29/11/2021 - This first film by Emmanuel Marre and Julie Lecoustre excelled in the Retueyos section of the contest, where prizes also went to writers such as Denis Côté and Catherine Corsini

Directors Emmanuel Marre and Julie Lecoustre presenting Zero Fucks Given during the festival (© Natalia Casado/FICX)

The International Jury for the Retueyos Competition at the 59^th Edition of the Gijón International Film Festival (19-27 November), consisting of Astrid Adverbe, Fon Cortizo and Isabel Orellana, opted for Zero Fucks Given [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Emmanuel Marre and Julie Le…
film profile], the debut from directors Emmanuel Marre and Julie Lecoustre (Belgium/France) “for showing us a precarious reality based on appearances in which we are stripped of everything and gradually we discover the intimate reality and solitude of the main character. A film that shows us the people behind all those dehumanised businesses.”

The AISGE award for Best Female Actor went to Anastasia Budiashkina for her performance in Olga [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Elie Grappe
film profile] by Elie Grappe, “for her delicate and moving performance that showed us her internal battle between passion and torment”; while the AISGE award for Best Male Actor was for Jean-Michel Lemoine, the lead in For a Fistful of Fries [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jean Libon and Yves Hinant
film profile] by Jean Libon and Yves Hinant, “for his generosity and stubbornness, without hiding his uncertainty, impertinence or sense of humour. His character shows us that it is possible to approach police work with humanity, respect and without any abuse of power.” The Distribution Award went to Neptune Frost, by Saul Williams and Anisia Uzeyman (US/Rwanda).

Meanwhile, the International Jury for the Albar Competition, made up of Pilar Castro, Cíntia Gil and María Pérez Sanz, awards the prize for Best Feature Film to Hygiène sociale, by Denis Côté (Canada), with a special mention for Întregalde [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Radu Muntean
film profile], by Radu Muntean, “a film that plays with the collective imagination, building a psychological thriller out of almost nothing”. The Jury’s Special Award was for In Front of Your Face, by Hong Sang-soo (Korea), while the Distribution Award was given to The First 54 Years. An Abbreviated Manual for Military Occupation [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Avi Mograbi
film profile], by Avi Mograbi, “for the political value of this film, which fights against the historic silencing of one of the most unjust and relevant conflicts of our time.”

The jury made up of Mariona Borrull, Salvatore Marfella and Nick Pinkerton awarded the prize for the Official Selection – the Tierres en Trance Competition: FIPRESCI for Best Feature Film to the Argentine production Palestra, by Basovih Marinaro and Sofía Jallinsky; and or Best Director to María Álvarez, for another Argentine film, Las cercanas.

Finally, while the Young Jury considered the Best Feature Film of the Official Selection – Retueyos Competition to be We’re All Going to the World’s Fair, by Jane Schoenbrun (US); the DCP DELUXE Award for Best Director of a Spanish Feature Film went to Joan Tisminetzky for D’Ombres, “a work that manages to express something apparently simple yet mysterious: how light plays a key role in collective and individual projects, and how film is a tool for compressing time.”

In addition, the Award for Best Spanish Film went to Una película sobre parejas, by Natalia Cabral and Oriol Estrada, a Dominican Republic Production but co-directed by a Catalan man, who also received the Alma Award for Best Script for a Spanish Film. To conclude, the Audience Award was given on Saturday on stage at the Jovellanos Theatre, to Catherine Corsini for The Divide [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Catherine Corsini
film profile].

Finally, the FICX Pro awarded prizes to the projects from Argentine María Aparicio and Spaniard Pili Álvarez in the section FICX PUSH PLAY for Works-in-Progress, and Fernando Lorenzana under the FICX LAB section (read more about these projects here).

Prize-winners:

Retueyos Competition

Best Feature Film
Zero Fucks Given [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Emmanuel Marre and Julie Le…
film profile] - Emmanuel Marre y Julie Lecoustre (Belgium/France)

AISGE Award – Best Female Actor
Anastasia Budiashkina - Olga [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Elie Grappe
film profile] (Switzerland/France/Ukraine)

AISGE Award – Best Male Actor
Jean-Michel Lemoine - For a Fistful of Fries [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jean Libon and Yves Hinant
film profile] (Francia/Belgium)

Distribution
Neptune Frost - Saul Williams and Anisia Uzeyman (US/Rwanda)

Albar Competition

Best Feature Film
Hygiène sociale - Denis Côté (Canada)

Special Mention
Întregalde [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Radu Muntean
film profile] - Radu Muntean (Rumania)

Special Award
In Front of Your Face - Hong Sang-soo (South Korea)

Distribution Award
The First 54 Years. An Abbreviated Manual for Military Occupation [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Avi Mograbi
film profile] - Avi Mograbi (France/Finland/Israel/Germany)

Tierres en Trance Competition

FIPRESCI Award – Best Feature Film
Palestra - Basovih Marinaro and Sofía Jallinsky (Argentina)

FIPRESCI Award – Best Director
María Álvarez – Las cercanas (Argentina)

Short Film Competition

Principality of Asturias Award for Best Short Film
Train Again - Peter Tscherkassky (Austria)

Special Mention
Otacustas - Mercedes Gaviria (Argentina/Colombia)

Other Awards

Audience Award
The Divide [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Catherine Corsini
film profile] - Catherine Corsini (France)

Audience Award -  Tierres en Trance Competition for Distribution
Welcome to ma maison - Andrés Goteira (Spain)

Enfants Terribles Award for Best Feature Film
The Ape Star [+see also:
trailer
film profile]- Linda Hambäck (Norway/Sweden/Denmark)

Young European Award for Best Director of a European Feature Film
Ninjababy [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kristine Kujath Thorp
interview: Yngvild Sve Flikke
film profile] - Yngvild Sve Flikke (Norway)

Young Jury’s Award for Best Feature Film from the Retueyos Competition
We’re All Going to the World’s Fair - Jane Schoenbrun (US)

Young Jury’s Award for Best Short Film from the Official Selection
Bato Nebo - Lucia Johow (Austria/Georgia)

Best Spanish Feature Film
Una película sobre parejas – Natalia Cabral and Oriol Estrada (Dominican Republic)

Alma Award for Best Script of a Spanish Film
Natalia Cabral and Oriol Estrada - Una película sobre parejas

DCP Deluxe Award for Best Director of a Spanish Feature Film
Joan Tisminetzky - D’Ombres (Spain)

Best Feature Film Directed by a Women
Captain Volkonogov Escaped [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Natasha Merkulova and Aleksey Chupov (Russia/Estonia/France)

RTPA Award for Best Asturian Feature Film
Shooting for Mirza - Juan Gautier (Spain/Bosnia-Herzegovina)

RTPA Award for Asturian Short Film Competition (Asturies Curtiumetraxes)
Epokhe - Elmer Guevara (Spain)
Special Mention
Nyami - David Rodríguez (Spain)

Short Film Distribution Award Laboral Cinemateca Cortos
Manual de la siega - Samuel Fernandi (Spain)

“Rambal” Award
Moneyboys [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: CB Yi
film profile] - C.B Yi (Austria/Francia/Taiwan/Belgium)
Special Mention
The Divide - Catherine Corsini (France)

FICX PRO

PUSH PLAY Work-in-Progress

DCP Deluxe Work-in-Progress Award
Sobre las nubes - María Aparicio 

OpenECAM Work-in-Progress Award
Puerperio - Pilar Álvarez

FICX LAB

OpenECAM Work-in-Progress Award
Hablar de estas cosas - Fernando Lorenzana

(Translated from Spanish by Alexandra Stephens)