The Franco-American Cultural Fund, a 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), announced the awards for the 22nd edition of COLCOA French Film Festival which ended April 30.
Le Brio, written and directed by Yvan Attal was awarded the COLCOA LAFCA Critics Award/Prix de la Critique by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Jury. This year’s LAFCA film jury was comprised of Lael Lowenstein (KPCC’s FilmWeek), Wade Major (KPCC’s FilmWeek, DigiGods, CineGods.com) and Chuck Wilson (LA Weekly and Village Voice).
“At a time of heightened racial and religious tensions on both sides of the Atlantic, writer/director Yvan Attal’s superb Le Brio shines a hopeful light on a subject too often relegated to dark prognostications,” the Jury said in a statement. The statement added, “In blending elements from such classics as Pygmalion and The Paper Chase with serious issues of contemporary concern, Attal’s smart, elegantly-crafted and superbly entertaining film is both socially relevant and artistically proficient, making it the perfect choice for our COLCOA jury.”
Watch the trailer for this beautiful film:
C’est La Vie!/Le Sens de la fête, written and directed by Éric Toledano & Olivier Nakache, was awarded the LAFCA Critics Special Prize/Prix Special de la Critique.
The jury offered this statement about the film, “C’est La Vie is further confirmation that Éric Toledano and Olivier Nakache are among the most skilled filmmakers currently working anywhere in the world. It’s an unbelievable juggling act — folding an unwieldy number of characters and subplots into a single, frenetic event — that manages to be as life-affirming as it technically accomplished.”
Luna, written and directed by Elsa Diringer, received the Best First Feature Award/Prix du Meilleur Premiere Film.
“Our jury also celebrates the achievement of first-time writer/director Elsa Diringer whose Luna stands apart from a host of other films wrestling with the contemporary challenges of youth. Anchored by a sterling lead performance from Laëtitia Clément, Luna is at once heartbreaking and impassioned, deeply empathetic and bracingly optimistic,” the Jury said in another statement.
ALSO READ: 22nd annual Colcoa French Film Festival lineup announced
This year’s festival opened on Monday, April 23 with the North American Premiere of writer/director Eric Barbier’s Promise at Dawn. The tender film, about the relationship between a tenacious mother and her son, won the Audience Special Prize/Prix Special du Public.
A total of 86 films, television series, digital series and VR programs were presented at COLCOA this year and 33 features, 4 documentaries, 23 short films, 12 television series, and 4 digital series competed for the 2018 COLCOA Awards.
Other winners include:
Bloody Milk/Petit Paysan, written and directed by Hubert Charuel, won the distinguished COLCOA Audience Award/Prix du Public.
Makala, directed by Emmanual Gras, received the Best Documentary Award/Prix du Meilleur Documentaire.
Custody/Jusqu’ à la garde, written and directed by Xavier Legrand, was awarded the Coming Soon Award, which is awarded to a film with a U.S. distributor. The film will be released by Kino Lorber later this year.
See You Up There/Au revoir là-haut, written and directed by Albert Dupontel, won the American Students Award/Prix des Etudiants Amercains. This award was voted on exclusively by a jury of ten students from local area high schools and colleges.
The Age of Stateless/Le Temps des égarés, written by Gaëlle Belland, directed by Virginie Sauveur, received the Best TV Movie Award/Prix du Meilleur Telefilm.
Proud/Fiertes, written by José Caltagirone, Niels Rahou, Philippe Faucon and directed by Philippe Faucon, was awarded the Best TV Series Award/Prix de la Meilleure Serie and the Audience Award (TV Series)/Prix de L’Audiene (Serie).
Infidelity/Un Adultere written by Eric Assous, Stéphanie Vasseur and directed by Philippe Harel, was honored with the TV Movie Audience Award/Prix de L’Audience Telefilm.
Grams/Petites filles, written/directed by Camille Japy, won the Best Short Film Award/Prix du Meilleur Court Metrage.
The Wrinkles/Les Bigorneaux, written/directed by Alice Vial, received both the Best Short Film Special Prize/Prix Special du Court Metrage and the Audience Short Film Award/Prix de L’audience Court Metrage.
Hybrids, written/directed by Romain Thirion, Florian Brauch, Matthieu Pujol, Kim Tailhades, and Yohan Thireau,was awarded the inaugural Best Animated Short/Prix du Court Metrage d’animation.
Biarritz Surf Gang, written and directed by Nathan Curren and Pierre Denoyel, was awarded The Best Digital Series/Prix de la Meilleure Serie Digitale.
Contact Colin Costello at colin@reelchicago.com or follow him on Twitter @colincostello10.
