Jury & Awards

International

Marie-Josée Croze

Marie-Josée Croze was entrusted in 1999 by Denis Villeneuve with the leading role of Maelström. He will have a decisive influence on her career as she wins awards all over the world, touring with Atom Egoyan and taking the path of auteur cinema. Her performance in Les Denys Arcand’s Invasions barbares earned her the Interpretation Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2003. Her career in France is launched: she works with Guillaume Canet, Zabou Breitman, Tony Gatlif and Nicole Garcia. She is the winner of the Romy Schneider Prize in 2010 and continues on an international path with Münich (Steven Spielberg), Le scaphandre et le Papillon (Julian Schnabel), Le règne de la beauté (Denys Arcand), Every Thing Will Be Fine (Wim Wenders), Calvary (John Michael Mc Donagh) and Clifton Hill, directed by Albert Shin presented at the International Film Festival of Toronto. Recently, she starred in the feature film The Forgiven directed by John Michael McDonagh. Marie Josée Croze has also appeared in several TV series such as Birdsong, The Crime of the Orient Express, La Chartreuse de Parme and Jack Ryan. Lately, she’s been playing the main role as the hero in the series Mirage produced by Louis Choquette, broadcasted in France and Germany.

Stefano Cassetti

Fascinated by his magnetic gaze, Cédric Kahn hired Stefano Cassetti and immediately gave him the lead role in his film, Roberto Succo. Selected in official competition at Cannes, the feature film serves as a springboard for Stefano Cassetti and propels him into a hectic career divided between television and cinema. Take the lead role in the very popular series Into The Night, broadcasted on Netflix, the Franco-Italian actor also proves the full extent of his talent on the big screen, going from action film (Michel Vaillant) to auteur film (Un Poison violent) in SuperSpeed mode.

Jérôme le Maire

Born in Liege on a beautiful day in the year that Gainsbourg classified as ‘erotic’ (1969), Jérôme le Maire did not want to become a fireman or a policeman, like most little boys his age. He wanted to be a director. Like Steven. When he isn’t looking for love in the palm grove, he turns his camera to doctors in the hospitals. Two films that got him awarded with prestigious awards, such as the Magritte in 2013 and 2018 for best documentary. But sometimes fiction exceeds reality and le Maire changes his hat, with the same success! Director of the Grand’Tour, he will be selected in prestigious festivals such as Cannes and Rotterdam and will be awarded the no less prestigious Golden Amphora at the 2012 Festival du Grolandais in Toulouse. He is currently working on two projects: a documentary on Noor, a solar power plant under construction in Morocco, and a « couscous western », La Montagne sauvage, co-written with Laurent Brandebourger (Petites Misères) and Vincent Tavier (Panique au village).

Christine Eloy

After graduating in Anthropology at the ULB (Université Libre de Bruxelles) Christine Eloy started to work for an event organization company, then for a pool of European televisual cultural programs. In 2000 she joined Cinéart, one of the leading independent film distributors in the BENELUX, where she worked at the sales department. Since September 2013, Christine is the director of Europa Distribution, the European Network of Independent Film Publishers and Distributors. With about 115 members, representing 30 countries in Europe and beyond, it acts as a network, a think tank and serves as the voice of this sector. Distributors have a key role in the film value chain since they bring films from all over the world to the local audience and ensure cultural diversity on the screens. And this is what Christine is passionate about, diverse stories and films, from Europe and beyond, to touch our imagination and open our minds.

Virginie Surdej

With astronomical parents, Virginie Surdej was accustomed from an early age to observe the world through a lens. She then turned to photography at INSAS before completing her studies at the prestigious Lodz School in Poland. After her studies, she worked as a trainee, 2nd camera assistant, electro. From small successes to the Camera d’Or, Virginie Surdej worked on a series of successful films such as InSyriated (2017) for which she won the Magritte for Best Picture in 2018, By the Name of Tania by Mary Jimenez and Bénédicte Liénard presented in Berlin, The Orphanage, (presented in international competition at BRIFF 2019), The Wolf and the Sheep (Directors’ Fortnight), Adam by Mariam Touzani, Much Loved by Nabil Ayouch and Nuestras Madres by César Diaz (Camera d’Or in 2019).

Européen

Tom Audenaert

Hasta la vista! Awarded by the Ensor of the Best Male hope in 2011 for his role of Jozef in the film by our compatriot Geoffrey Enthoven, Tom Audenaert cheerfully crosses the linguistic border to star in Les Rayures du zébre alongside Benoît Poelvoorde and Marc Zinga. A collaboration in French that he is continuing on television, as he has appeared in the latest series co-produced by RTBF, La Trève and Unité 42

Thierry Frémont

Thierry Frémont, fan of complex roles, feels as comfortable on the stage as he does on the set. After his training at the Conservatoire National Supérieur d’Art Dramatique of Paris, Thierry Frémont plays the main role in the Noces barbares of Marion Hansel, which earned him the Jean Gabin Prize in 1988. The same year for Travelling Avant by Jean Charles Tacchela he receives the César of the Best Male Hope. With these successes, he continues with Merci la vie by Bertrand Blier before becoming a revolted myopath in Olivier Schatsky’s Fortune Express. After playing in Bernard Giraudeau’s Les Caprices d’un fleuve, he played Jesus, a marginal Frenchman, in Les Démons de Jésus, Bernie Bonvoisin’s cult film. This powerful performance earned him the attention of Brian De Palma, who directs him in Femme fatale along with lead Antonio Banderas. Eric Valette’s L’Affaire d’Etat and Bertrand Tavernier’s Le Quai d’Orsay only reconfirm his talent and make him an ‘ally’ alongside Brad Pitt in Robert Zemeckis’ film ‘Allies’. From stage to set, Thierry Frémont always makes a smooth transition betwee the two, winning two Molière awards, in 2004 for Signé Dumas and in 2015 for Les Cartes du pouvoir.

Astrid Whettnall

After her first Little Glory thanks to Vincent Lannoo, Astrid Whettnall is nominated for the Magritte for Best Actress in 2014 for Au Nom du fils. Strengthened by this new visibility, our compatriot continues to film, under the direction of Costa-Gavras and Xavier Giannoli. In 2016, it is with Rachid Bouchareb that she takes the Route d’Istanbul, at the end of which she will win the Magritte for Best Actress. Recently, she played in Frères Ennemis, presented at La Mostra in Venice in 2018.

Anne Levy-Morelle

She had a dream... that of retracing the epic story of Gabriel de Halleux, a wellestablished Belgian who decided one day to leave everything behind and start a new life in Chile Chico, in the depths of Chilean Patagonia. Since Le Rêve de Gabriel, with which she toured around the world, winning the André-Cavens Prize from the Union of Film Critics, director Anne LévyMorelle has not stopped filming. Sur la pointe du cœur, Manneken Pis, l’Enfant qui pleut and Casus Belli, which made her a true expert in auteur cinema. A talent that she passes on by teaching writing and directing documentaries at the Institut des Arts de Diffusion (IAD). Today, the director is moving to the other side of the spectre, that of fiction, with Grandir en zone grise, a feature film resulting from an astonishing plunge into the world of justice.

Matyas Veress

A graduate of the Institut National Supérieur des Arts du Spectacle de Bruxelles (INSAS), Matyas Veress has edited more than sixty-five films throughout his prolific career, which was awarded in 2011 with the Magritte for Best Editing for by Jaco Van Dormael’s Mr. Nobody. Alternating between fiction and documentary, the Belgian editor has since continued to build on his success, with a string of critical acclaim. Editor of the Latvian film Oleg, winner of the Grand Prix of the National Competition at the BRIFF last year, he also had his part in the success of La Trève, the series by Matthieu Donck co-produced by the RTBF.

National

Christelle Michelet

Christelle Michelet embarked on a career as an artistic agent one fine day in 1989, coached by two big names in the game: Serge Rousseau and Danielle Gain. She fell in love with our national actors in 2003, after a screening of the Rashevski’s Tango. The excellence of the interpretation, led among others by Tania Garbarski, pushes her to put in words the emotion she felt and, beyond that, to try and identify the special soul in the black-yellow-red game. With ten years of experience between the Belgian «chicory» and «endive», Christelle Michelet now runs her own agency, LA FABRIQUE 67, promoting talented Belgian artists including Anne Coesens, Yoann Blanc, David Murgia, Stefan Liberski, Stéphane Bissot and many others.

Fernand Denis

«7 May 1987. Here we are in Cannes, after a night on the train, completely white. Too excited to sleep. There is not a minute be wasted, just enough time to drop the suitcase at the hotel, to rush to the accreditations and, with a bit of luck, to arrive just in time for the press screening of the opening film A Man in Love with Diane Kurys.» Passionate you say? This testimony speaks for itself. A distinguished critic since 1984, the journalist has been one of the leading figures in the Belgian press in the field of cinema.

Emilie Brisavoine

Emilie Brisavoine grew up under an electricity pylon in the south of France. After insomniac teenage years spent alongside Stephen King, she moved to Paris to study applied arts at the Ecole Duperré. Following an experience as a designer, she made drawings about the world, women and dogs. She appears in La Bataille de Solférino by Justine Triet, then plays in Arthur Harari’s Peine Perdue. Her first feature film, Pauline s’arrache, was released in December 2015. She is also a member of the bureau and board of directors of ACID (Association du Cinéma Indépendant pour sa Diffusion).

AWARDS 2020

International Competition

Jury : Stefano Cassetti, Marie-Josée Croze, Jérôme le Maire, Christine Eloy, Virginie Surdej

° GRAND PRIX °

Babyteeth (Milla)
Shannon Murphy
2019 / Australia / 120’

3.000€ for the distributor, or the person holding the rights for the film’s distribution (cash)
offered by Circles Group
1.500€ for the film (cash) offered by Circles Group
5.000€ for the purchase of media advertising space as part of the promotion of the film for a filmwhich will be distributed in Belgium offered by La Libre Belgique

° JURY PRIZE ° (ex aequo)

Favolacce (Bad Tales)
Fabio & Damiano D’Innocenzo
2020 / Switzerland, Italy / 98’

500€ for the film (cash)
5000€ in promotion if the film is distributed in the Belgian cinema’s of which 2500€ offered by La Libre Belgique for the purchase of media advertising space

° JURY PRIZE ° (ex aequo)

Rocks
Sarah Gavron
2019 / UK / 93’

500€ for the film (cash)
5000€ in promotion if the film is distributed in the Belgian cinema’s of which 2500€ offered by La Libre Belgique for the purchase of media advertising space

Directors' week

Jury : Tom Audenaert, Thierry Frémont, Anne-Lévy Morelle, Astrid Whettnall, Matyas Veress

° GRAND PRIX °

Electric Swan
Konstantina Kotzamani
2019 / Greece, France, Argentina / 40’

3.000€ for the director (cash)
5.000€ for the purchase of media
advertising space as part of the promotion of the film for a film which will be distributed in Belgium offered by La Libre Belgique

° JURY PRIZE °

Las Niñas (Schoolgirls)
Pilar Palomero
2020 / Spain / 97’

2.000€ for the director (cash) offered by CinéFemme
5.000€ for the purchase of media advertising space as part of the promotion of the film for a film which will be distributed in Belgium offered by La Libre Belgique

° AUDIENCE AWARD °

PYRALE (Moth)
Roxanne Gaucherand
2020 / France / 48’

2.000€ for the film (cash)
5.000€ for the purchase of media advertising space as part of the promotion of the film for a film which will be distributed in Belgium offered by La Libre Belgique

National Competition

Jury : Fernand Denis, Christelle Michelet, Emilie Brisavoine

° GRAND PRIX °

Saint-Nicolas est socialiste
David Leloup
2020 / Belgium / 94’

3.000€ for the distributor, or the person holding the rights for the film’s distribution (cash) offered by BCOH
2.000€ for the film(cash) offered by BCOH

° AUDIENCE AWARD °

Saint-Nicolas est socialiste
David Leloup
2020 / Belgium / 94’

2.500€ for the distributor, or the person holding the rights for the film’s distribution (cash)
2.500€ for the film (cash)
5.000€ for the purchase of media advertising space as part of the promotion of the film for a film which will be distributed in Belgium offered by La Libre Belgique

° SPECIAL JURY MENTION °

Retrospekt
Esther Rots
2018 /Netherlands Belgium / 101’