Sunday night, after a night that saw the newly renovated DGA get evacuated due to the fire alarm that would not shut off, The Franco-American Cultural Fund announced the awards for the 23rd edition of Colcoa French Film Festival.
The festival – collaboration between the Directors Guild of America, the Motion Picture Association, The Writers Guild of America West and France’s Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers of Music (SACEM) – ran from Monday, September 23 – Saturday, September 28 at the Directors Guild of America.
Toutes nos félicitations goes to I Lost My Body / J’ai perdu mon corps (Netflix) written and directed by Jérémy Clapin. The film was awarded the Colcoa LAFCA Critics Award by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Jury. Watch the animated trailer for the beautiful story about a severed hand that escapes its unhappy fate and sets out to reconnect with its body.
The jury, comprised of David Ehrenstein, Annlee Ellingson, Sheri Linden and Luke Y. Thompson, said in a statement, “We are particularly delighted to honor two first features that demonstrate the dynamic present and future of French film. With macabre whimsy, I Lost My Body deconstructs romantic tropes and expands the idea of what animated features can do”
The film also was awarded the Audience Award. This is the first time that a film won both the Colcoa Audience Award and the Colcoa Critics’ Awards.
LAFCA awarded writer/director Ladj Ly’s debut film Les Misérables the Best First Film Award. France’s 2020 Oscar submission for Best International Feature film, was presented for the first time in the U.S., in association with Amazon Studios.
ALSO READ: ‘Les Misérables’ charges Colcoa opening night audience
The jury had this to say about this intense, harrowing film based on the 2005 Paris riots, “Les Misérables masterfully leverages genre and a powerful sense of place to confront difficult modern realities.”
Other winners include:
Cyrano My Love / Edmond (Roadside Attraction), written and directed by Alexis Michalik, was awarded the American Students Award.
Forward / Demain est à nous, written and directed by Gilles de Maistre, was awarded Best Documentary Award.
Colcoa Television – 2 Awards
Presented in association with Titrafilm, the Colcoa Television competition awarded two programs the following awards:
Jacqueline Sauvage, It was Him or Me / Jacqueline Sauvage, written and directed by Yves Regnier, received the Best TV Movie Award.
The Inside Game / Jeux d’influence, written by Antoine Lacomblez, Jean-Xavier de Lestrade, Sophie Hiet, Pierre Linhart and directed by Jean-Xavier de Lestrade, was awarded the Best TV Series Award.
Colcoa Shorts – 2 Awards
My Lady of the Camelia / Ma dame au camélia, written/directed by w/d by Édouard Montoute, won the Best Short Film Award.
Memorable / Mémorable, written and directed by Bruno Collet, was awarded the Best Animated Short.
SOURCE: Colcoa
