The 38th Namur International French-Language Film Festival (FIFF) ended last Friday with the announcement of its award winners. For her film It's Raining in the House [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Paloma Sermon-Daï
scheda film], the young Belgian director Paloma Sermon-Daï won the Grand Prix, the Bayard d’Or, which she had already won in 2020 for her debut feature, the very beautiful documentary Petit Samedi [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Paloma Sermon Daï
scheda film]. Discovered in May in Critics’ Week at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Prix French Touch, the film offers a sensitive chronicle of the last teenage summer of a brother and sister, thrown against their wish into the world of adults. It is a powerful film about the glass ceiling and classism, painting a tender and moving family portrait of two simple young people, played by two “real” siblings. Purdey and Makenzy Lombet in fact won the Bayard for Best Performance handed out by the official Jury, underlining the high quality of their acting and the naturalistic power of the film. 

Another film has won two awards: Cédric Kahn’s The Goldman Case [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Cédric Kahn
scheda film],which opened the Directors’ Fortnight section in May in Cannes, carried by impressive performances from Arieh Worthalter and Arthur Harari. The film has won the Special Jury Bayard, as well as the Bayard for Best Photography. 

The Bayard for Best Screenplay, meanwhile, went to Sébastien Laudenbach and Chiara Malta for the French-Italian animated film Chicken for Linda! [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film]. Finally, and still within the Official Competition, Mambar Pierrette [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Rosine Mbakam
scheda film] by Rosine Mbakam — also discovered in Directors’ Fortnight — won the Agnès Award.

The Namur Festival also organises a Competition dedicated to First Films, judged by a student jury. The latter awarded the Quebecois-French film Temporaries [+leggi anche:
recensione
scheda film] by Pier-Philippe Chevigny. The jury was also moved by the debut feature from Ramata-Toulaye Sy, Banel & Adama [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Ramata-Toulaye Sy
scheda film], which premiered in Competition at the Cannes Film Festival. The film received the Discovery Prize from the Cantillon Jury, as well as the Agnès Award in that section. The Award for Best Performance, meanwhile, went to Jeanne Balibar for Laissez-moi [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film] by Swiss director Maxime Rappaz.

Two other jurys were handing out awards. The Junior Jury recognised another debut feature, the French film Sisterhood [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Nora El Hourch
scheda film] by Nora El Hourch. The Critics’ Jury awarded the documentary by Bernard Bellefroid, titles Une des mille collines [+leggi anche:
recensione
intervista: Bernard Bellefroid
scheda film].

The two audience awards went to Belgian films: The Jolly Forgers [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Yolande Moreau
scheda film] by Yolande Moreau won the Audience Award for Best Fiction Feature, while Une des mille collines won the Audience Award for Best Documentary. 

The full list of winners:

Official Competition

Bayard d’Or for Best Film
It's Raining in the House [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Paloma Sermon-Daï
scheda film] - Paloma Sermon-Daï (Belgium/France)

Special Jury Bayard
The Goldman Case [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Cédric Kahn
scheda film] - Cédric Kahn (France)

Bayard for Best Screenplay
Sébastien Laudenbach, Chiara Malta - Chicken for Linda! [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film] (France/Italy)

Bayard for Best Photography
Patrick Ghiringhelli - The Goldman Case

Bayard for Best Performance
Makenzy et Purdey Lombet - It's Raining in the House

Agnès Award
Mambar Pierrette [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Rosine Mbakam
scheda film] - Rosine Mbakam (Belgium/ Cameroon)

First Film Competition

Bayard for the Best First Film
Temporaries [+leggi anche:
recensione
scheda film] - Pier-Philippe Chevigny (Québec/France)

Discovery Prize
Banel & Adama [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Ramata-Toulaye Sy
scheda film] - Ramata-Toulaye Sy (France/ Senegal/ Mali)

Award for Best Performance
Jeanne Balibar - Laissez-moi [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film] (Switzerland/France/Belgium)

Agnès Award
Banel & Adama - Ramata-Toulaye Sy

Other awards

Junior Jury Prize
Sisterhood [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Nora El Hourch
scheda film] - Nora El Hourch (France/Morocco)

Critics’ Prize
Une des mille collines [+leggi anche:
recensione
intervista: Bernard Bellefroid
scheda film] - Bernard Bellefroid (Belgium)

RTBF Prize
Party of Fools [+leggi anche:
recensione
scheda film] - Arnaud des Pallières (France)

BeTV Prize
The Goldman Case - Cédric Kahn

Audience Award for Best Fiction Feature
The Jolly Forgers [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Yolande Moreau
scheda film] - Yolande Moreau (France/Belgium)

Audience Award for Best Documentary
Une des mille collines - Bernard Bellefroid