“Our spirits lifted by the gentle late-autumn sunshine, we were delighted all week long by the curiosity of Festivalgoers, who were open to all the retrospectives on offer, from the works of Safi Faye and Ann Hui to the anthology of Vietnamese cinema and the flamboyant presence of Amitabh Bachchan on the big screen. This edition has seen the renewal of our audiences and in unprecedented numbers, and the greatest compliment they have given us is that they feel that the films were not just screened, they were part of a shared experience. This 45th edition will have been nothing if not sunny, soothing, and high in emotion, both on screens and in the theatres.”
251 SCREENINGS – 89 FILMS – 40 COUNTRIES
Algeria – Argentina – Benin – Burma – Brazil – Burkina Faso – Cambodia – Cameroon – Chile – China – Colombia – Egypt – France – Germany – Hong Kong – India – Iran – Israel – Japan – Kyrgyzstan – Luxembourg – Mexico – Mongolia – Morocco – Netherlands – Nigeria – Philippines – Portugal – Qatar – Saudi Arabia – Senegal – South Africa – Spain – Sri Lanka – Switzerland – Turkey – United Kingdom – United States – Vietnam
The Festival came to a close this Sunday, December 3, 2023 at Stereolux, a space dedicated to musical and digital creations in Nantes in the Loire-Atlantique department.
The Awards Ceremony began with a movie-concert featuring Safi Faye’s film SELBE: ONE AMONG MANY, with musical accompaniment the Blackbush Orchestra, to bring the tribute to this essential figure of contemporary Senegalese cinema to a close.
THE AWARDS
The international competition of the 45th edition of the Festival des 3 Continents included ten films.
The Jury members were Agnès GODARD (director of photography), Laurence LASCARY (producer), Chloé MAZLO (director), and Para One (DJ, composer, producer, director).
MONTGOLFIÈRE D’ARGENT
The Jury awarded the Montgolfière d’Argent to THE SPECTRE OF BOKO HARAM by director Cyrielle Raingou.
The Montgolfière d’Argent is endowed by the Festival and the Departmental Council of the Loire-Atlantique, with €4,000 in prize money going to the director.
In the words of the Jury: “The power of the film’s subject matter and the intelligence with which it was treated really brought us together. The filmmaker’s deep conviction allows words of rare vital force to come to the fore.”
DISTRIBUTION SUPPORT AWARD
The Jury awarded the Distribution Support Award to FLY ON by director Takuya KATO.
The Distribution Support Award is jointly endowed by the Festival and SIX ARES-Groupe AVENTIM with €3,000 in prize money going to the film’s French distributor Art House Films.
In the words of the Jury: “We chose to give the award to this film for its conciseness of form, which truly serves the dramaturgy, and for the breakthrough it gives of what lies below the surface of the society on which it focuses.”
YOUNG JURY AWARD
The Young Jury is comprised of four young men and women aged 17 to 24 from the Nantes area: Léa ERGÜN, Louise GUIBERT, Prune LE LANN, and Mamadou SAVANE.
They conferred the award to CRITICAL ZONE, by Iranian director Ali AHMADZADEH.
The Young Jury Award is jointly endowed by the Festival and Le Damier, fondation du Groupe Brémond, with €3,000 in prize money going to the director.
The Young Jury has also awarded a special mention to BRIDE KIDNAPPING by the Kirghiz director Mirlan ABDYKALYKOV.
In the words of the Jury: “The Festival programme is like a map of the Earth’s landscape, seen from the perspective of those who live in it. The continents weave themselves together like threads in a piece of cloth, forming the shape of a huge bubble. But one film burst it. It was like a rush of oxygen, like a piercing scream that leaves you confused… A forceful reminder to stand up and fight.”
AUDIENCE AWARD
Festivalgoers cast their votes for the Audience Award at the end of each screening and have collectively chosen BRIDE KIDNAPPING by Kirghiz director Mirlan ABDYKALYKOV.
The Audience Award is jointly endowed by the Festival and Magmaa Food Hall Nantes with €3,000 in prize money going to the director.
The Festival warmly thanks its partners for their support, as well as all the volunteers and Festivalgoers who make this event possible.
The selection from the Festival’s International Competition will be screened again
from January 24 to 28, 2024 at the Arlequin cinema in Paris.
Two of the award-winning films will be screened at the cinéma Jacques Tati in Saint Nazaire on Tuesday, December 5, 2023 at 6:30 pm.
For more information on the Festival, go to www.3continents.com.