11/04/2023 - The Spanish film by Alejandro Rojas and Juan Sebastián Vásquez seduced the audience, while the main jury and the critics crowned Limbo by China’s Soi Cheang their winner

European production stood out at the 3rd crime film festival Reims Polar thanks to the Spanish film Upon Entry [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alejandro Rojas and Juan Se…
film profile], the first feature film by Venezuela’s Alejandro Rojas and Juan Sebastián Vásquez which has won both the Audience Award and the Police Award. Discovered at Tallinn Black Nights (where it won the FIPRESCI prize in the feature debut competition), this Spanish production is sold internationally by French company Charades. Written by the two directors, the script centres on Diego, a Venezuelan urbanist, and Elena, a contemporary dancer from Barcelona, who move to the United States with their approved visas to start a new life. Their intention is to boost their professional careers and start a family in 'the land of opportunities'. But upon entering New York airport's immigration area, they are taken to the secondary inspection room, where border officers will subject them to an unpleasant inspection process and a psychologically gruelling interrogation… Upon Entry has also won the award handed out by the Police jury.

The jury for the main competition (composed of Patricia Mazuy, Cédric Jimenez, Émilie Dequenne, Alexis Manenti, Caroline Proust, Yannick Renier and Pierre Rochefort) has handed out the Grand Prize to Limbo by Chinese filmmaker Soi Cheang which was also singled out by the Critics’ Jury (French distribution by Kinovista). The jury prize was handed out to both Next Sohee by South Korean filmmaker July Jung (to be released in France via Arizona Distribution) and to Goliath by Kazak director Adilkhan Yerzhanov. Finally, the New Blood jury handed out its prize to God’s Country by American filmmaker Julian Higgins.

The full list of winners is as follows:

Grand Prize
Limbo - Soi Cheang (Hong Kong/China)

Jury Prize
Next Sohee - July Jung (South Korea)
Goliath - Adilkhan Yerzhanov (Kazakhstan)

Police Prize
Upon Entry [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alejandro Rojas and Juan Se…
film profile] - Alejandro Rojas and Juan Sebastián Vásquez (Spain)

Critics’ Prize
Limbo - Soi Cheang

Audience Award
Upon Entry - Alejandro Rojas and Juan Sebastián Vásquez

New Blood Award
God’s Country - Julian Higgins (USA)

Great East Region - The New Blood Youth Jury Award
At The Gates - Augustus Meleo Bernstein (USA)

(Translated from French)