The 38th edition of the Love International Film Festival Mons wrapped on Saturday with the announcement of its victors. The International Jury, presided over by Belgian filmmaker Laura Wandel and further composed of actor Yoann Blanc, director and artistic director Anne Falguères, actor Robinson Stévenin, director and screenwriter Léo Karmann and actress and author Joséphine Draï, chose to award its Grand Prize to the Iranian movie Until Tomorrow [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film], Ali Asgari’s second feature film which was unveiled in the 2022 Berlinale, which notably won an award in Valencia, and which is tragically relevant given the current situation in Iran.

The jury then handed their own prize to the Spanish film El agua [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Elena López Riera
scheda film], which is Elena Lopez Riera’s debut feature film. Discovered in the Directors’ Fortnight, the movie sits at the crossroads between fiction and documentary to explore a popular belief in south-eastern Spain that certain women are predestined to be carried away by floods because they have "water inside them". The Screenplay Prize, meanwhile, winged its way to Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette for her re-reading of Romain Gary’s book White Dog, which tells an autobiographical tale about the novelist and his wife, Jean Seberg, as they take in a lost German Shepherd dog trained to attack black people. The Quebecker also bagged the Citizens’ Outlook Award.

Last but not least, the jury singled out Reinaldo Amien Gutierrez, who leads the cast of the Costa Rican director living in Brussels Valentina Maurel’s debut feature film, I Have Electric Dreams [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Valentina Maurel
scheda film], which hasn’t stopped winning awards since its presentation in a world premiere in Locarno last summer, where Amien Gutierrez likewise bagged himself a trophy.

Cineuropa was also present at the festival, ready to hand out its award, which ultimately went to Frédéric Sojcher’s fifth feature film Le cours de la vie [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Frédéric Sojcher
scheda film], presented in a world premiere in Mons. A genuine declaration of love for film, the movie follows the reunion of a successful screenwriter and her first love over the course of a day during a film-writing masterclass. Le cours de la vie also scooped the RTBF Prize.

Another Belgian filmmaker was placed centre stage at the festival: Zeno Graton saw his movie The Lost Boys [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Zeno Graton
scheda film] nab the Audience Award following its Belgian premiere at the festival, having previously enjoyed a screening in Berlin’s Generation section last month.

The final feature film to be distinguished was Fogaréu [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film] by Portugal’s Flávia Neves, which was similarly discovered in Berlin, and which triumphed in the International 400 Coups Competition.

The full list of winners is as follows:

International Competition

Grand Prize
Until Tomorrow [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film] - Ali Asgari (Iran/France/Qatar)

Jury Prize
El agua [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Elena López Riera
scheda film] - Elena López Riera (Switzerland/Spain/France)

Best Screenplay
Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette – White Dog (Canada)

Best Acting Performance
Reinaldo Amien Guttiérrez – I Have Electric Dreams [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Valentina Maurel
scheda film] (Belgium/France/Costa Rica)

International 400 Coups Competition

400 Coups Award
Fogaréu [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film] - Flávia Neves (Brazil/France)

Belgian Short Films Competition

Jury Prize
Les Silencieux - Basile Vuillemin (Belgium)

Press Award
Marée haute - Noha Choukrallah (Belgium)

Other Awards

Audience Award
The Lost Boys [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Zeno Graton
scheda film] - Zeno Graton (Belgium/France)

Cineuropa Prize
Le cours de la vie [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Frédéric Sojcher
scheda film] - Frédéric Sojcher (France)

RTBF Prize
Le cours de la vie - Frédéric Sojcher

Citizens’ Outlook Award
White Dog - Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette