The Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival has just kicked off and they are already handing out the hardware. Belgian drama
, has taken home the coveted Méliès d'Or Award for the Best European fantastic film of 2013. It joins a fraternity of winners like
2013-10-11 Sitges, Spain
AU NOM DU FILS / IN THE NAME OF THE SON wins the 2013 Méliès d'Or Award -
Best European Fantastic Feature Film
The 2013 Méliès d'Or Award - for Best European fantastic film went to IN THE NAME OF THE SON directed by Vincent Lannoo. The award was handed out at the Méliès d'Or award ceremony during the 46th Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia, Spain on the evening of October 11th 2013. The 2013 Méliès d'Or jury was comprised of Álvaro Iglesias (Director of Mare Mostra Film Festival), Miquel Fañanàs (Writer) and Fred Challa (Producer).
Previous winners include among others; Vanishing Waves by Kristina Buozyte (Lithuania), Let The Right One In/Låt den Rätte Komma In by Tomas Alfredson (Sweden), Martyrs by Pascal Laugier, The Day of the Beast/El Dia de la Bestia by Alex de la Igelsias (Spain), The Nameless/Los sin Nombre by Juame Balagueró (Spain), Possessed/Besat by Anders önnow-Klarlund (Denmark), The Green Butchers/De Grönne Slagtere by Anders Thomas Jensen (Denmark), Princess by Anders Morgenthaler (Denmark), Adam's Apples/Adams Aebler by Anders Thomas Jensen (Denmark) as well as Code 46 by Michael Winterbottom (UK).
In existence since 1996, the Méliès d'Or Award is a unique competition: it is the only film competition organized between collaborating film festivals in Europe. The competition is open to both feature and short films.
The Méliès d'Or Competition for features is organized by all the affiliated members of the Federation. Each competition cycle takes approximately one year and takes place in two stages. In the first stage, each participating festival arranges a competition during its event, at the end of which a European film is awarded with a Méliès d'Argent, a silver award. This film is automatically nominated to take part in the Méliès d'Or Competition. Once all the affiliated members have awarded a Méliès d'Argent, they move onwards to the Méliès d'Or competition held at Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival.
Nine European feature films competed for the 2013 Méliès d'Or - Best European Fantastic Film. These films have all won a Méliès d'Argent at one of the affiliated members of the European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation during the 2013 cycle. The competing films were:
MAY I KILL U? (Stuart Urban, UK, 2012)
2013 Méliès d'Argent winner at Brussels Intl. Fantastic Film Festival (Belgium)
THALE (Aleksander Noraas, Norway, 2012)
2013 Méliès d'Argent winner at Espoo Ciné Intl. Film Festival (Finland)
EDDIE THE SLEEPWALKING CANNIBAL (Boris Rodriguez, Denmark, Canada, 2012)
2013 Méliès d'Argent winner at Fanomenon - Leeds Intl. Film Festival (United Kingdom)
COCKNEYS VS. ZOMBIES (Matthias Hoene, UK, 2012)
2013 Méliès d'Argent winner at Trieste - Scienceplusfiction (Italy)
BORGMAN (Alex van Warmerdam, The Netherlands, 2013)
2013 Méliès d'Argent winner at Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival (France)
IN THE NAME OF THE SON (Vincent Lannoo, France/Belgium, 2012)
2013 Méliès d'Argent winner at Neuchâtel Intl. Fantastic Film Festival (Switzerland)
THE END (Jorge Torregrossa, Spain, 2012)
2013 Méliès d'Argent winner at Imagine: Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival (The Netherlands)
HOLY MOTORS (Leos Carax, France, 2012)
2013 Méliès d'Argent winner at Sitges Intl. Film Festival of Catalonia (Spain)
STALLED (Christian James, UK, 2013)
2013 Méliès d'Argent winner at Lund Intl. Fantastic Film Festival (Sweden)
PRESS RELEASE - 2013 Méliès d'Or Winner
The 2013 Short Film Méliès d'Or - Best European Fantastic Short Film went to: VOICE OVER (Martín Roseta, Spain, 2011)
Short film Méliès d'Argent winner at FanCine Málaga (Spain)
With the Méliès d'Or competition, the European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation intends to highlight the quality and originality of European genre cinema and to guide, promote and support the production of the genre film in Europe and the world.
The European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation also sees itself as a solid network of festivals, facilitating the circulation of films and information between its members. Today counting 22 film festivals from 15 countries, including supporting members in Asia (PiFan) and North America (Fantasia, ScreamFest & Fantastic Fest), each one functioning as a national antenna to promote European genre film, the Federation aims to become an important, even essential, pole in the cultural and economic circuit of European fantastic cinema.
For a list of all the competing films and information on the European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation and the Méliès d'Or please visit www.melies.org