Europe made a clean sweep at this year’s 45th International Critics’ Week awards ceremony yesterday evening. The Grand Prix was awarded to French director Emmanuel Bourdieu for her second feature, Poison Friends [trailer] ( Les amitiés maléfiques, see article). The film also picked up the SACD Award, as well as the Grand Rail d’Or.

Other prize-winning titles of the evening were Pingpong [trailer, film focus] by Germany’s Matthias Luthardt (see review), which won the Prix SACD ex-aequo and the OFAJ (Very) Young Critics Award; The Bothersome Man [trailer, film focus] by Norway’s Jens Lien (see news), which won the Acid Award. Kristall, by German directors Christoph Girardet and Matthias Müller, completed the French/German/Norwegian trio, winning the Canal+ Award For Best Short Film.
2006 Awards

Grand Prix:
Poison Friends by Emmanuel Bourdieu (FR)

SACD Award:
Pingpong by Matthias Luthardt (DE)
Poison Friends by Emmanuel Bourdieu (FR)

ACID Award:
The Bothersome Man by Jens Lien (NO)

OFAJ (Very) Young Critic Award:
Pingpong by Matthias Luthardt (DE)

Grand Rail d’Or for Best Feature Film:
Poison Friends by Emmanuel Bourdieu (FR)


- Shorts:
Canal+ Award For Best Short Film:
Kristall by Christoph Girardet & Matthias Müller (DE)

Kodak Discovery Award for Best Short Film:
Printed Rainbow by Gitanjali Rao (IN)

Grand Cru Prize:
Alguma Coisa Assim by Esmir Filho (BR)

OFAJ (Very) Young Critic Award:
Printed Rainbow by Gitanjali Rao (IN)
Iron by Hiroyuki Nakano (JP)

Rail d’Or for best short film:
Printed Rainbow de Gitanjali Rao (IN)