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AWARDS France

The French critics crown Timbuktu

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- The work by Abderrahmane Sissako has walked away with the Best French Film of the Year Award, while Love at First Fight was singled out as Best Feature Debut

The French critics crown Timbuktu
Timbuktu by Abderrahmane Sissako

Yesterday evening, the French Union of Critics gave out its awards for 2014. The Best French Film of the Year Award went to Timbuktu [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Abderrahmane Sissako (read the review), unveiled in competition at Cannes and produced by Sylvie Pialat for Les Films du Worso together with Armada Films, Arte France Cinéma and Orange Studio; it also received support from the CNC’s advance on receipts. Distributed by Le Pacte, the feature, which now seems to be a favourite for the upcoming César Awards (the nominations for which will be made public tomorrow), has already taken nearly 660,000 admissions over seven weeks in French theatres.

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In the Best Foreign Film category, the critics plumped for the Cannes Palme d'Or winner Winter Sleep [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Nuri Bilge Ceylan
film profile
]
by Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan (read the review and the interview with the director).

The Best French Feature Debut Award was bestowed upon another film that was revealed on the Croisette: Love at First Fight [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Thomas Cailley
film profile
]
by Thomas Cailley (read the review and the interview). Meanwhile, the Best Foreign Feature Debut Award was handed to Harmony Lessons [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Kazakh filmmaker Emir Baigazin (read the review).

The list of film prizes given out by the French Union of Critics is rounded off by the Unusual Francophone Film Award, which went to Bird People [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Pascale Ferran
film profile
]
by Pascale Ferran (read the review and the interview), and the Best Short Film Award, snagged by Béryl Peillard’s Animal Sérénade (Chaz Productions).

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(Translated from French)

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