03/04/2013 - Ektoras Lygizos' debut, which also won the Best New Director and Best Actor awards, will be the HFA's pick for the Oscars

Ektoras Lygizos' Boy Eating the Bird's Food [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] was chosen the Best Film by the Hellenic Film Academy (HFA) last night. The film also won the Best Actor and Best New Director awards. The HFA thus added the stamp of approval to the film's double win of Best Actor (for Lygizos) and FIPRESCI awards at the 2012 edition of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, while also earmarking it as their pick for the Oscars.

Menelaos Karamaghiolis’ Tokyo-screened drama JACE (Just Another Confused Elephant) was leading the race with 11 nominations and Thanos Anastopoulos’ The Daughter [+see also:
trailer
film profile] was a close second with nine, both including Best Director and Best Film.

However, JACE’s early-night streak in most technical categories (Make-Up, Costumes and Set Design) along with Supporting Actor (Ieronimos Kaletsanos) and Supporting Actress (Kora Karvouni), was sidetracked by The Daughter’s late comeback in major categories for Best Screenplay (Thanos Anastopoulos and Vassilis Yiatsis), Best Cinematography (Ilias Adamis) and Best Directing for Anastopoulos.

Local box-office megahit If…, by TV wunderkind Christophoros Papakaliatis, was as shunned at the awards as it was at the nominations. Featured in 4 categories including Best Film and Best New Director, the film only managed to take home Best Sound and share the Best Editing award with JACE.

Stella Theodoraki’s Amnesia Diaries was tapped Best Feature Documentary, Stavros Gasparatos won Best Music for Blood, and Amalia Moutousi won Best Actress for Joy.

A somewhat solemn affair, the HFA’s fourth annual awards ceremony was kicked off by Academy head Katerina Evangelakou, noting that “film has been thrown off-board, culture has been left off the frame and neglecting culture is the true social crisis”. Meanwhile, widespread sponsor references throughout the ceremony were constant reminders that the Academy is as funds-deprived as the industry that it represents.

The full list of winners:

Best film
Boy Eating the Bird’s Food
Giorgos Karnavas, Argyris Papadimitropoulos, Ektoras Lygizos, Elina Psykou
Best director
Thanos Anastopoulos - The Daughter
Best new director
Ektoras Lygizos - Boy Eating the Bird's Food
Best documentary
Stella Theodoraki - Amnesia Diaries
Best short film
Neritan Zintziria - Chamomile
Best script
Thanos Anastopoulos, Vasilis Giatsis - The Daughter
Best actor
Giannis Papadopoulos - Boy Eating the Bird’s Food
Best actress
Amalia Motousi - Joy
Best supporting actor
Ieronymos Kaltestanos - JACE
Best supporting actress
Cora Karvouni - JACE
Best photography
Ilias Adamis - The Daughter
Best editing
Stella Filippopoulou - If…
Takis Giannopoulos, Lampis Haralampidis, Panos Daoultzis - JACE
Best costume design
Despina Himona - JACE
Best make-up
Giannis Pamoukis - JACE
Best sound
Marinos Athanasopoulos, Kostas Varypompiotis, Aris Louziotis, Alexandros Sidiropoulos - If…
Best stage design
Ilias Ledakis - JACE
Best music
Stavros Gasparatos - Blood
Best special effects and film innovation
Vasilis Andriopoulos, Giannis Vamvakas, Giorgos and Roulis Alahouzos, Dimitris Gerpinis - Tied Red Thread