Presided over by French filmmaker Stéphane Demoustier (who was joined by Florence Loiret-Caille, Maud Wyler, Rachid Hami and Louis Memmi), the competition jury of the 26th Arras Film Festival (which broke its attendance record with more than 55,000 spectators) has awarded the Golden Atlas – Grand Jury Prize (endowed with €12,000 for the film's French distributor) to Solitary [+leggi anche:
recensione
scheda film] by Irish director Eamonn Murphy.

(L'articolo continua qui sotto - Inf. pubblicitaria)

Lauded as Best Irish Independent Film at the Galway Film Fleadh and made on a shoestring budget, the filmmaker’s debut feature (which he also wrote) centres on a widowed farmer called Brendan (the charismatic Gerry Herbert) who leads a quiet life on the outskirts of a village in the Irish countryside. But when his home is burgled, a growing sense of fear and insecurity takes hold despite the support of those around him. The film explores the silent struggle of an elderly man trying to preserve his independence in a society which he no longer feels is his.

The Silver Atlas for Best Director (worth €5,000, courtesy of the Hauts-de-France region) went to Lithuanian filmmaker Gabrielė Urbonaitė for Renovation [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Gabrielė Urbonaitė
scheda film] (a debut feature unveiled in Karlovy Vary’s Proxima competition).

Also worth a mention is the Special Mention bestowed by the main jury upon Maturity [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Jean-Benoît Ugeux
scheda film] by Belgian director Jean-Benoît Ugeux, while the Audience Award (worth €6,000 from the Pas-de-Calais department for the film's French distributor) and the Youth Jury Award both went to I Swear [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by English filmmaker Kirk Jones. Last but not least, the Critics’ Prize crowned Made in EU [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Stephan Komandarev
scheda film] by Bulgarian filmmaker Stephan Komandarev its champion.

The winners are as follows: 

Golden Atlas - Grand Jury Prize
Solitary [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] - Eamonn Murphy (Ireland)

Silver Atlas for Best Director
Renovation [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Gabrielė Urbonaitė
scheda film] - Gabrielė Urbonaitė (Lithuania/Latvia/Belgium)

Special Mention
Maturity [+leggi anche:
recensione
intervista: Jean-Benoît Ugeux
scheda film] - Jean-Benoît Ugeux (Belgium/France)

Audience Award
I Swear [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] - Kirk Jones (United Kingdom)

SFCC Critics’ Prize
Made in EU [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Stephan Komandarev
scheda film] - Stephan Komandarev (Bulgaria/Germany/Czech Republic)

Youth Jury Prize
I Swear - Kirk Jones

Favourite Female-Focused Film
The Wonderers – Joséphine Japy (France)