01/02/2016 - The film by Belgian director Guillaume Senez has taken home the Grand Prix, while his fellow countryman Antoine Cuypers won over the audience with Prejudice

It was a true triumph for young Belgian cinema at the 28th Premiers Plans Festival in Angers. Having already been singled out with the Europa Cinemas Label at Locarno and won at Turin, Keeper [+see also:
film review
trailer
making of
interview: Guillaume Senez ­
interview: Kacey Mottet Klein
film profile], the feature debut by Guillaume Senez, bagged the Grand Prix in the international competition, handed out by a jury chaired by Arnaud Desplechin. The film, toplined by Kacey Mottet Klein, was initiated by Iota Production, and was co-produced by Swiss outfit Louise Production, French company Off Shore and Belgium’s Savage Films. It will come out on 25 February in German-speaking Switzerland (via Filmcoopi), 9 March in Belgium (Cinéart) and 23 March in France (courtesy of Happiness Distribution). Also being showcased at the International Film Festival Rotterdam this week, the feature is being sold abroad by Be For Films.

Belgium also took centre stage in Angers with the Audience Award bestowed upon Prejudice [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Antoine Cuypers
film profile] by Antoine Cuypers, which will be released in French theatres by Les Films du Losange on Wednesday.

The international competition jury also singled out Cold of Kalandar [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Turkish director Mustafa Kara with a Special Mention and handed out two acting awards: Devon Keller won Best Actress for her performance in the German-Greek-US co-production Petting Zoo [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Micah Magee (released in France on 22 June by Bodega Films), and Astrit Kabashi was crowned Best Actor for Babai [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Visar Morina
film profile] by Kosovar director Visar Morina.

The Audience Award in the section dedicated to French features went to D'une pierre deux coups [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Fejria Deliba (read the article – released on 13 April via Haut et Court), and the Franco-Polish co-production Raging Rose [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Julia Kowalski (French distribution handled by Zootrope Films on 17 February) took home the High School Student Award.

As for the short films, Corka by Polish director Tomasz Wolski pulled off a double win, with the Grand Jury Prize in the European competition and the Audience Award in the same section. L'île jaune by Léa Mysius and Paul Guillaume charmed the jury in the section for French shorts, while the audience opted for Jeunesse des loups garous by Yann Delattre. Lastly, Danish film Tsunami by Sofie Kampmark was triumphant in the animated shorts programme, while the British production Edmund by Nina Gantz came out on top in the competition for movies from European film schools, where the audience plumped for Tombés du nid by French director Loïc Espuche.

(Translated from French)