Bullhead dominates Vlaamse Filmprijzen

by Aurore Engelen

13/09/2011 - Unsurprisingly, Bullhead [trailer, film focus] was the top winner at the Vlaamse Filmprijzen (Flanders Film Awards) ceremony, which was held on September 10 at the Ostend Film Festival. Nominated in eight categories, Michaël Roskam’s film swept up six prizes: Best Film, Best Debut Film, Best Director, Best Cinematography (Nicolas Karakatsanis), Best Actor (Matthias Schoenaerts), and Best Supporting Actor (Jeroen Perceval), which is quite enough!

Indeed, Hans Van Nuffel’s Oxygen [trailer], which was nominated in nine categories, found itself runner-up, taking home the gongs for Best Screenplay (Van Nuffel and Jean-Claude Van Rijckeghem), and Best Supporting Actress (Anemone Valcke).

There was (relative) surprise in the Best Actress category, in which Agnieszka Grochowski triumphed for her role as a (young) mother courage in Vanja D’Alcantara’s debut film Beyond the Steppes. Finally, Best Score went to Bert Ostyn for Turquaze.

Bullhead thus enjoyed overwhelming success, which can be added to its critical success on its release last winter, its success at the numerous festivals where it has been shown, and above all, its success among (Flemish?) Belgian audiences who flocked in droves to see it in movie theatres. At the festival on September 3, the film also picked up the Diamanten Award, which goes to the Flemish films to have amassed the most admissions in theatres over the past year. Moreover, it was a busy time for the film this weekend, because it also received the Grand Prize at the 17th Étrange Festival in Paris.

(Translated from French)