On Saturday 14 November, the winners’ list of the 17^th edition of the Seville European Film Festival was revealed, after the Spanish gathering unspooled under the “new normal” conditions dictated by the COVID-19 crisis. On a total of two occasions, the programming team was forced to draw up a new screening schedule and to adapt it to the new time restrictions imposed by the health authorities. Nevertheless, the festival pressed on – without any guests from outside the confines of the city – with its industry activities and its habitual announcement of the EFA nominees (see the news), splitting the presentations of Spanish films between the Andalusian city and Madrid (in addition to its screenings via the Filmin platform), and with its most loyal audience members coming along in person to sample its delightful banquet of select films from across the continent. Standing out among them all was Malmkrog [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Cristi Puiu
scheda film] by Cristi Puiu, a very long (200 minutes) production involving six countries, boasting never-ending scenes and constant dialogue, which took home the Golden Giraldillo for Best Feature in the Official Section as well as the Best Screenplay Award.

(L'articolo continua qui sotto - Inf. pubblicitaria)

The jury of the Official Section – made up of producer Rosa Bosch (Broken Silence [+leggi anche:
trailer
scheda film]), distributor and director of the D’A Festival in Barcelona Carlos R Ríos, Portuguese producer Luis Urbano (Technoboss [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: João Nicolau
scheda film]), and French producer and actor Frédéric Niedermayer (Venus and Fleur) – also decided to hand its Grand Prize to another film in which, again, the characters are certainly not averse to talking: the extremely lengthy documentary (another 200 minutes) The Year of the Discovery [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film], directed by Murcia native Luis López Carrasco. Incidentally, the title was released in Spanish theatres last Friday.

In the acting categories, it was Petra Martínez – for her work in the intimate That Was Life [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Damián París e Rosa García…
intervista: David Martín de los Santos
scheda film] – and Alsény Bathily – in the fantastical French production Gagarin [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Fanny Liatard e Jérémy Tro…
scheda film] – who took home the trophies. Two awards in the Official Section were bestowed upon the latest magical romantic drama by Christian Petzold, Undine [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Christian Petzold
scheda film] (Best Directing and Best Editing, courtesy of Bettina Böhler), while Italian helmer Gianfranco Rosi saw his work as DoP on his latest non-fiction film, Notturno [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Gianfranco Rosi
scheda film], rewarded with a trophy.

Other sections saw the triumph of the Greek production Apples [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Christos Nikou
scheda film] by Christos Nikou (The New Waves), the sensitive French-Danish documentary Little Girl [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Sébastien Lifshitz
scheda film] by Sébastien Lifshitz and Nueve Sevillas, directed by the resilient Gonzalo García Pelayo and Pedro G Romero (both movies shared the top prize in The New Waves – Non-fiction section). Also worth mentioning are other gongs such as the Special Award for Best Director of a European First or Second Feature (which had its national or world premiere at the Seville-based gathering), which went to the post-modern and dialogue-free giallo flick Name Above Title by rising Portuguese talent Carlos Conceiçao (Serpentarius [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film]), and the Special Award for Best Director of a Spanish Film (which had its national or world premiere at Seville), which was bestowed upon Nación [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Margarita Ledo Andión
scheda film] by Galician filmmaker Margarita Ledo.

Here is the full list of award winners:

Official Section

Golden Giraldillo for Best Film
Malmkrog [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Cristi Puiu
scheda film] – Cristi Puiu (Romania/Serbia/Switzerland/Sweden/Bosnia and Herzegovina/North Macedonia)

Grand Jury Prize
The Year of the Discovery [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film] – Luis López Carrasco (Spain/Switzerland)

Best Director
Christian Petzold – Undine [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Christian Petzold
scheda film] (Germany/France) 

Best Screenplay
Malmkrog – Cristi Pitiu

Best Actress
Petra Martínez – That Was Life [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Damián París e Rosa García…
intervista: David Martín de los Santos
scheda film] (Spain/Belgium)

Best Actor
Alsény Bathily - Gagarin [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Fanny Liatard e Jérémy Tro…
scheda film] (France)

Best Cinematography
Gianfranco Rosi - Notturno [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Gianfranco Rosi
scheda film] (Italy/Germany/France)

Best Editor
Bettina Böhler – Undine

The New Waves section

Best Film
Apples [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Christos Nikou
scheda film] – Christos Nikou (Greece/Poland/Slovenia)

Special Award
Conference [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Ivan I. Tverdovsky
scheda film] – Ivan I Tverdovskiy (Russia/Estonia/UK/Italy)

Award for Direction
Pa’trás, ni pa’tomar impulso – Lupe Pérez García (Spain)

The New Waves Non-fiction section

Best Film
Little Girl [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Sébastien Lifshitz
scheda film] – Sébastien Lifshitz (France/Denmark)
Nueve Sevillas – Gonzalo García Pelayo and Pedro G Romero (Spain)

Permanent Revolutions section

Best Film
Time of Moulting [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film] – Sabrina Mertens (Germany)
Special Mention
Los inocentes [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Guillermo Benet
scheda film] – Guillermo Benet (Spain)

Other awards

Special Award for Best Direction of a European First or Second Feature (which had its national or world premiere at the Seville Film Festival)
Name Above Title – Carlos Conceiçao (Portugal)

Special Award for Best Direction of a Spanish Film (which had its national or world premiere at the Seville Film Festival)
Nación [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Margarita Ledo Andión
scheda film] – Margarita Ledo

Audience Award in the Extraordinary Histories section. Special Screen
200 Meters [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Ameen Nayfeh
scheda film] – Ameen Nayfeh (Palestine/Jordan/Italy/Qatar/Sweden)

Audience Grand Prize, EFA Selection
Persian Lessons [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Leonie Benesch
scheda film] – Vadim Perelman (Russia/Germany/Belarus)

Best Film in the Andalusian Panorama section
Ojalá mañana – Ignacio G Merlo

Rosario Valpuesta Award for Best Short Film in Andalusian Panorama
Of Hearts and Castles – Rubén Navarro

Rosario Valpuesta Special Prize for the Artistic Category of Short Film in Andalusian Panorama
Silencio sísmico – Sandor M Salas

13^th University of Seville European Film Award for Screenplay for a Fictional Short
Chavales de la paz – Sandra Romero Acevedo

13^th University of Seville European Film Award for Screenplay for a Non-fiction Short
Los oscuros – Jorge Castrillo

ASECAN Award for Best Film in the Official Section
That Was Life – David Martín de los Santos

AAMMA Women in Focus Award
Fucking with Nobody [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Hannaleena Hauru
scheda film] - Hannaleena Hauru (Finland)

Ocaña Award for Freedom
Little Girl – Sébastien Lifshitz