Alain Guiraudie’s Misericordia, a rural melodrama with a sinister twist, has won France’s Louis Delluc prize for best film of the year.
The comedic crime thriller follows a man who returns to his native small town for a funeral, where his stay is greeted by unexpected twists.
Misericordia premiered in Cannes and went on to play the fall festival trifecta of Telluride, Toronto and New York. Oscar and Bafta-winning Anatomy Of A Fall notably took the same post-Cannes route in 2023.
Les Films du Losange has sold Misericordia to a slew of territories including Sideshow and Janus Films for North America and New Wave Films in the UK. It has had a solid run at the French box office, drawing 210,000 admissions since its October 16 release via Les Films du Losange’s distribution arm.
The film stars Felix Kysyl, Catherine Frot and Jean-Baptiste Durand. Charles Gillibert produced via his CG Cinema label.
The Louis Delluc prize for best first film went to another Cannes premiere, Jonathan Millet’s Critics’ Week opening title Ghost Trail starring Adam Bessa as a Syrian refugee on a quest for justice in France. It is produced by Films Grand Huit and sold by mk2 Films.
The Louis Delluc prize has been around since 1937 and is awarded by a jury of film critics and professionals and presided over by former Cannes Film Festival director Gilles Jacob. It traditionally kicks off awards season in France, setting the stage for contenders likely to figure in ceremonies including the César awards and the Lumières.
Last year’s Louis Delluc prize went to Thomas Cailley’s The Animal Kingdom, which led the César nominations with 12 nods, while the best first film award went to Iris Kaltenbäck’s The Rapture which went on to claim the Lumière for best debut feature.
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