Editor

The Brussels European Film Festival at Flagey closed down this Saturday July 8 with an Award ceremony that was presented by the gorgeous Italian actress Chiara Caselli, with Dominique Janne (festival director) and Jan De Clercq (program director) by her side. After the ceremony, the audience could enjoy the magnificent Mother of Mine of Finnish director Klaus Häro.

Looking back on this past edition, the festival can only be pleased by its achievements. And it must be said that the competition was very harsh. Not only were there the different music festivals in the weekend, but more yet, there was the football World Championship that drew spectators from all over. But the audience showed its sympathy for the festival by contributing in their own fashion to the fabulous atmosphere that took over the Flagey for nine days.

1. Benoît Delépine & Gustave Kervern - 2. Open-air screening - 3. Richard Bohringer (photographer : Aurélie Colmant)

The open-air screenings, a novelty this year, had a considerable succes by gatherering over 700 spectators each night on the Saint-Croix square. The figures weren't complete at the time this press release was sent, but the exepted total number of visitors is 19.000 (15.000 in 2005), which means an increase of 27 % to last year. The high quality of this year's program was once again stated by the audience, that filled in particularly high numbers on the voting forms. The concerts and DJ sets transformed the Flagey into the pulsating heart of Brussels for nine days and were relished by all. From the 30th of June until the 8th of July, the visitors could discover 55 little pearls of the seventh art : 34 European films and 21 international feature films at Cinédécouvertes.

4. Fien Troch - 5. Open-air concert - 6. Elisabetta Rocchetti (photographer : Aurélie Colmant)

Amongst the highlights of this fourth edition, we count the evening dedicated to the Belgian production company La Parti Production who for the time of the weekend tranformed the place into a Woodstock, the world premier of the excellent Ça rend heureux of Jaochim Lafosse at the evening for the Communauté Française de Belgique, the SACD Telenet evening that brought about numerous Flemish tv-personalities, the European evening with MEDIA 2007 in the presence of European Commissioner Viviane Reding, the audience that started singing Claude François songs during the screening of Podium, the crowd sun-bathing on the terrace in between screenings, or as on one occassion fleeing from a sudden cloudburst during the screening of Steve + Sky.

7. Arno - 8. The crew of Neveneffecten - 9. Marie Arena & Stefan Liberski (photographer : Aurélie Colmant)

As a true meeting point for professionals and film fans, the festival welcomed numerous European celebrities such as Jeanne Labrune, Fien Troch, Fabrice du Welz, Lisa Werlinder, Elisabetti Rocchetti, Richard Bohringer, Olivier Ringer, Morgan Marinne, Joachim Lafosse, Fabrizio Rongione, Kris Cuppens, Benoît Delépine, Gustave Kervern, Martine Doyen, Arno Hintjens, Valérie Lemaître, Mircea Andreescu, Daniel Burlac, Guillaume Malandrin, Jacky Lambert, Vincent Tavier, Philippe Kauffmann, Samuel Tilman, Mariet Eyckmans, Nicolas de Borman, Vania Leturcq, Brice Cauvin, Izabella Hegyi, Gergely Pohárnok, Gergo Trócsányi, György Pálfi, Agnes Kocsis, Mirjana Karanovic, Matthias Luthardt, Sebastian Urzendowsky, Perry Ogden, Bruno Forzani, Hélène Cattet, Michel Van Dousselaer, Marilou Mermans, Eric Wirix, Catalin Mitulescu, Dorotea Petre, Richard Debuisne, Luc Dardenne, Frédéric Fonteyne, Jan Hammenecker, Marion Hänsel, Alain Berliner, Jan Eelen, Robbe De Hert, Jérémie Rénier, Jean-Paul Rouve, Stefan Liberski, Carlo Ferrante, Vincent Lannoo, Vera Van Dooren, Jaco Van Dormael, and many more.

10. Joachim Lafosse & Fabrizio Rongione - 11. The crew of Pom, le poulain - 12. Dominique Janne & Fadila Laanan (photographer : Aurélie Colmant)


BRUSSELS EUROPEAN FILM FESTIVAL AWARD LIST 2006

Official jury Award
Jury composition
Jeanne Labrune (France - director) - jury president
Fabrice du Welz (Belgium - director)
Elisabetta Rocchetti (Italy - actress)
Fien Troch (Belgique - director)
Lisa Werlinder (Suède - actress)

Films in competition
7 VIRGENES by Alberto Rodríguez (Spain)
12:08, EAST OF BUCHAREST (a Fost sau n-a fost) by Corneliu Porumboiu (Roumania)
BLACK BRUSH (Fekete kefe) by Roland Vranik (Hungary)
THE BOTHERSOME MAN by Jens Lien (Norway)
DE PARTICULIER A PARTICULIER by Brice Cauvin (France)
FRESH AIR (Friss levego) by Agnes Kocsis (Hungary)
GRBAVICA by Jasmila Zbanic (Austria/Bosnia-Herzegovina/Germany/Croatia)
KONTAKT by Sergei Stanojkovski (Macedonia/Germany)
ODE TO JOY (Oda do radosci) by Anna Kazejak-Dawid, Jan Komasa, Maciej Migas (Poland)
PINGPONG by Matthias Luthardt (Germany)
SOMETHING LIKE HAPPINESS (Stesti) by Bohdan Sláma (Tzech Republic/Germany)
TAXIDERMIA by György Pálfi (Hungary/Austria/France)
VLEUGELS by Julie De Clercq (Belgium)
THE WAY I SPENT THE END OF THE WORLD (Comment j'ai fêté la fin du monde)
by Catalin Mitulescu (Roumania/France)


Iris Award for Best Film
10.000 € offered by la Région de Bruxelles-Capitale

ex æquo (5.000 € each) to
« Fresh Air » (Friss levego)
by Agnes Kocsis
(Hungary - 2005)

«for the rigor and finesse of its screenwriting and for the craftsmanship of its production, made in a spirit of necessity and truthfulness»

The award was hand over to director Agnes Kocsis by Jeanne Labrune, jury president

« Taxidermia »
by György Pálfi
(Hungary/Austria/France - 2006)

« for its premises abounding with vigor and for the surprising singularity of the world, depicted so humorously and poetically»

The award was hand over to director György Pálfi
By actress Lisa Werlinder,jurymember

«These two films, with radically different esthetics, successfully represent a young cinema endowed with freedom»

Award Best Actor/Actress
2.500 € offered by the Ixelles Municipality

actress Mirjana Karanovic
in « Grbavica » of Jasmila Zbanic
(Austria/Bosnia-Herzegovina/Germany/Croatia - 2006)

«because of the strength and subtlety of her interpretation of Esma»

The prize was handed to the actress Mirjana Karanovic
by the director Fabrice du Welz, membre of the jury

Parallel Prizes

RTBF TV Prize of Best Film
10.000 € in form of distribution support
prize awarded by the RTBF

to
« Pingpong »
of Matthias Luthardt (Germany - 2006)

The prize was handed to Sebastian Urzendowsky, leading actor of the film,
by Yves Bigot, Programming Director of the RTBF

Prize TV Canvas for Best Film
10.000 euro in form of distribution support,
awarded by the public

to
« Grbavica »
of Jasmila Zbanic (Austria/Bosnia-Herzegovina/Germany/Croatia - 2006)

The prize was handed to Mirjana Karanovic, leading actress of the film
by Frans Lefever, Head of Acquisitions of the VRT

BeTV Prize of Best Film
5.000 € in form of distribution support,
awarded by BeTV

to
« The Bothersome Man »
of Jens Lien (Norway - 2006)

The prize was handed to the Belgian distributor Christian Thomas
by Philippe Logie, Head of Acquisitions of BeTV

Audience Award
2.500 euro offered by the Community of Ixelles
Prize awarded by the public among all the films of the festival
awarded to

« Ça rend heureux »
of Joachim Lafosse (Belgium - 2005)

The prize was handed to the director Joachim Lafosse
by Sylvie Foucart, member of the Town council (Cultural Affairs)
of the Ixelles Municipality

Prize of Best Feature Film Concept
3.000 € offered by the Representative of the European Commission of Belgium

awarded to
« Gueule d'emploi »
of Corinne Klomp & Pierre Leyssieux (France)

The prize was handed to Corinne Klomp & Pierre Leyssieux
by Dominique Janne, Festival Director

Second Prize of Best Feature Film Concept
2.000 € awarded to

« Westonia »
of Olivier Nilsson-Julien & Andri Luup (Great-Britain & Estonia)