Raw (Grave) by Julia Ducournau wins the Méliès d’or 2016
L’oeil silencieux (The Frozen Eye) wins the Méliès d’or 2016 for short film
The European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation (EFFFF) is pleased to announce the winners of the 20th Méliès d’or competition for European fantastic film.
The Méliès d’or for feature film was awarded to Raw (Grave) Director: Julia Ducournau (France, Belgium, 2016).
“Shocking in the very best sense of the word, this film is a gory family drama about crossing the line that separates normality from the unacceptable, and vice versa. It keeps surprising the audience up to the very end, and does so quite brilliantly“. (jury comments)
The Méliès d’or for short film went to The Frozen Eye (L’oeil silencieux),Director: Karim Ouelhaj (Belgium, 2016).
“A surreal and captivating film that skillfully paints a picture of isolation within modern society. It’s a tale of progressing decay and madness placed within an excellent and convincing mise-en-scène that manages to pull the spectator into its world.“ (jury comments)
The all-Swedish Méliès jury was composed of Charlotte Wiberg, a PhD candidate in film studies; Tommy Gustafsson, professor of film studies at Linnaeus University; and Johan Simonsson, film commissioner at FilmCentrum Syd in Malmö.
The Méliès d’or ceremony took place on 29 October in Lund (Sweden), and was hosted by the Lund Fantastic Film Festival. It marked the culmination of a unique cycle of ongoing competitions held by 16 members of the EFFFF in 12 European countries, during 2015/16. The winning films (see below) were awarded a Méliès d’argent and a nomination for the 20th Méliès d’or competition.
Founded in 1987, the EFFFF has become the world’s largest festival network with 23 film festivals from 15 countries and a global attendance of more than 470 000 visitors, making it a vital player in the promotion of European genre cinema, both in Europe and abroad. The goal of the EFFFF is to promote European fantastic film productions by enhancing their visibility and standing with both the public and industry. The Méliès competition was launched in 1996 to help achieve these goals and has been one of the principal activities of the Federation since that date.
The next Méliès d’or ceremony will take place in October 2017 at the Sitges – Festival Internacional de Cinema de Catalunya
The 8 nominees for Méliès d’or were:
Polder (Der Polder)Directors: Julian M. Grünthal, Samuel Schwarz (Switzerland, Germany, 2015)Méliès d’argent winner at the Trieste Science+Fiction Festival, 2015
DemonDirector: Marcin Wrona (Poland, Israel, 2015)Méliès d’argent winner at the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival, 2016
SurvivalistDirector: Stephen Fingleton (UK, 2015)Méliès d’argent winner at the Imagine Film Festival, 2016
ParentsDirector: Christian Tafdrup (Denmark, 2016)Méliès d’argent winner at the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival, 2016
I Am Not a Serial KillerDirector: Billy O’Brien (Ireland, UK, 2016)Méliès d’argent winner at the Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival, 2016
The Noonday Witch (Polednice)Director: Jiri Sádek (Czech Republic, 2016)Méliès d’argent winner at the MOTELx – the Lisbon International Horror Film Festival, 2016
Raw (Grave)Director: Julia Ducournau (France, Belgium, 2016)Méliès d’argent winner at the Sitges – Festival Internacional de Cinema de Catalunya, 2016
K-ShopDirector: Dan Pringle (UK, 2016)Méliès d’argent winner at the Lund Fantastik Film Festival, 2016
The 17 short-film nominees were:
GraffitiDirector: Lluís Quílez (Spain, 2015)Méliès d’or nominee at the Sitges – Festival Internacional de Cinema de Catalunya in 2015
The Karman LineDirector: Oscar Sharp (United Kingdom, 2014)Méliès d’or nominee at the Trieste Science+Fiction Festival, 2015
TeethDirectors: Tom Brown, Daniel Gray (United Kingdom, Hungary, 2015)Méliès d’or nominee at the Court Metrange Festival, 2015
2037Director: Enric Pardo (Spain, 2015)Méliès d’or nominee at the FanCine Málaga – Festival de Cine Fantástico, 2015
NoctDirector: Vincent Toujas (France, 2014)Méliès d’or nominee at the Molins de Rei Horror Film Festival, 2015
InfringeDirector: Martin Åhlin (Sweden, 2014)Méliès d’or nominee at the San Sebastian Horror & Fantasy Film Festival, 2015
SplintertimeDirector: Rosto (Netherlands, France, Belgium, 2015)Méliès d’or nominee at the Razor Reel Flanders Film Festival, 2016
Sanguine Craving (Pulsion sangrienta)Director: Gerard Tusquellas Serra (Spain, 2014)Méliès d’or nominee at the Abertoir Horror Festival, 2016
The Frozen Eye (L’oeil silencieux)Director: Karim Ouelhaj (Belgium, 2016)Méliès d’or nominee the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival, 2016
AquabikeDirector: Jean-Baptiste Saurel (France, 2015)Méliès d’or nominee at the Imagine Film Festival, 2016
The Black Bear (L’ours noir)Directors: Mèryl Fortunat-Rossi, Xavier Seron (France, Belgium, 2015)Méliès d’or nominee at the Haapsalu Horror & Fantasy Film Festival, 2016
Ivan’s needDirector: Veronica L. Montaño, Manuela Leuenberger, Lukas Suter (Switzerland, 2015)Méliès d’or nominee at the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival, 2016
The Tunnel (Tunnelen)Director: André Øvredal (Norway, 2016)Méliès d’or nominee at the Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival, 2016
Post mortem Director: Belmiro Ribeiro (Portugal, 2016)Méliès d’or nominee at the MOTELx – the Lisbon International Horror Film Festival, 2016
Pearlies (Quenottes)Directors: Pascal Thiebaux, Gil Pinheiro, (Luxembourg, 2015)Méliès d’or nominee Mélièsat the Grossmann Fantastic Film & Wine Festival, 2016
Dawn of the DeafDirector: Rob Savage (United Kingdom, 2016)Méliès d’or nominee at the Sitges – Festival Internacional de Cinema de Catalunya in 2016
MacabreDirector: Jeronimo Rocha (Portugal, 2016)Méliès d’or nominee at the Lund Fantastic Film Festival, 2016
For more information, see:
The EFFFF and the Méliès competitions: www.melies.org Lund Fantastic Film Festival: www.fff.se