11/04/2016 - While the international jury bestowed its awards on Asian genre films, the parallel competitions opted for European movies

The Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFFF) drew to a close on Sunday by unveiling the results of its plethora of competitions. The Japanese title I Am a Hero by Shinsuke Sato took home the Golden Raven, while two South Korean films shared the Silver Raven – namely, Seoul Station by Yeon Sang-Ho and The Phone by Bong-Joo Kim.

The BIFFF also organises a European competition, following which the Silver Méliès is handed out, allowing the winning film to take part in the competition for the Golden Méliès, an accolade that serves to reward the year’s best European fantastic film. To this end, the jury chose Demon [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Polish director Marcin Wrona.

The Thriller jury also singled out a Polish film, The Photographer [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Waldemar Krzystek, which unfolds in modern-day Moscow, following the trail of a serial killer whose methods bring to mind the work of police forensic departments. Meanwhile, the 7th Parallel jury opted to crown Traders [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Irish directorial duo Peter Murphy and Rachael Moriarty, a kind of modern fable on the economic crisis, where unemployed people who are seemingly on the path to suicide fight one another to find out who will walk away with the other’s “jackpot”.

As in 2013, when he charmed the audience in Brussels (in addition to the jury, which awarded him the Grand Prix) with Ghost Graduation [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Javier Ruiz Caldera was once again handed the Audience Award for Spy Time [+see also:
trailer
film profile], a dark and bloody spy-film parody.

Lastly of note is the fact that the festival has announced the creation of the BIF Market, set for next April. For the last three years, the festival has hosted Frontières, the transatlantic co-production market for genre films, a project initiated in Canada with the Fantasia Festival in Montreal. However, it has now decided to establish its own international market also devoted to genre films, be they thrillers, fantastic films, science-fiction titles, fantasies, surrealistic movies, horrors, absurd films, road movies or supernatural titles. The first BIF Market will take place in Brussels from 15-17 April 2017. 

Here is the complete list of winners from the 2016 BIFFF: 

International Competition

Golden Raven
I Am a Hero – Shinsuke Sato 

Silver Raven
Seoul Station – Yeon Sang-ho

Silver Raven
The Phone – Bong-joo Kim

Special Mention
The Artie: The Adventure Begins – Huang Wen Chang 

Silver Méliès for Best European Film
Demon [+see also:
trailer
film profile] – Marcin Wrona 

Award for Best Thriller
The Photographer [+see also:
trailer
film profile] – Waldemar Krzystek 

7th Parallel Award
Traders [+see also:
trailer
film profile] – Rachael Moriarty and Peter Murphy

Audience Award
Spy Time [+see also:
trailer
film profile] – Javier Ruiz Caldera

(Translated from French)