It was Bill Calahan’s cleverly self-referential Canadian movie Vicious Fun which won over the jury and the public at this 39th edition of the BIFFF (Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival), bagging itself both the Golden Raven and the Audience Award. The film follows in the footsteps of Joel, a film critic for a horror magazine who finds himself unintentionally involved in a support group for serial killers. Short of other options, Joel tries his best to blend in to avoid becoming their next victim.
The Silver Raven, meanwhile, was won by two films in a tie-break: the Korean feature The Closet, directed by Kwan-bin Kim, and Son [+], which is the latest offering by Irish director Ivan Kavanagh (the recent author of the surprising western Never Grow Old [+]) who examines the tragic fate of a mother who escaped a Satanic sect when she was a child yet sees her past catch up with her when several group members infect her son with an illness whose cure is far more terrifying than she could ever possibly imagine. The film is produced by Park Films in Europe (Ireland) alongside Elastic Films and Quickfire Films (both UK-based).
In terms of the European Competition, the Silver Méliès - which qualifies the winner for the Golden Méliès - was awarded to the closing film Riders of Justice [+] by Anders Thomas Jensen, a familiar face at the BIFFF to whom we notably owe Adam’s Apples [+] and Men & Chicken [+], which also earned him trophies at previous instalments of the BIFFF (notably a Golden Raven for the former in 2006). This very dark comedy speaks of the bitter revenge wreaked by a bereaved father and husband played by Mads Mikkelsen, and is produced by Zentropa Entertainment (Denmark) and Film i Väst (Sweden). A Special Mention was also bestowed upon the English movie Host [+], directed by Rob Savage.
Of final note is another English film, Caveat [+], by Damian Mc Carthy, which won itself a Mention from the Critics’ Jury.
The full list of winners is as follows:
Golden Raven - Grand Prize
Vicious Fun - Cody Calahan (Canada)
Silver Raven
Son [+] - Ivan Kavanagh (USA/Ireland/UK)
The Closet - Kwang-bin Kim (South Korea)
Audience Award
Vicious Fun - Cody Calahan
Special Audience Award for the Infected Section
Bloody Hell - Alister Grierson (Australia/USA)
Silver Méliès
Riders of Justice [+] - Anders Thomas Jensen (Denmark/Sweden)
Special Mention
Host [+] - Rob Savage (UK)
White Raven
Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes - Junta Yamaguchi (Japan)
Special Mention
Violation - Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli (Canada)
Critics’ Award
Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes - Junta Yamaguchi
Special Mention
Caveat [+] - Damian Mc Carthy (UK)
National Short Film Competition - Grand Prize
You’re Dead Hélène - Michiel Blanchart (Belgium)
Silver Méliès for Best Short Film
The Last Marriage - Gustav Egerstedt and Johan Tappert (Sweden)
Audience Award for Best Short Film
Horrorscope - Pol Diggler (Spain)
Youth Jury Award for Best Short Film
You’re Dead Hélène - Michiel Blanchart
La Trois RTBF Prize for Best Short Film
You’re Dead Hélène - Michiel Blanchart
Be TV Prize for Best Short Film
You’re Dead Hélène - Michiel Blanchart
