03/02/2020 - The movie by China’s Zheng Lu Xinyuan has won the 2020 edition of IFFR; European victors included A Perfectly Normal Family, Kala azar and Les Misérables

As has been the case in recent years, International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) brought this year’s edition to a close with an awards ceremony in De Doelen, one of the main festival locations. In his last year as festival director, Bero Beyer’s speech hinted at his sense of pride after another successful edition: “We are incredibly impressed with the quality of this year’s Tiger Competition, which in many cases generated a significant festival buzz. We thank all the filmmakers for their ambitious and creative approaches to cinema. Remember these names because we’re sure to see much more from them in the future.”

During the 49th edition, the Tiger Award went to Zheng Lu Xinyuan’s The Cloud in Her Room. The black-and-white feature is the Chinese filmmaker’s debut, in which she tells a personal story about the fast pace of change in her country. The Tiger jury, which was formed by Dutch-Palestinian filmmaker Hany Abu-Assad, artistic director of Visions du Réel Emilie Bujès, South Korean-born American filmmaker Kogonada, Dutch director Sacha Polak, and curator and filmmaker Hafiz Rancajale, mentioned: “The jury was unanimously impressed by the innovative personal language, which coherently succeeds, through various approaches and forms, in conveying subjectivity and duality, and in exploring the fantasy of cinema. In a precisely framed urban landscape, it gracefully portrays a certain global generation paralysed by modern alienation and capitalism.” The €40,000 that come with the award are to be shared between the director and the producer. The Tiger Competition also included a Special Jury Award, presented to a film that the jury considered an outstanding artistic achievement. Beasts Clawing at Straws by Kim Yonghoon took home the prize, which is worth €10,000, for his “undeniable craftsmanship.”

The Bright Future jury, made up of Beatriz Navas, Zsuzsanna Kiraly and Michel Lipkes, managed to pick a winner from among the 15 feature-length debuts that were in the running for the €10,000 prize. Moving On by Yoon Dan-bi was the lucky title that garnered the majority of their praise: “The filmmaker accomplishes a precise and powerful script, embodied by a fantastic cast, with a refined sense of rhythm and detail. She creates a thoughtful portrait that goes straight to the heart of human relations and emotions, and thus enriches the cinematic tradition of family drama remarkably. This is a bright future for a great talent, indeed!” Meanwhile, A Rifle and a Bag [+see also:
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The other European winners at the gathering were Malou Reymann’s A Perfectly Normal Family [+see also:
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interview: Janis Rafa
film profile] (Netherlands/Greece), which picked up the KNF (Circle of Dutch Film Journalists) Award; Arun Karthick’s Nasir [+see also:
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interview: Ladj Ly
film profile] (France), which scooped the IFFR Youth Jury Award; and Nuria Giménez's My Mexican Bretzel [+see also:
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interview: Nuria Giménez
film profile] (Spain), which was presented with the Found Footage Award.

Here is the complete list of award winners at the 49^th IFFR:

Tiger Competition

Tiger Award
The Cloud in Her Room - Zheng Lu Xinyuan (Hong Kong/China)

Special Jury Award
Beasts Clawing at Straws - Kim Yonghoon (South Korea)

Bright Future Competition

Bright Future Award
Moving On - Yoon Dan-Bi (South Korea)
Special Mention
A Rifle and a Bag [+see also:
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film profile] - Isabella Rinaldi, Cristina Hanes, Arya Rothe (India/Romania/Italy/Qatar)

Big Screen Competition

VPRO Big Screen Award
A Perfectly Normal Family [+see also:
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Other awards

BankGiro Loterij Audience Award
Parasite (B&W version) - Bong Joon Ho (South Korea)

KNF (Circle of Dutch Film Journalists) Award
Kala azar [+see also:
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trailer
interview: Janis Rafa
film profile] - Janis Rafa (Netherlands/Greece)

NETPAC Award for Best Asian Feature Film
Nasir [+see also:
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film profile] - Arun Karthick (India/Netherlands/Singapore)

IFFR Youth Jury Award
Les Misérables [+see also:
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interview: Ladj Ly
film profile] - Ladj Ly (France)

Found Footage Award
My Mexican Bretzel [+see also:
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trailer
interview: Nuria Giménez
film profile] - Nuria Giménez (Spain)

Voices Short Award
Tabaski - Laurence Attali (Senegal)

Robby Müller Award for Cinematography
Diego Garcia