Charlie Polinger’s debut “The Plague,” a psychological thriller starring Joel Edgerton, won the Grand Prize at the 51st edition of the Deauville American Film Festival, which wraps this evening in the French Normandie town.
The movie opened at Cannes, in Un Certain Regard, where it earned solid reviews. It tells the story of a shy teenager dealing with vicious bullying while attending an all-boys water polo camp. It was acquired by the Independent Film Company for North American distribution, while AGC Studios handles international sales. Edgerton, who was at Deauville this week to present his Netflix movie “Train Dreams” and receive a tribute, produced “The Plague.”
The jury, presided over by French-Iranian actor Golshifteh Farahani, handed out two Jury prizes ex aequo for “Olmo,” directed by Fernando Eimbcke, and Cole Webley’s “Omaha.”
“Olmo,” produced by Plan B (a Mediawan company) and Michel Franco, follows the journey of a Mexican-American family through the eyes of a 14-year-old teen who is stuck at home caring for his bedridden father. The movie world premiered at the Berlin Film Festival.
“Omaha,” meanwhile, is a road trip drama that premiered at Sundance and revolves around a struggling widower who takes his children on an unexpected cross-country road trip after a family tragedy.
Kristen Stewart’s “The Chronology of Water” won the Revelation Award, while Scarlett Johansson’s “Eleanor the Great” won the audience nod.
“Eleanor the Great,” which opened at Cannes, is a heartwarming drama starring June Squibb as a 90-year-old woman trying to rebuild her life after the death of her best friend. Johansson’s directorial debut, the film earned warm reviews at Cannes and marks the first partnership between Sony Pictures Classics and TriStar Pictures.
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Based on Lidia Yuknavitch’s memoir of the same name, “The Chronology of Water” follows a woman (Imogen Poots) who emerges from an abusive childhood and channels her trauma into competitive swimming, sexual exploration, toxic relationships and addiction, before eventually discovering her voice as a writer.
Stewart, who also took part in a Deauville masterclass earlier today where she highlighted the French movies that have influenced her as an actor and filmmaker, came on stage to accept her award and said it had taken her eight years to make the film.
“It was enough for me to even be allowed to make this movie,” she said, after apologizing for not speaking French. “I understand it’s a common story for first filmmakers to have it feel impossible, but the uphill battle on this one felt so personal and not for me, Kristen, but for me, girl.”
“And I know that it was the subject matter and the form, but it’s because I was trying to make a movie about bleeding, and the digging and the climb that it takes to unearth a voice in a world masterfully designed to silence us — It took 8 fucking years,” Stewart said.
“The Chronology of Water,” which premiered at Cannes’ Un Certain Regard, was mainly produced by Charles Gillibert at Paris-based CG Cinema International, and was acquired by The Forge for U.S. distribution.
Farahani, whose jury comprised Thomas Cailley, Eye Haïdara, Katell Quillévéré, Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, Vincent Macaigne, Benjamin Millepied and Emilie Tronche, delivered a poignant speech in which she addressed the political tumults in the U.S. and conflicts in different parts of the world.
“This year more than ever, American cinema has appeared to us as a fractured mirror of the state of the world,” she said. “Through the films we have seen, chosen and passionately debated, one image has emerged: that of a vast, powerful country in freefall from its foundations. An America that is failing, not through a lack of creativity, but through the abandonment of what makes society.”
The ceremony was followed by the special screening of “A Private Life,” Rebecca Zlotowski’s humor-laced psychological thriller starring Jodie Foster and Daniel Auteuil, among others. The film was acquired by Sony Pictures Classics and is one of the five movies shortlisted by France’s Oscar committee for the international feature film race.
The 2025 Deauville Film Festival winners are:
Grand Prize
“The Plague,” Charlie Polinger
Jury Prize
“Olmo,” Fernando Eimbcke
“Omaha,” Cole Webley
Revelation Prize
“The Chronology of Water,” Kristen Stewart
Deauville Audience Award
“Eleanor the Great,” Scarlett Johansson
Canal+ Award
“Sovereign,” Christan Swegal
Critics Prize
“The Plague,” Charlie Polinger
D’Ornano-Valenti Prize
“Nino,” Pauline Loques
From Variety US