23/07/2019 - The Grand Prix was shared with Homeward, while My Thoughts Are Silent and My Father Is My Mother's Brother were the overall winners in the National Competition

Actors Levan Gelbakhiani and Bachi Valishvili, and producer Ketie Danelia receive the OIFF’s Grand Prix for And Then We Danced; in the background, producer Vladimir Yatsenko and director Nariman Aliev, of the other winning film, Homeward (© report.io)

The leading Ukrainian gathering, the Odesa International Film Festival, has celebrated its tenth anniversary after a successful nine-day run (12-20 July), and it ended on Saturday night with the awards ceremony, which was held at the Odessa National Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet.

The triumphant film of the night was Levan Akin’s And Then We Danced [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Levan Akin
interview: Levan Gelbakhiani
film profile], which won the festival’s Grand Prix, determined by audience votes. However, for the first time ever, this trophy went to two films ex aequo, as Homeward [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Ukraine’s Nariman Aliev was the other winner.

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Akin’s film also won the hearts of the International Competition jury, which was comprised of Belgian director Peter Brosens, actress Ivanna Sakhno, director of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival Karel Och, actor Barry Ward and Georgian writer-director-producer Nana Ekvtimishvili, who handed And Then We Danced the Best Film Award as well as the Best Actor Award, for the performance by Georgia’s Levan Gelbakhiani. The Best Director Award was bestowed upon Alejandro Landes for his sophomore feature, Monos [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile].

In the National Competition, the jury, consisting of Nicholas Elliot, Joanna Kos-Krauze, Mania Akbari and Ivanna Diadiura, handed the Golden Duke for Best Ukrainian Feature Film to the documentary My Father Is My Mother's Brother [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Vadym Ilkov, who also received the Best Director Award. The Golden Duke for Best Acting was given to Irma Vitovska for her turn in My Thoughts Are Silent [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Antonio Lukich, while the main actor in that picture, Andriy Lidagovskyi, also received a Special Mention. The film also scooped the newly introduced Audience Award and bagged the FIPRESCI Prize.

In the European Documentary Competition, The Men’s Room [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Norwegian directorial duo Petter Sommer and Jo Vemund Svendsen received the main prize from jury members Bill Guttenag, Sonia Kronlund and Daria Bassel. The Special Jury Mention went to For Sama [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Waad Al-Kateab, Edward Watts
film profile], directed by Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts.

Finally, French legend Catherine Deneuve was the special guest at the tenth Odesa International Film Festival, and she received the Golden Duke Award for her contribution to the art of film.

Here is the complete list of winners at the tenth Odesa International Film Festival:

International Competition

Grand Prix (ex aequo)
And Then We Danced [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Levan Akin
interview: Levan Gelbakhiani
film profile] - Levan Akin (Sweden/Georgia/France)
Homeward [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Nariman Aliev (Ukraine)

Best Film
And Then We Danced - Levan Akin

Best Director
Alejandro Landes - Monos [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Colombia/Netherlands/Argentina/Germany/Denmark/Sweden/Uruguay/Switzerland)

Best Actor
Levan Gelbakhiani - And Then We Danced

National Competition

Best Ukrainian Feature Film
My Father Is My Mother's Brother [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Vadym Ilkov (Ukraine)

Best Ukrainian Director
Vadym Ilkov - My Father Is My Mother's Brother

Best Acting in a Ukrainian Film
Irma Vitovska - My Thoughts Are Silent [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Ukraine)

Best Ukrainian Short Film
A Secret, a Girl and a Boy - Oksana Kazmina (Ukraine)

Special Mention
Andriy Lidagovskyi - My Thoughts Are Silent

Audience Award
My Thoughts Are Silent - Antonio Lukich

European Documentary Competition

Best European Documentary
The Men's Room [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Petter Sommer, Jo Vemund Svendsen (Norway)

Special Jury Mention
For Sama [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Waad Al-Kateab, Edward Watts
film profile] - Waad Al Khateab, Edward Watts (UK/USA)

FIPRESCI Prize for Best Ukrainian Film

Feature Film
My Thoughts Are Silent - Antonio Lukich

Short Film
In Our Synagogue - Ivan Orlenko (Ukraine)

Golden Duke Award
Catherine Deneuve

Honorary Award
Mikhail Zhvanetsky