14/11/2006

British title Venus by South-African director Roger Michell was awarded the top prize of the European Film Festival of Seville, the "Golden Giraldillo" (€60,000), in an edition that will be remembered by the parallel triumph of two German productions.

Produced by Free Range Films and Film Four with the support of the UK Film Council, Venus beat the other 16 films in official competition with jury president Margarethe Von Trotta emphasising the film's "admirable defence of the values of life and love."

The "Silver Giraldillo" (€30,000) was attributed to Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's The Lives of Others (see focus), while the Audience Award went to German director Sven Taddicken for Emma's Bliss [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], one of the 36 films presented in the sidebar section Europa Europa.

The Jury Award (€30.000) was shared by Claude Chabrol's latest film, Comedy of Power [+see also:
trailer
film profile], and Otar Iosseliani's French/Rusian/Italian co-production Gardens in Autumn [+see also:
trailer
film profile].

The Eurimages section award – chosen by students from the University of Seville – went to the Polish/Luxembourgian title Your Name is Justine by Franco de Peña.

With over 160 screenings, the third edition of the Seville European Film Festival attracted nearly 80,000 spectators, compared with the 65,000 who followed the event in 2005.