Editor

More than 65.000 viewres followed the Festival screenings and activities, a 20% more than in 2004.

French cinema, which has been dedicated this edition and which represented nearly a third part of the films in the different sections, has been the winner at Seville Film Festival 100% European, contest that has been closed this Saturday with more than 65.000 spectators, a 20% more than in 2004. De battre mon coeur s’est arrêté, by Jacques Audiard, won the Golden Giraldillo, awarded with 60.000 euros, and Caché, by Michael Haneke, the Eurimages Prize and 30.000 euros.

The official jury, composed by Michael Ballhaus (President), Florinda Bolkan, Sonia Herman Dolz, Sami Naïr and Antonio Pérez, gave, apart from the Golden Giraldillo, another one, the Silver Giraldillo, to the film Crash Test Dummies, by Jorg Kalt (Austria), and the Special Award to Johanna, by Kornél Mundruczó (Hungary), both awarded with 30.00 euros.

The Eurodoc Section, in whose jury there were Jana Bokova (President), Phillip Bergson, Gervasio Iglesias and Javier Corcuera, decided gave the award and 30.000 euros to the documentary Min monfars morder, by Soren Fauli and Mikala Krogh (Denmark), and a special mention to Reality Shock, by Stanislaw Mucha (Poland).

In Eurimages Section, a jury composed by Sevillian university students, has awarded with 30.000 euros to Caché, by the Austrian settled down at France Michael Haneke, and the young critics Frédéric Jaeger, Sascha Keiholz, Miguel Ángel Martín, Federico Casado and Jorge Castillejo gave the Europe Generation Award to Kebab Connection, by Anno Saul (Germany), awarded with 30.000 euros, too.

The fifth section in contest, Europe_Europe, whose award is voted by a public that came to all its screenings, has gave its award to the Italian film La febbre, by Alessandro D’Alatri, who received 30.000 euros. All these awards are given to the respective distributors in Spain of the winner films, to to support its promotion and commercial premiere.

“The variety of subjects and nacionalities of the winner films is a proof of the strength of European cinema”, said Manuel Grosso, director of the Festival, who considers that the 65.000 that has registred this edition of the contest confirms the perfect understanding between the Festival and the city that houses it. “The European films use to like, surprise and touches. There’s no doubt, the lection to laern is that cinema has a public”, added Grosso.

Out of the Official list of winners, the Signis Award, given by a jury to the best film that represented human values, has been for the Rumanian production Moartea Domnului Lazarescu, by Cristi Puiu.

During the closing act of the Festival, performed at Teatro Lope de Vega, there have been given the prizes to the winners, awarded with a total of 240.000 euros, an Honour Giraldillo to the French director Patrice Chéreau, who has been tributed with a season, and author of the film that closed the Festival, Gabrielle, whose leading role, Pascal gregory, came to the screening.