AWARD WINNERS IMAGINE ANNOUNCED!

Winner Black Tulip (Best Film):

WOLF CHILDREN (Okami kodomo no ame to yuki)

Japan, director: Mamoru Hosoda

Winner Méliès d’Argent (Best European Fantastic Film):

FIN

Spain, director: Jorge Torregrossa

Winner Méliès d’Argent (Best Short European Fantastic Film):

PERFECT DRUG

Belgium, director: Toon Aerts

Winner MovieZone Award (Best Film, presented by the youth jury):

CITADEL

Ireland, director: Ciarán Foy

Winner Silver Scream Award (audience award):

THE BATTERY

US, director: Jeremy Gardner

On Wednesday evening, April 17, the closing night of Imagine Film Festival, the winners of the following festival awards were announced.

Black Tulip

The Black Tulip-jury, consisting of Renate Dorrestein (writer), Berend Jan Bockting (journalist) en Maarten Groen (director DPPLR) awarded the Black Tulip 2013 to:

WOLF CHILDREN by Mamoru Hosoda

From the jury report: ‘The Black Tulip Competition jury saw a diverse selection of films this year. However, there was one film that touched all three of us deeply. We unanimously selected a highly imaginative film, developed in an unusually sober and down-to-earth manner. A film with an exciting story, perfectly told from an original perspective, with a great emotional wealth. The stunning cinematography, with a frequent and surprising use of the twilight hour setting, is very convincing as well. The maker manages to evoke emotion with extremely dramatic events, without lapsing into sentimentality. What’s more, the film is often funny, and pleasantly poetic in both tone and execution. Finally, we were impressed by the unconventional use of silence, interspersed with beautifully characteristic music. The winner of the Black Tulip Award 2013 is…. Okami kodomo no ame to yuki, or the fantastic Japanese anime Wolf Children by Mamoru Hosoda!’

Director Mamoru Hosoda thanked everyone in a video message. The award consists of a framed certificate.

Méliès Awards

The Méliès-jury, consisting of Ronald Rovers (journalist), Erik de Jong (musician Spinvis) and Esther Rots (filmmaker) awarded the Méliès d’Argent 2013 for Best European Fantastic Film at Imagine to:

FIN by Jorge Torregrossa

From the jury report: ‘The jury selected a film in which it seems to be of vital importance whether or not questions get answered. A film that has the courage to conceal, where others mainly want to reveal. A film that plays with our expectations and sends us in an unexpected direction. A warm-blooded film that creates the kind of suspense in full sunlight, for which others think they need chilly darkness. Tension that is tightened and released with minimal means. Elegant and assured, the maker takes us into another world that is nevertheless still ours: mankind, too small to resist a mystery that is too large for us to comprehend. A story of all times.

The jury awards the Silver Méliès 2013 from the Imagine Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival to Fin by Jorge Torregrossa.’

Director Jorge Torregrossa thanked everyone in a video message. The award consists of a framed certificate.

The Méliès d’Argent in the category Best Short European Fantastic Film was awarded to:

PERFECT DRUG by Toon Aerts

From the jury report: ‘The jury has selected a film that blends genres with great flair and visual fireworks, but is so much more than just a successful exercise in style. The director manages to draw the viewer into a hallucinogenic trip and makes the absurd logic of it seem believable. There are no limits to imagination and with special effects that explode of the screen and a soundtrack that blasts from the speakers, the maker creates an overwhelming dream world. From which both his protagonist and the viewer wake slightly dazed.’

Toon Aerts was present to receive his award in person.

The Méliès Awards, named after French film pioneer Georges Méliès (1861-1938), are an initiative of the European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation (EFFFF). More information about the EFFFF can be found at www.melies.org.

Imagine MovieZone Award

De MovieZone Jury, consisting of Sam ten Thij, Margot van Helvert, Janneke Angeneind, Maxime Pottuit and Maarten Valstar, awarded the Imagine MovieZone Award to:

CITADEL by Ciarán Foy.

From the jury report: ‘This intense film moved us a lot. We were especially impressed by the acting skills of the lead character. The handheld filming makes us feel like we’re really there and we experience the fear and helplessness of the protagonist. The art direction and the bleak colours completely submerge us in the chilly atmosphere.’

Director Ciarán Foy also thanked everyone with a video message.

The award consists of a framed certificate.

The MovieZone Jury, an initiative of EYE, is the youth jury of various Dutch film festivals. The jury members view a large selection of festival films, and the film they like best receives the MovieZone Award. This award is intended to promote film to a young target audience. This film is also eligible to be added to one of EYE’s educational film programmes, such as MovieZone (www.moviezone.nl).

MovieZone Imagine Jury is an initiative by EYE, in cooperation with the Imagine Film Festival, and is supported by SNS REAAL Fonds.

Silver Scream Award

The audience award was announced on April 17^th at midnight. The price was immediately handed out to:

THE BATTERY (Jeremy Gardner, US, 2013)