The annual NYC 2 Paris International Film Festival wrapped on October 12, 2019 after a full house at Film Noir Cinema in New York and Studio Galande in Paris. The festival announced six award winners and a special jury mention award.
Lucie Guillemot, Festival Director, said, “It’s really rewarding as a festival founder to see so many talented international filmmakers and their teams gathered in the same place. I am so glad NYC2PARIS could help those wonderful films to be seen by such an enthusiastic audience!”
The Festival awarded the following winners :
- Best Director : Raffael Oliveri (Midnight Talk)
- Best Cinematography : Midnight Talk
- Best Screenplay : The Return of Richard III on the 9:24am Train by Gilles Dyrek
- Best Animation : Cerulia
- Best Actress : Aude Bourrier (Keep it Light)
- Best Actor : Jean-Gilles Barbier (The Return of Richard III on the 9:24am Train)
Eric Bu, director of the festival’s two-time award-winning film “The Return of Richard III on the 9:24am Train,” said he was delighted the festival crossed borders, adding, “I am really happy and proud to be a part of it. Thank you to the festival for the warm welcome and atmosphere!”
Aude Bourrier, on receiving her award for best actress said it was a great honor and thanked Keep it Light director Malika Pellicioli for trusting her with the movie, “…being a young female actress in this industry is hard but having the chance to play the lead with talented women who want to make an impact and gave a powerful feminist twist on comedy is a gift. Thank you to everyone who made that possible.”
The Festival selected 18 official selections for this year’s edition, proving for a strong programming lineup. The full jury nominee shortlist can be found.
Jury president Joanna Pickering created an extra award for Outstanding Achievement in Social Justice in Cinema with the support of her jurors. This was awarded to “By Any Means Necessary”, directed by Damian Kudelka. The film is a social justice documentary exploring issues on Black Lives Matter while focusing on police brutality and specifically the death of Eric Garner. The film includes live interviews from the family.
Pickering said, “The decision was fitting with the festival and jurors’ intent to also represent diversity, inclusivity and social awareness in filmmaking. While it is clearly made on a low budget, its message is vital and 100% impacting. I was adamant the film should not go under the radar.”
On the films overall, Emilie Dubois, jury member said, “The whole selection was very rich, there were documentaries, animation films, comedy, drama, and also fantastic and horror genre cinema. I’m personally very happy to see that range of cinema in film festivals!”
Philippe Du Janerand, jury member, added “Through this subtle film festival, I was surprised to realize that notions like the old and the new world didn’t exist. Long life to foreign and independent cinemas!”
Producer Maria Akay confirmed the jury had a tough job selecting winners as the selections were so strong. She said, “Our jury president decided to add a fifth juror – that’s how close it was.” Oscar-qualifying and Cannes award-winning filmmaker Stefano Da Fre, who is President and Owner of Rosso Films International, joined the jury to complete the team.
NYC 2 Paris International Film Festival will re-open to submissions for October 2020 and advise filmmakers to check their website for announcements.
The festival will continue its mission to help indie filmmakers meet their international peers and show their work in different parts of the world.
Listen to hear jury member Kathleen Simmonds and Jury President talk about the festival
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