17/11/2013 - The Golden Giraldillo awarded to the disturbing thriller by Alain Guiraudie confirms the risky and avant-garde spirit of the festival directed by José Luis Cienfuegos

Before unveiling the jury’s decision, the director of the European Cinema Festival of Seville, José Luis Cinefuegos, announced an increase in festival attendance (40% more people versus last year). This was noticed during the long queues of this 10^th edition of the festival, which awarded the Golden Giraldillo to Stranger by the Lake [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alain Guiraudie
film profile] by Alain Guiraudie. Claire Mathon also won a Best Cinematography Award for this film.

Whilst the public chose the phenomenon Alabama Monroe [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Felix van Groeningen
interview: Felix Van Groeningen
interview: Felix Van Groeningen
film profile] as Best Film of the EFA 2013 selection, the jury presided by Spanish director Manuel Martín Cuenca (Cannibal [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Manuel Martín Cuenca
film profile]) awarded the Silver Giraldillo to Italian documentary Sacro Gra [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Gianfranco Rosi
film profile] by Gianfranco Rosi “for the way he depicted everyday life, with extraordinary sensitivity and humanity.” The prize for Best Director honoured Tsai Ming-Liang, for the Franco-Taiwanese film Stray dogs [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]. The Selfish Giant [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Clio Barnard
interview: Clio Barnard
film profile] by Clio Barnard won for Best Screenplay.

Alexandra Finder was awarded the prize for Best Actress for German film The Police Officer’s Wife [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Philip Gröning
film profile], whilst Toni Servillo, marvellously seductive in The Great Beauty [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Paolo Sorrentino
film profile], was chosen as Best Actor. The film by Paolo Sorrentino also received the Eurimages Prize for Best European Coproduction and that of the Writers’ Association of Andalusia, which also gave a Special Mention to 10.000 noches en ninguna parte [+see also:
film review
interview: Ramón Salazar
film profile], the third feature by Ramón Salazar (interview).

In the “New Wave” section, the Prize of the Camp_US Jury was given to La jungla interior [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Juan Barrero
film profile], the surprising first film by Juan Barrero, which, thanks to this prize, will receive the diffusion it deserves. The non-fiction part of this section, dedicated to more alternative works, rewarded Coast of Death [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lois Patiño
film profile] by Lois Patiño. In the new section “Resistance”, the Fipresci prize went to The Sad Smell of Flesh [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Cristóbal Arteaga, for "his sophisticated and disciplined minimalism in narration, mixing art, essay and social thriller.”

It is thus a worthy and audacious winners’ list, coherent with the enthusiasm of a festival attentive to the new changing currents of European cinema.  

(Translated from Spanish)