At the 47th edition of the Réel, an initiative by the Centre Pompidou held this week in Paris, the prestigious Grand Prix of Cinema was awarded to 82-year-old American filmmaker James Benning.
The International Film Award recognized two additional films: ‘In the Manner of Smoke’ by Armand Yervant Tufenkian and ‘Monólogo Colectivo’ by Jessica Sarah Rinland. Meanwhile, ‘Lumière de mes yeux’ by Sophie Bredier took home the award for the best French film.
The jury acknowledged Jeff Parker as the best composer of an original score for a feature film, celebrating his work on the soundtrack of Lee Anne Schmitt’s ‘Evidence.’
Among the 37 contenders were ‘Les Habitants’ by Maureen Fazendeiro and ‘Balane 3’ by Ico Costa, both of which did not receive any awards.
‘Les Habitants,’ a short film by French director and screenwriter Maureen Fazendeiro, who is based in Lisbon, blends fiction and documentary. It portrays how the inhabitants of a Paris suburb village react to the arrival of a group of Roma people.
The film ‘Les Habitants’ is a French-Portuguese co-production by Uma Pedra no Sapato and Norte Productions.
Similarly, the feature-length documentary ‘Balane 3’ by Ico Costa explores the lives of residents in a neighborhood. This time, the story unfolds in Inhambane, a city in southern Mozambique.
‘Balane 3’ is produced by Terratreme Filmes, with co-production by Ico Costa’s Oublaum Filmes and the French company La Belle Affaire Productions.
This year’s standout short film awards went to ‘Selegna Sol’ by Anouk Moyaux, ‘Notes of a Crocodile’ by Daphne Xu, and ‘About the Pink Cocoon’ by Binyu Wang.
The 37 films in competition showcased the contemporary documentary creation in all its diversity with world, international, or French premieres, featuring stories from countries like China, Canada, France, and Suriname, according to the organization’s official page.
