The courtroom drama 'Saint Omer' by French filmmaker Alice Diop was awarded the Grand Prix for Best Film at the 49th edition of Film Fest Ghent on Friday night.
Michael Koch’s Swiss ‘Drii Winter’ won the Georges Delerue Award for Best Music.
The curtains fell on Friday in Ghent on the film festival’s official competition, which brought together an “intriguing, eclectic lineup” of 13 feature films.
At the awards ceremony, the international jury awarded the Grand Prix for Best Film to 'Saint Omer,' Diop’s very first fiction film after numerous, socially engaged documentaries that take a look at the problems and inequalities within French society. The courtroom drama is also the official French Oscar entry.
The jury said it was “captivated by the rigour and restraint in both direction and performances in this exceptional film.”
The main theme of the official competition each year is “the impact of music on film,” which includes the Georges Delerue Award for Best Music. The jury gave that award to Michael Koch’s fateful drama 'Drii Winter.'
Composers Tobias Koch and Jannik Giger wrote “a poetic score that only enhances the fascinating nature of the film.” “With impeccable precision, the music immediately draws the audience in, while still giving us all the space we need for the admirable exploration of the fragility of human relationships,” the jury said.
Due to the rock-solid competition, the jury gave two special mentions. A first was reserved for the anti-war film and Ukrainian Oscar entry “Klondike” by Maryna Er Gorbach and the second for the Costa Rican-Belgian production, “Tengo sueños eléctricos."
