The debut feature by Italy’s Kim Rossi Stuart, Along the Ridge [trailer, film focus], was today awarded the Prix Art et Essai by the CICAE (Confédération Internationale des Cinémas d’Art et d’Essai) in the Directors’ Fortnight. This is a fine achievement for the charismatic actor of Crime Novel [trailer, film focus], who very quickly made a name for himself as a director at Cannes (see article).
US production Day Night Day Night by Julia Loktev was also among the award-winners, picking up the prix Regard Jeune. The majority US production was co-produced by Arte France and ZDF.

Lastly, prize-winning shorts included Dans le rang by Cyprien Vial, which won the SACD Award for Best French-speaking short, and Bosilka Simonovitch, voted Best Young Director of French Shorts for Un rat.

The Cinéfondation jury, this year presided over by Andreï Konchalovsky and made up of jury members Tim Burton, Daniel Brühl, Sandrine Bonnaire, Souleymane Cissé and Zbigniew Preisner awarded the first prize of 2006 to Ge et eta by Gustavo Riet (Argentina). Second prize went to Mr. Schwartz, Mr. Hazen & Mr. Horlocker by Stefan Mueller (Germany) and third prize ex-aequo to A Virus by Agnes Kocsis (Hungary) and Mother by Siân Heder (US).