Dedicated to first and second feature films, the Saint-Jean-de-Luz International Film Festival saw its 11th edition (running between 7 and 13 October) crown as its champion In the Land of Brothers [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Raha Amirfazli, Alireza Gh…
scheda film] by Iranian directors Raha Amirfazli and Alireza Ghasemi, with the jury presided over by Zabou Breitman awarding the work the festival’s Grand Prize and Best Actress trophies (the latter via Hamideh Jafari). Having nabbed the Best Director prize at the Sundance Film Festival, this first feature film takes us to the heart of Iran in the 2000s where an extended family of Afghan refugees are trying to rebuild their lives in "the land of brothers" in the shadow of the American invasion. It’s an odyssey spanning three decades where a young and promising student, an isolated woman and a man bearing the weight of self-sacrifice for his family are fighting to survive in the new and uncertain reality of Iran. International sales are entrusted to Alpha Violet while JHR Films are due to release the movie in French cinemas on 19 March.

The awards ceremony also saw French-Tunisian director Lotfi Achour’s title Red Path [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] dazzle (a movie unveiled in Locarno’s Cineasti del Presente section and recently triumphant in the Namur International French Film Festival – read our news), claiming the Best Director and Audience awards, alongside Little Jaffna [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Lawrence Valin
scheda film] by French director Lawrence Valin (discovered in Venice’s International Critics’ Week) which bagged Best Actor (for the filmmaker himself) as well as the Young Jury Prize.

Worth a final mention is the critics’ award bestowed upon Winter in Sokcho [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Koya Kamura
scheda film] by French-Japanese filmmaker Koya Kamura (well-received in Toronto’s Platform line-up and in San Sebastián’s New Directors section – due for release in France on 8 January 2025 via Diaphana) and the Audience Film Crush accolade which went to In the Nguyen Kitchen [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Stéphane Ly-Cuong
scheda film] by French director Stéphane Ly-Cuong (read our article – due for release in France on 5 March 2025 via Jour2fête).

The full list of winners is as follows:

Feature Film Competition

Grand Prize
In the Land of Brothers [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Raha Amirfazli, Alireza Gh…
scheda film] - Raha Amirfazli and Alireza Ghasemi (Iran/France/Netherlands)

Best Director
Lotfi Achour – Red Path [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] (Tunisia/France/Belgium/Poland/Saudi Arabia/Qatar)

Best Actor
Lawrence Valin - Little Jaffna [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Lawrence Valin
scheda film] (France)

Best Actress
Hamideh Jafari – In the Land of Brothers

Other awards

Audience Award
Red Path - Lotfi Achour

Audience Film Crush (out of competition)
In the Nguyen Kitchen [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Stéphane Ly-Cuong
scheda film] - Stéphane Ly-Cuong (France)

Young Jury Award
Little Jaffna - Lawrence Valin

Critics’ Prize
Winter in Sokcho [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Koya Kamura
scheda film] - Koya Kamura (France/South Korea)