión - Jesús Minchón Rodicio