Editor

The international jury, presided over by Claude Lelouch (France), including Felipe Cazals (Mexico), Chang Chen (Taiwan, China), Anna Galiena (Italy), Marcel Jean (Canada), Eberhard Junkersdorf (Germany) and Eva Zaoralova (Czech Republic), have awarded the following prizes:

Gold Iris of Montreal – Grand Prize of the Festival
L’audition by Luc Picard (Canada)

Silver Iris – Grand Prize of the Jury
Josh's Trees by Peter Entell (Switzerland)

Silver Iris – for Best Direction
Hiroshi ISHIKAWA for Su-ki-da (Japan)

Silver Iris – for Best Actress
Angela BARALDI in Quo Vadis,Baby? by Gabriele SALVATORES (Italy)

Silver Iris – for Best Actor
PARK Ji-Bin in Ahnnyeong Hyeong-An (Little Brother) by LIM Tay-hyung (South Korea)

Silver Iris – Best Script
Enrique CORTÉS & Eduardo RASPO
forTatuado (Tattooed) by Eduardo RASPO (Argentina)

Gold Iris of Montreal – for short film
Undressing My Mother by Ken WARDROP (Ireland)

Silver Iris of Montreal – for short film
The Raftman’s Razor by Keith Bearden (United States)


Winners of the Iris of Tomorrow
for Best First or Second Works

The jury presided over by Yonfan (Hong Kong, China), including Francine Laurendeau (Canada) and Alex Bowen (Chile), declare, in a preamble:

"A director who is beginning his or her career should demonstrate certain qualities,in particular those of sincerity, integrity and originality. We found evidence of these in all the films that were eligible for the Iris of Tomorrow. But we were forced to choose."
The Jury has awarded the following prizes and special mentions:
The Iris of Tomorrow
Polumgla by Artem ANTONOV (Russia)
"For the sensitivity and effectiveness – without resorting to pathos or gore – with which he was able to evoke the cruelties of war."

Special Mention of the Jury
Ça m’est égal si demain n’arrive pas by Guillaume MALANDRIN (Belgium)
"For the authenticity with which he was able to capture the taciturn essence of ordinary people."

Special Mention of the Jury
Ordinary Man by Vincent LANNOO (Belgium)
"For his original and witty way with black humour."

The Festival team declared following the annoucements: "we had barely six months to organize this interim edition of the New Montreal FilmFest. In spite of this handicap, we are pleased to have assisted in the birth of an event of importance in the service of cinema.
We were faced with a great challenge, which will remain intact for the 2006 edition, when the Festival will truly take off. Over the course of the coming year, we will have more time to prepare this second edition, and we will endeavour to benefit from our experience in its planning.

We believe that the future of the NMFF deserves the time necessary to analyze the entire situation so that we can, at once, meet the expectations of Montreal film lovers and establish the Festival on the international scene. Toward this end, over the coming weeks, we will meet our team members, our partners, pertinent institutions, members of the film milieu, cinephiles and journalists in order to gather their comments and criticisms. We will prepare a complete study which we will then share with the press."The festival met some criticsm from filmmakers unhappy with relatively empty houses.