Fantasporto

IN 2019, THE 39^TH OPORTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL – FANTASPORTO AWARDED  CHINA, POLAND AND THE PHILIPINES.

CHINESE “LAST SUNRISE” WINS  MAIN FANTASY SECTION.

“Last Sunrise” by Chinese first time director Wen Ren was the big winner of the main section, Fantasy Cinema, of Fantasporto with a sci-fi story about the day the sun stops shining forever.  The Best Director award went to British Julian Richards, for two films, “Reborn” and “Daddy’s Girl”, both in competition, a singular fact for it was the first time in the long history of this festival that a director presented two features and got granted one of the top awards. Also British, “In Fabric” brought the scent of originality with a story about a department store and gathered the Special Award of the Jury. Brazilian director and screenwriter won the screenplay award with ”A Mata Negra” about a girl who lives in the forest. Also in this section, actors Christopher Rygh, from Norway, convinced the jury for his performance in “The Head Hunter”, a feature shot in Portugal,  and Australian Georgia Chara won Best Actress with “Living Space”. Hungarian feature “His Master’s Voice” by Gyorgy Palfi was awarded Best Special Effects with a story about a scientist that discover that, in fact, we are not alone in the universe. The Best Short was “My First Time” by Israeli Asaf Livni.

POLAND’S “WEREWOLF” WINS FANTASPORTO DIRECTORS WEEK

In the Directors Week competition, main honours went to Polish “Werewolf” by Adrian Panek about children released from concentration camps after the end of World War II. The Special Jury of this non -genre attached official section was won by the Phillipino  “Waiting for Sunset” by Carlo Catu, about an unmarried old couple who is asked to help the woman’s long lost husband. This film also won Dante Rivero a Best Actor Award in this section. American Christina Choe brought, in her first feature, a story about a girl who believes she may be Steve Buscemi’s long lost daughter and took the Best Director award home.  Best Screenplay went to Hungarian Balint Hegedûs and Károly Uji Mészáros  for  “X – The eXploited” (Hungria), directed by former  Fantasporto Best Film winner (with “ Liza, The Fox-Fairy”), Meszaros himself who attended the screenings.  Best Actress was won ex-aequo by two Philipino’s actresses, Ai-Ai de las Alas (“School Service”), and Ina Raymundo (“Kuya Wes”).

ORIENT EXPRESS REWARDS A TALE OF SORCERY AND A DRAMA IN THE STREETS OF MANILA
 
“THE WITCH: PART 1 – THE SUBVERSION”, by former Fantasporto Winner Hoon-Jong Park’s  Hit feature In  South Korea,  was considered Best Asian film  and “School Service” by Louie Ignacio Lagdameo , Orient Express Special Jury Award, brought the drama of the children begging in the streets of Manila.

Closing the Awards of this 39^th edition, The Audience Award went to the American documentary “The Panama Papers” by  Alex Winter and the Critics Award went to Indian environmental conscious “Painting Life “ by Biju Kumar Damodaran, about a film crew which suddenly must face a world without technology in the mountains of the Himalayas.

 “THE HEAD HUNTER” ALSO WINS THE BEST PORTUGUESE FILM AWARD.

The co-production directed by Jordan Downey, “The Head Hunter”, was produced by Kevin Stewart, born in Portugal in the Northwest of Portugal, and shot in his family zone, won the Best Portuguese Film. This is the story of a lonely hunter (a remarkable Christopher Rygh, also primed in the Fantasy Section) taking revenge on the monsters that killed his daughter. In the Film Schools competition, the prize went to Lisbon’s ETIC and a Special Mention rewarded “Cinzas” by Célia Fraga.

A large majority of the representatives of the features in competition attended Fantasporto, which screening over 36 World and International premieres in a total of nearly 200  very recent shorts and features. Fantasporto’s 40^th anniversary will be celebrated in 2020.

FANTASY INTERNATIONAL JURY

Best Film Award Fantasporto

Jury’s Special Award

Best Direction

Best Actor

Best Actress

Best Screenplay

Best Visual Effects

Best Short Film

Special Mention of the Fantasy Jury:

OFFICIAL DIRECTORS WEEK AWARDS

Manoel de Oliveira Award

Directors Week Best Film  Award

Directors Week Jury’s Special Award

Directors Week Best Director Award

Directors Week Best Screenplay Award

Directors Week Best Actor Award

Directors Week Best Actress Award

Best Film Orient Express

Special Jury Award Orient Express

PORTUGUESE FILM AWARD 2019

Best Portuguese Film Award

Best Film School Award

Special Mention for Creativity

Critics Award

Audience Award