After ten days that must’ve pushed even the most hardened genre buffs to the limit – with over a hundred feature films and shorts, plus an immersive programme and specials – the official closing ceremony of the 42nd Imagine Film Festival took place last night in Zaal 1 of the Filmhallen. After festival director Chris Oosterom announced that attendance figures had risen for the fifth year running, it was time to announce this year’s winners.
The Imagine Immersive Award for the best contribution to Imagine’s Expanded programme went to VR experience Lúcido by Portuguese creator Vier, who wished everyone ‘sweet lucid dreams’ in their acceptance speech (in Dutch!). The Méliès Award for the Best European Fantastic Short was given to The Catcher by Belgian director Luka Galle. Galle collected the award in person and thanked his team, with whom he’d made his first, self-funded, genre short. Turkish production Salvation, directed by Emin Alper, took home the award for Best Feature in the Méliès competition. Over video, Alper said he hopes that his film – which, despite its fantastical elements, is based on harsh reality – would somehow contribute to peace. The award itself was accepted by his Dutch co-producer, Stienette Bosklopper.
‘We hereby declare Minter the unofficial winner of the Imagine Award for Best Acceptance Speech (Ever).’
Then came Imagine’s top prize, the Sea Devil Award. It went to The Wig by Mexican filmmaker Emiliano Rocha Minter. Minter, too, had prepared an acceptance speech on video, but his came with a twist: he’s seen on a busy street in Mexico City with his dog, ready to deliver his words of thanks, until the cameraman decides to spice things up. The results are simply hilarious. A true ode to the cinema’s creative possibilities. We hereby declare Minter the unofficial winner of the Imagine Award for Best Acceptance Speech (Ever).
Welsh filmmaker Simon Ryninks came over to the Netherlands for the closing film Out There – a sincere blend of teen drama, grief, British humour and ufology, with famous actor Michael Sheen stealing the show as a hilarious stoner. He’d also brought his two-year-old daughter, who happily cheered her father on. Chris wanted to know whether Ryninks had ever spotted something himself in UFO-hotspot Wales. Unfortunately not, Ryninks said, but he was definitely a ‘believer’.
After the screening, the audience moved to Hal West for drinks and bitterballen. The winners of the Silver Scream Audience Awards were announced shortly before midnight: horror short Mancave and timeloop feature Five More Minutes.
Wie een paar van de beste films en Expanded-bijdragen uit het programma heeft gemist, waaronder Five More Minutes, Mancave en Lúcido, kan vandaag nog terecht in LAB111 en Hal West. Zie voor alle tijden het blokkenschema. De volledige juryrapporten over de prijswinnaars vind je op onze Awards-pagina.
Tot volgend jaar!
If you missed out on some of the best films and Expanded programmes, including Five More Minutes, Mancave and Lúcido, you can still catch them today at LAB111 and Hal West. Go to the timetable for showtimes. The full jury reports can be found on our Awards page.
See you next year!
© Jaime Korbee | www.co-creator.nu
