Foreign Oscar Contenders Win Big at Palm Springs Fest: ‘Parasite,’ ‘Beanpole,’ ‘Corpus Christi’ Lead
The Palm Springs International Film Festival, which began just after the New Year and wraps January 13, screened 188 films; 51 of them were submitted for the Best International Feature Film Academy Award. The Palm Springs Film Festival prize winners announced Saturday over brunch at the Hilton included a handful of these films. See the full list of winners below. Audience awards will be announced on Sunday.
FIPRESCI Prize for Best International Feature Film: “Beanpole” (Russia), Director Kantemir Balagov.
FIPRESCI Prize for Best Actor in a International Feature Film: Bartosz Bielenia from “Corpus Christi” (Poland).
FIPRESCI Prize for the Best Actress in a International Feature Film: Helena Zengel from “System Crasher” (Germany).
FIPRESCI Prize for International Screenplay: “Parasite” (South Korea), Screenwriters Bong Joon Ho and Han Jin-Won.
FIPRESCI Prize for International Screenplay Special Mention: “Antigone” (Canada), Screenwrier Sophie Deraspe.
The FIPRESCI jury members were film critics Pamela Biénzobas, Alferov Gavrylyshyn, and Tina Hassannia.
NEW VOICES NEW VISIONS AWARD
New Voices New Visions Award: “Song Without A Name” (Peru/Spain/USA/Chile), Director Melina León.
The films were juried by Tre’vell Anderson (Journalist), Nancy Collett (Founder and President, Cinema Collett) and Evan Morehouse (Film Buyer, Independent).
BEST DOCUMENTARY AWARD
Best Documentary Award: “Talking About Trees” (France/Sudan/Germany/Chad/Qatar), Director Suhaib Gasmelbari.
The films were juried by Ken Jacobson (Senior Documentary Programmer, American Film Institute), Shannon Service (Director/Producer, Second Sleep Studios) and Abby Sun (Curator, The DocYard).
IBERO-AMERICAN AWARD
Ibero-American Award: “Monos” (Colombia), Director Alejandro Landes.
Ibero-American Special Mention: “Workforce” (Mexico), Director David Zonana.
The films were judged by Nestor Bentancor (Film Journalist & Critic, DesdeHollywood), Rodolfo “Fito” Castillo-Morales (Documentary Programming Director, Guadalajara International Film Festival) and Maria Gracia Turgeon (Producer, Midi La Nuit).
LOCAL JURY AWARD
Local Jury Award: “Adam” (Morocco), Director Maryam Touzani.
The films were judged by Patricia Garza-Elsperger (Producer), Denise Goolsby (Office of Neighborhoods Manager, City of Palm Springs), Sergio Pinedo (Sales Representative, Beauty 4 Pros) and Joseph “Woody” Woodson (Driver, Sunline Transit Agency).
YOUNG CINEASTES AWARD
Young Cineastes Award: “Corpus Christi” (Poland), Director Jan Komasa.
The films were judged by students Graham Bennett, Marina Castillo, Sedona Cruz, Daniel Lorette, Stefan Pejovic and Zach Posa.
THE GoE BRIDGING THE BORDERS AWARD
GoE Bridging the Borders Award: “Advocate” (Israel/Canada/Switzerland), Director Rachel Leah Jones, Philippe Bellaiche.
GoE Bridging the Borders Special Mention: “The Australian Dream” (Australia), Director Daniel Gordon.
