Rose Byrne (“Spy,” “Bridesmaids”) took home the Best Actress award for her role in Mary Bronstein’s “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,” at Europe’s preeminent genre film fest, the Sitges – International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia, which wrapped its 58th edition on Oct. 19.
The A24 release is described by Variety critic Peter Debruge as “a virtuosic portrait of mental unraveling that uses every tool in the director’s arsenal to re-create an end-of-the-world feeling on the most intimate scale,” where Byrne delivers “a feverish, raw-nerve performance sure to go down as one of the year’s greats.”
The festival crowned “The Ugly Stepsister” (“Den stygge stesøsteren”) by Norway’s Emilie Blichfeldt with the Best Feature Film prize while South Korea’s Park Chan-wook snagged the Best Director Award for his dark comedy thriller, “No Other Choice,” based on Donald E. Westlake’s crime novel, “The Ax.”
Hailed by Variety as a “deliciously extreme take on the beloved ‘Cinderella’ legend, complete with broken noses, severed toes and other gory details befitting the Grimm Bros.” “The Ugly Stepsister” delivers a body horror twist on the fairy tale, which centers on stepsister Elvira, who goes to painfully extraordinary lengths to fit the kingdom’s standards of beauty.
Meanwhile, the entire cast of “The Plague,” by newcomer Charlie Polinger, comprising Joel Edgerton, Everett Blunck, Kayo Martin, Lucas Adler and Kenny Rasmussen, shared Best Actor. The psychological drama follows a socially awkward 12-year-old who is relentlessly bullied in an all-boy water polo camp.
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Backed by “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” producer Bill Kong and bringing together what Variety described as “maybe the most formidable collection of Asian action talent since Hong Kong’s golden age,” “The Furious,” from action choreographer-turned-director Tanigaki Kenji, scooped Sitges’ Special Jury Award, Sitges’ effective runner-up prize.
It shared that plaudit with “Obsession,” a low-budget twisted love horror film from YouTube breakout and first-time director Curry Barker that has just caught attention by being picked up by Focus Features for $14 million. “Obsession” also won Sitges’ coveted People’s Choice Award.
“The Ugly Stepsister” bowed at Sundance’s Midnight Strand; “The Furious” and “Obsession” world premiered at Toronto’s Midnight Madness, a sign of how some of the best and most market-attractive movies at both festivals are now screening in their genre sections.
Equally, the Sitges Film Festival’s industry star is rising as sales agents in Europe identify upscale genre as one of the most market-worthy of film types on a highly difficult international distribution scene.
The festival had its share of stars that included Benedict Cumberbatch, Luc Besson, Carmen Maura and producer Gale Ann Hurd who received Sitges’ Woman in Fan Grand Honorary Award.
The coveted Blood Window prize, from the most important platform for genre cinema in Latin America, went to Mexico’s Emilio Portes (“Belzebuth,” “Pastorela”) for his nightmarish suspense drama (especially for parents), “Don’t Leave the Kids Alone.”
“After screening our previous film, ‘Belzebuth,’ at Sitges 2017, returning to the 58th Edition was a wonderful déjà vu, spiced with old friends, new flabbergasting films, great parties and sight-seeing movie legends in such a magic town. But winning the Blood Window Award with ‘Don’t Leave the Kids Alone,’ is a sweet nightmare come true. We are beyond happy,” Portes told Variety.
“Once again, the Sitges Film Festival—the most important genre festival in the world—has partnered with Blood Window to recognize Latin American talent,” said Morbido Group founder/CEO Pablo Guisa, “A key point for me is that this film had its world premiere at Rotterdam, a major non-genre festival, and then won at Sitges. This shows that Latin American genre film is being recognized by both genre-specific and mainstream festivals, which is a win for all of Latin horror.”
“Emilio Portes has been committed to genre filmmaking for a long time. His films “Conozca la cabeza de Juan Pérez,” “Pastorela,” “Belzebuth,” and now this one—are proof of his dedication, and I’m happy to see his work gaining this recognition,” he told Variety, adding: “Blood Window is now more alive than ever. With a presence at Cannes and Sitges, and activities in Mexico with Morbido, it reflects the incredible moment Latin American horror is currently experiencing. This success is due, in part, to Blood Window’s steadfast support over the last decade.”
“Don’t Leave the Kids Alone” was indeed not the only prize for Latin American genre filmmaking with “The Virgin of the Quarry Lake,” an Argentina-Spain-Mexico produduction directed by Laura Casabé, taking Best Cinematography for Diego Tenorio.
The 58th Sitges Film Festival ran Oct. 9 – 19.
OFFICIAL COMPETITION WINNERS
Best Feature Film
“The Ugly Stepsister,” Emilie Blichfeldt
Special Jury Award
(ex aequo)
“The Furious,” Kenji Tanigaki
“Obsession,” Curry Barker
Best Director
Park Chan-wook, “No Other Choice”
Best Actress
Rose Byrne, “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”
Best Actor
The entire cast of “The Plague”
Best Screenplay
“A Useful Ghost,” de Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke
Best Cinematography
Diego Tenorio, “La virgen de la tosquera”
Best Music
Yasutaka Nakata & Shouhei Amimori, “Exit 8”
Best Special, Visual or Makeup Effects
Tenille Shockey & François Dagenais, “Honey Bunch”
NEW VISIONS
Best Film
(ex aequo)
“Lesbian Space Princess,” Emma Hough Hobbs & Leela Varghese
“The True Beauty of Being Bitten by a Tick,” Pete Ohs
Best Director
(ex aequo)
Adam C. Briggs & Sam Dixon, “A Grand Mockery”
Toshiaki Toyoda, “Transcending Dimensions”
Best Short film
“Monstruo Obscura,” Hong Seung-gi
BLOOD WINDOW
Best Feature Film
“Don’t Leave the Kids Alone,” (“No dejes a los niños solos,” Emilio Portes)
ORBIT
Best Feature Film
“The Forbidden City,” (“La città proibita,” Gabriele Mainetti)
GOLDEN MÉLIÈS AWARD
Best Fantastic Genre Feature Film
“Mr. K,” Tallulah Hazekamp Schwab
Best Short Film Genre Feature Film
“Don’t Be Afraid,” Mats Udd
SILVER MÉLIÈS AWARD
Best Fantastic Genre Feature Film
“Feels Like Home,” Gábor Holtai
Best European Fantasy Genre Short Film
“El fantasma de la Quinta,” James A. Castillo
ANIMATION
Best Animated Feature Film
“Lesbian Space Princess,” Emma Hough Hobbs & Leela Varghese
Best Animated Short Film
BRIGADOON PAUL NASCHY AWARD
Best Short Film
“Floor,” Jo Bareun
CRITIC’S JURY
Best Film
(ex aequo)
“The Life of Chuck,” Mike Flanagan
“Reflection in a Dead Diamond,” Hélène Cattet & Bruno Forzani
CITIZEN KANE AWARD
Best New Director
Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke, “A Useful Ghost”
Best Short Film
“The Man That I Wave At,” Ben S. Hyland
CARNET JOVE JURY
Best Feature Film
“Obsession,” Curry Barker
Best Documentary
“Endless Cookie,” Peter Scriver & Seth Scriver
SGAE NOVA AUTORIA
Best Direction-Production
Fran Moreno & Santiago Pujol, “Furia”
Best Screenplay
Fran Moreno & Santiago Pujol, “Furia”
Best Original Music
Sergio Rojas, “Matcha”
PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD
“Obsession,” Curry Barker
John Hopewell contributed to this article.
From Variety US