It’s time to bring the 14th edition of MyFrenchFilmFestival to a close. From January 19 to February 19, 2024, festival-goers from all over the world were able to discover 26 films that testify to the diversity and vivacity of French-speaking cinema. Discover the complete list of winners of this 14th edition.
The International Jury, composed of Moroccan filmmaker and actor Faouzi Bensaïdi; Italian actor Pierfrancesco Favino; Italian-Brazilian filmmaker Lillah Halla; Austrian filmmaker Marie Kreutzer; and French filmmaker Katell Quillévéré, gave the Grand Prize of the 14th edition of MyFrenchFilmFestival to Junkyard Dog by Jean-Baptiste Durand, produced by Insolence Productions and exported by Bac Films.
This film wins a prize of €15,000, split evenly between the director, producer and exporter: “We gave the Grand Prize to Junkyard Dog (Chien de la Casse) by Jean-Baptiste Durand, which impressed us with its extremely detailed depiction of the intrinsic relationship, both romantic and violent, between characters in a French countryside. The film finds an unconventional and universal way to address a wider audience. It’s a wonderfully tender and subtle film about the rite of passage into adulthood, focusing on how difficult communication can be, particularly between men. Surprising, atmospheric, authentic and simple, but with so many layers. After this incredibly mature first film, we can’t wait to see what this director creates next.“
The International Jury also honoured Polaris by Ainara Vera with a Special Mention, praising: “An impressive journey through the layers and complexity of womanhood, far from limitations and clichés. The legendary voyage of a heroine who must overcome the natural forces of life and the environment, as well as her personal daily dilemmas, in order to face her own legacy and destiny.”
The International Press Jury, composed of seven foreign journalists: Gabriela Bravo Chiappe (Chile), Cathy Immelen (Belgium), Pavlina Jeleva (Bulgaria), Emrah Kolukisaoglu (Turkey), Iana Murray (United Kingdom), Kalash Nanda Kumar (Malaysia) and Leticia Silva Queiroz (Brazil), the International Press Jury awarded the feature film No Dogs or Italians Allowed by Alain Ughetto “For its deft tale, which gives us a glimpse of the little-known history of European migrations, but also for its sensitivity and sincerity, and for the beauty of its formal and technical execution. A poetic and ingenious stop-motion production that the director literally interacts with by putting his hands into the frame and sharing his family’s own story.”
The Content Creator Jury, composed of Cécilia Jourdan (@hellofrenchnyc), Abdelraouf Meraga & Nadjib Adda (@cilimastation), and Alexandre Neyraud(@diversificationlitteraire), honoured two short films of the competition: “The Content Creator Jury is delighted to award the excellent short film Fairplay by Zoel Aeschbacher. This satirical fable impressed us with its energy, stifling pace and ability to convey – with irresistible cynicism – the futility of human behaviour.”
“We are also dedicating a Special Mention to a second film that we truly loved and that came very close to winning: Life in Canada by Frédéric Rosset. It’s a funny yet sensitive family film that impressed us with its absolutely amazing and incredibly precise acting.“
The 18 films of the competition will also be in the running for the Audience Awards, which will honour a feature film and a short film in competition. Once again, festivalgoers turned out in force to vote for their favorite feature-length and short films. The Audience Award for a Feature film went to Alain Ughetto‘s No Dogs or Italians Allowed, while the Audience Award for a Short Film went to David Arslanian‘s Underdog.
MyFrenchFilmFestival is organised by Unifrance, the organisation in charge of promoting French cinema and TV programmes throughout the world: UNIFRANCE.ORG. Founded in 1949, Unifrance is the organisation responsible for promoting French cinema and TV content worldwide. Located in Paris, Unifrance employs around 50 staff members, as well as representatives based in the U.S., in China, and in Japan. The organisation currently brings together more than 1,000 French cinema and TV content professionals (producers, talents, agents, sales companies, etc.) working together to promote French films and TV programmes among foreign audiences, industry executives, and media.
MyFrenchFilmFestival 2024 benefits from the precious support as official partners of the French government, CNC, Institut Français, Telefilm Canada, Wallonie Bruxelles Images and TitraFilm. And as media partners: France Médias Monde, RFI, France 24, Monte Carlo Doualiya, Variety, TV5MONDE, AlloCiné, AdoroCinema, SensaCine, SensaCine LATAM, Filmstarts, El Hype, El País, ComingSoon.it, IONCINEMA.com, Flix.gr, kino-teatr.ua, Focus Taiwan – CNA, Quadro por Quadro, Under The Milky Way, JustWatch, Orange.
This article was updated on February 20, 2023.
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