Except perhaps Souleymane’s Story‘s Abou Sangare biking away with the European Actor award (beating out Conclave‘s Ralph Fiennes) there were no surprises at last night’s European Film Awards with Jacques Audiard‘s Emilia Pérez winning four of the five prizes it was nominated for.

Scandar Copti’s Happy Holidays, Damian Kocur’s Under The Volcano, Silvina Schnicer’s The Cottage and Mo Harawe’s The Village Next to Paradise shared the awards handed out at the 21st edition of the Marrakech Intl.

IFFI 2024, 18: The Toppers, Winners all

At the 55th International Film festival of India, the following films, and casts, were awarded on the Closing session, held on 28th December 2024, afternoon. Democracy ruled, in that no entry won more than one prize.

• ‘Toxic’, Lithuania, won Golden Peacock, for the Best film, at IFFI 2024. Director, Saulė Bliuvaitė will share the Golden Peacock Trophy, a certificate, and a cash prize of Rs. 40,00,000, with the producer, Giedre Burokaite. The Jury praised the film for its deep sensitivity and empathy, with its coming-of-age narrative set against a stark physical and social backdrop.  Toxic emerged us the best film, “For exploring adolescence and the harsh realities of growing up in an economically deprived society, with so much sensitivity and empathy and at the same time creating a coming-of-age narrative against a backdrop of the physical and social landscape," the Jury cited.
• Silver Peacock, and a cash prize of Rs. 15,00,000 along with a certificate, awarded to the most outstanding Director from the International Competition category: Bogdan Muresanu, Romania, for his exceptional work in the film, The New Year that Never Came. The Jury particularly admired the film’s exquisite production design, mise-en-scène, and metaphors that brought the period to life, as well as the stunning ensemble performances. “Creating a tragicomedy is difficult. And to do that during a revolution is even tougher. Bogdan Muresanu succeeds brilliantly in doing just that, by interweaving six stories to portray the life in a country on the brink of a revolution – and he does that armed with exquisite production design, mise-en-scène and metaphors to create the period and complimented by the stunning performances from the ensemble cast.” –  reads the Jury citation.

Silver Peacock for Best Actor (Male and Female): Recognising the best performances in leading roles, the awards for Best Actor (Male) and Best Actor (Female) include a Silver Peacock Trophy, a certificate, and a cash prize of Rs. 10,00,000 each.

• Silver Peacock for Best Actor (Male): Clément Faveau

Clément Faveau took home the Best Actor (Male) award for his nuanced and captivating portrayal in the French film, ‘Holy Cow’. His performance resonated deeply with the Jury, showcasing his remarkable ability to bring authenticity and depth to his character. “For his incredibly natural performance, expressing the emotional ups and downs, while traversing from innocence to maturity,” – cited the Jury.

• Special Mention to Adam Bessa for his incredibly natural performance in ‘Who Do I Belong To?’ Bessa’s portrayal of Bilal was lauded for its emotional depth, transitioning seamlessly from innocence to maturity. Citation of the Jury: “The Jury would also like to make a SPECIAL MENTION for the studied and restrained performance by Adam Bessa, for his portrayal of Bilal, in the Tunisian film, ‘WHO DO I BELONG TO?’
• Silver Peacock - for Best Actor (Female): Vesta Matulytė and Ieva Rupeikaitė

The Best Actress award was jointly given to Vesta Matulytė and Ieva Rupeikaitė “For the extraordinary performances by its two debut making actresses - Vesta Matulyte and Ieva Rupeikaitė – who pushed themselves to their physical and emotional limits in creating the unforgettable characters of Marija and Kristina,” the Jury cited.

• American Director Sarah Friedland bags Be

The International Film Music Critics Association is pleased to announce the creation of a new competitive category for the IFMCA Awards: Best Original Score for a Short Film. Historically, scores for short films have only been eligible to receive a Special Award, and only if the IFMCA deemed a score for a short film to […]

 MTFB OSCAR UPDATE: LEAD ACTING AND MORE

 

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Since 1993, the Film Independent Spirit Awards have been held at Santa Monica State Beach, and the dreamy California coast couldn’t be a more appropriate vibe for the unique award season event that’s all about shining a spotlight on some of the most interesting voices in cinema. Mixing up the film world’s indie glitterati is […]

The post 20 Sundance-Supported Films and Series Land Nominations for the 2025 Film Independent Spirit Awards first appeared on sundance.org.

The Grand Prix winners of 2024 (Silent City Driver, dir. Sengedorj Janchivdorj). Photo: Erlend Štaub. 

Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival wrapped up the numbers of 2024

The 28th edition of Black Nights broke the all-time audience record, as the number of admissions in 2024 were 93 044. The previous record was set in 2019, when the festival gathered around 90 000 visits at the screenings. The festival had also a record number of sold-out screenings (118). The most popular films that sold more than 1000 tickets, were: 100 Liters Of Gold, Don't Worry, A Real Pain, Anora, and Conclave.  A total of 250 feature films and 323 short films from 82 countries were screened. 864 screenings took place. 

Festival director Tiina Lokk (pictured above with filmfestivals.com Bruno Chatelin at the closing ceremony) expressed her heartfelt thanks to the audience. "Your support is extraordinary and crucial for us - thanks to you, we will face next year with much greater confidence in the turbulent economical times," she said. 

In 2024, the festival hosted 1705 guests from 65 countries and was covered by 141 journalists from 24 countries. The festival hosted 78 international press delegates, which is also a all-time record.

PÖFF's international resonance also demonstrates its wide reach: the festival has been mentioned in more than 4,300 articles, appearing in publications in almost 70 countries.  According to media monitoring company Meltwater, the number of potential media contacts is 17.5 billion. 

The City of Tallinn awarded €20,000 to the Grand Prix winner, Alexela awarded €5,000 to the Best Director. Cramo awarded €1,000 to the Best Cinematographer. 
 R-Kiosk awarded €5,000 to the Best Film in the First Feature Competition, and €5,000 was given to the Best Baltic film by Piletilevi.

The 28th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival honoured German cinema, culminating in a closing ceremony on Sunday, November 24th. The Grand Prix for the Best Film was awarded to Silent City Driver by Sengedorj Janchivdorj (Mongolia). The 29th edition will set Focus on Catalan Cinema - read more. 

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