The Count Of Monte-Cristo

Source: Cannes Film Festival

‘The Count Of Monte-Cristo’

French epic The Count Of Monte-Cristo has won the Cheval Noir award for best film at this year’s Fantasia International Film Festival.

The Canadian genre festival’s top prize was bestowed on directors Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre De La Patelliere at Fantasia’s jury awards ceremony on Saturday (July 27), in the middle of the festival’s July 18-Aug 4 run.

The ceremony, at Montreal’s Cinéma du Musée, was hosted by Fantasia’s artistic director and director of international programming Mitch Davis.

The Count Of Monte-Cristo, the latest screen version of Alexandre Dumas’ literary classic, made its debut out of competition at this year’s Cannes festival and had its international premiere at Fantasia.

Other Cheval Noir honours at Fantasia went to Lucia Puenzo’s fantasy drama Electrophilia from Argentina and Chile, which got the special jury mention, and South Korea’s Hwang Wook, named best director for his action comedy Mash Ville, a Fantasia world premiere.

Electrophilia also won the Cheval Noir screenplay and performance awards.

The festival’s New Flesh award for best first feature went to Michael Pierro’s Canadian thriller Self Driver.

The Satoshi Kon award for achievement in animation went to Japanese director Kenji Nakamura’s Mononoke The Movie: Phantom In The Rain, another Fantasia world premiere.

The Directors Guild of Canada award for best feature director went to Naomi Jaye for Canadian romantic thriller Darkest Miriam.

Yet to be revealed are the winners of Fantasia’s Fantastic Weekend, L’Ecran Fantastique, and audience awards.

Fantasia 2024 juried award winners:

Cheval Noir Competition 

Best Film – The Count Of Monte-Cristo (dirs.. Matthieu Delaporte, Alexandre De La Patellière)

Special Jury Mention (Best Film) - Electrophilia (dir. Lucía Puenzo)

Best Director - Hwang Wook, for Mash Ville

Best Screenplay - Lucía Puenzo, Lorena Ventimiglia for Electrophilia

Best Cinematography - Inti Briones, for Rita (dir. Jayro Bustamante)

Best Editing – Penalty Loop (dir. Shinji Araki)

The Sandro Forte Award for Best Motion Picture Score – Penalty Loop (dir. Shinji Araki)

Outstanding Performance Award - Mariana Di Girolamo, for Electrophilia, and Anna Starchenko and Berik Aitzhanov, for Steppenwolf

New Flesh Competition for Best First Feature 

Best First Feature – Self Driver (dir. Michael Pierro)

Special Jury Mentions – Chainsaws Were Singing (dir Sander Maran) and Kidnapping Inc (dir. Bruno Mourral)

International Short Film Competition

Best Film – Empty Jars (dir. Guillermo Ribbeck)

Best Director - Björn Schagerström, for Headache

Best Screenplay - Iván Maureira, Guillermo Ribbeck, for Empty Jars (dir. Guillermo Ribbeck)

Best Cinematography - Be Right Back (dirs. Gabe Ibañez and Lucas Paulino)

Best Editing – Night Fishing (dir. Moon Byoung-gon)

Best Score – Blitzmusik (dir. Martin Amiot)

Outstanding Performance - Ana Burgos, for Empty Jars, and Amed Bozan, Jenny Gustavsson, and Torkel Petersson, for Headache

Special Jury Mention (Best Film) – The Streetlight (dir. Sophia Parella)

Satoshi Kon Award for Achievement in Animation

Best Animated Feature – Mononoke The Movie: Phantom In The Rain (dir. Kenji Nakamura)

Special Jury Mention (Best Animated Feature) – The Missing (dir Carl Joseph Papa)

Best Animated Short / Bronze - Trumpet Voice (dir. David Monarte Serna and Pilar Smoje Gueico)

Best Animated Short / Silver – Itch (dir. Maggie Zeng)

Best Animated Short / Gold – Wild Animal (dir. Tianyun Lyu)

Directors Guild of Canada Award for Best Director

Best Director (Feature Film) - Naomi Jaye, for Darkest Miriam

Special Jury Mention - Karl R Hearne, for The G

Quebec Critics Choice Association Award

Best Film – Me And My Victim (dirs.. Maurane, Billy Pedlow)

Special Jury Mention – Vulcanizadora (dir. Joel Potrykus)

Poulain Noir - My First Fantasia Award

Best Film / Bronze – The Girl With The Occupied Eyes (dir. Andre Carrilho)

Best Film / Silver – Two One Two (dir. Shira Avni)

Best Film / Gold – Eyes (dirs. Yoojae Choi, Hyokyoung Nam).