18/12/2015 - The Crystal Arrow and three honourable mentions for Rúnar Rúnarsson’s film; the Grand Prix and the Cineuropa Prize for Bang Gang (A Modern Love Story)

It’s four aces for Sparrows [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Atli Óskar Fjalarsson
interview: Rúnar Rúnarsson
film profile] by Icelandic director Rúnar Rúnarsson, who has taken home the Crystal Arrow, handed out to the best film at the seventh Les Arcs European Film Festival; added to this trophy are the Best Actor Award (for Atli Óskar Fjalarsson), the Best Cinematography Award (Sophia Olsson) and the Press Jury Award. A fine quadruple win for a feature that has already won such festivals as San Sebastián and is being sold abroad by French company Versatile.

The jury chaired by producer Sylvie Pialat (who stood in for Claire Denis at short notice, as she was forced to withdraw at the last minute) also handed out two awards to Bang Gang (A Modern Love Story) [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Eva Husson
film profile] by French director Eva Husson: the Grand Prix and the Award for Best Original Score (White Sea). This feature debut, which will be released in French theatres on 13 January next year by Ad Vitam, also pocketed the Cineuropa Prize and the Young Jury Award.

Lastly, the competition jury singled out Manal Issa, who was crowned Best Actress for her performance in Parisienne [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Danielle Arbid (release in France on 16 February 2016).

Interestingly, the Audience Award went to Room [+see also:
film review
trailer
making of
film profile] by Ireland’s Lenny Abrahamson, and the short-film competition jury crowned Sali (Mardi) by Ziya Demirel, and gave out two Special Mentions for Sunday Lunch by Céline Devaux and Vous voulez une histoire? by Antonin Peretjatko.

(Translated from French)