15/10/2018 - The Grand Jury Prize at the seventh Bordeaux International Independent Film Festival has been bestowed upon the documentary by Poland’s Alina Skrzeszewska

The winners and other attendees at the seventh Bordeaux International Independent Film Festival (© FIFIB)

Chaired by Brazilian filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho and including Danielle Arbid, Garance Marrilier, Lola Créton and Rachida Brakni, the jury for the feature-film competition at the seventh Bordeaux International Independent Film Festival has handed its Grand Jury Prize to the documentary Game Girls [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Poland’s Alina Skrzeszewska. Following hot on the heels of two women living in extreme poverty in the downtown Los Angeles neighbourhood of Skid Row, the film, which was unveiled in the Berlinale Panorama in 2018, was produced by French outfit Films de Force Majeure, and was co-produced by Studio Lemon and Germany’s Blinker Filmproduktion and ZDF. It is being sold by Doc & Film International and will be released in French theatres on 21 November by Vendredi Distribution.

The International Selection Award went to the fantasy-thriller Murder Me, Monster [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Alejandro Fadel, which was revealed at Cannes, in Un Certain Regard. A production between Argentina, Chile and France, the feature, which is being sold by The Match Factory, will be distributed in France by UFO Distribution next January.

Lastly, the French Selection Award ended up going to the fascinating Sophia Antipolis [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Virgil Vernier
film profile] by Virgil Vernier, a Kazak and M141 production that was popular in the Filmmakers of the Present competition at Locarno, and which is being sold by mk2 Films and will be released in France by Shellac on 31 October.

Here is the complete list of winners:

Feature-film Competition

"Domaine Clarence Dillon" Grand Jury Prize
Game Girls [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Alina Skrzeszewska (France/Germany)

International Selection Award
Murder Me, Monster [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Alejandro Fadel (Argentina/Chile/France)

French Selection Award
Sophia Antipolis [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Virgil Vernier
film profile] - Virgil Vernier (France)

Contrebandes Competition

Contrebandes Award
Roman National - Grégoire Beil (France) (medium-length film)
Flesh Memory - Jacky Goldberg (France) (medium-length film) 

Short-film Competition

Best Short Film Award
Côté cœur - Héloïse Pelloquet (France)

Special Mention 
Aliasare - Anton Bialas (France)

Other awards

Erasmus + Jury Prize
The Man Who Surprised Everyone [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Natasha Merkulova, Aleksey Chupov (Russia/Estonia/France)

Erasmus + Jury Mention
Rojo [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Benjamín Naishtat
film profile] - Benjamin Naishtat (Argentina/France/Netherlands/Brazil/Germany/Switzerland)

(Translated from French)