2023-10-08 05:30:00
The winners of the 10th edition of the Saint-Jean-de-Luz International Film Festival was revealed this Saturday, October 7 at the Le Select cinema. With in particular the Grand Jury Prize awarded to the film “Dissidente”, directed by Quebecer Pier-Philippe Chevigny, who also won the audience prize and a female performance prize for its heroine, Ariane Castellanos.
Invited in the followingnoon on the festival’s TV set, the president of the jury, Agnès Jaoui, said she was very touched by the crazy people who came to see “The Taste of Others” in the theater (including around thirty spectators who did not had never seen him, Editor’s note) and then attend the meeting dedicated to him. This sequence co-hosted by the newspaper “Sud Ouest”, “France bleu” and the City of Saint-Jean-de-Luz (production by Audiense) was above all an opportunity to collect comments on this crazy week of cinema and on the winners of this anniversary edition.
How was this week in Saint-Jean-de-Luz?
It was wonderful. Too short. Besides, I would stay four or five more days… The city is very beautiful, you already know that, but above all I found that the intentions and the kindness of the people from start to finish were really touching. I also remember all the initiatives of the festival, lots of superb things: the prizes given, the place of the young jury. In fact, it’s a bit of a festival ideal.
Before discussing the details of the prize list, how did the deliberations go with the rest of the jury (William Lebghil, Alysson Paradis, Guillaume de Tonquédec, Sarah Suco)?
It was absolutely astonishing because we were always in incredible agreement, including for the short films (the Grand Prize was awarded Thursday evening to “A Good Boy”, Editor’s note). There was only one film that we didn’t agree on. There were the three girls on one side and the two boys on the other. Besides, it was very interesting.
It was wonderful. Too short. Besides, I would stay four or five more days
Agnès Jaoui shared the jury for this 2023 edition with William Lebghil, Sarah Suco, Alysson Paradis and Guillaume de Tonquédec.
FIF Saint-Jean-de-Luz/Antton Ado
We get to the heart of the matter with the directing prize, awarded to “Yurt”, by Nehir Tuna, a film which had already received the film critics prize the day before. What did you think of it?
It was the second or third film (out of 10) that we saw and it was immediately obvious that it was going to be on the charts. Apart from the subject treated which is important (the clash of tradition, secularism and religion in 1996 in Turkey, Editor’s note), the beauty of the image, the inventiveness, the direction of the actors and actresses who are all incredibly accurate. I think he’s a great filmmaker and a great film.
The male performance prize goes to the very young Diego Murgia, Max in “The Fantastic Three”. Also obvious?
What’s incredible regarding this young actor is that he has a crazy range of acting and, thanks to the script, a lot of things to play in this film. He is credible in all registers. Afterwards, we hesitated a little with Raphaël Thiéry, because what he delivers in “The Man of Clay” is very, very, very, very beautiful. A really great actor.
We continue with “The Man of Clay”, by Anaïs Tellenne, which obtains a special mention from the jury, but also the youth jury prize. A comment ?
The youth jury? It’s not true… (Agnès Jaoui didn’t know it yet, Editor’s note). I’m very surprised because I thought it was going to win the public prize and I was sure that young people would choose “Quitter la nuit” (by Belgian director Delphine Girard, Editor’s note). Anyway, these young high school students have been really cute all week. Besides, I saw films alongside them and I noticed that they had really touching ways of reacting. Honestly, I can’t believe it…
And your special mention?
Because it’s a film that we would have found difficult not to take precedence at all because it’s an incredible universe, a unique film, and I love these films that we had never seen and which ‘we’ll never see once more. Because with few resources, I imagine, the director demonstrates remarkable inventiveness and precision. We are surprised, we are moved, she talks regarding contemporary art in a very interesting way, she talks regarding looking and looking at a man who is not supposed to be handsome and who is ultimately very handsome. It’s very surprising and it’s very successful.
I love these films that we have never seen and will never see once more
We therefore arrive at “Dissidente”, a favorite of the jury, but also of the public, with the added bonus of a prize for female interpretation for Ariane Castellanos. The evidence of this 10th edition?
We all loved this film. I obviously won’t reveal the ending, but it’s beautiful, it’s beautiful… I cried. Truly upsetting. What finesse! It’s a film that is controlled from start to finish, not at all giving lessons. I’m going to say something stupid, but from the start, understanding that it’s this actress who is going to have the main role and who is not in the demonstration and who is not particularly beautiful, in the canon sense, well , I want to say thank you. Thank you because it’s so rare and, just that, I was breathing. And finally that she was beautiful. She was beautiful because her heart is beautiful, because what she transmits is beautiful and because we understand her. It’s not caricatured, not Manichean. And then in general, this too is a very important subject. So there was really unanimity.
More broadly, what did you think of the selection of these 10 films in competition?
I found that the eclecticism of the selection was very pleasant, with cinema that comes from many different countries and above all with very different styles. It feels good. And then, I’ve already said it, but I can’t get over this unanimity that there was within our jury. My last festival as a member of a jury was in Cannes, and we almost never all agreed. It was interesting too. But really, this understanding was astonishing. I loved.
Find the numerous sequences filmed throughout the week with the film teams of this 10th edition on the sudouest.fr website and the festival’s YouTube page.
1696744278
#Agnès #Jaoui #bit #festival #ideal
