Slow, the second feature from Lithuanian filmmaker Marija Kavtaradze, has won the Crystal Arrow at the 15th edition of Les Arcs Film Festival in France.
The romantic drama receives a €20,000 digital promotional campaign for its release; Be For Films handles sales on the title, with Tandem distributing the film in France on March 6, 2024.
Scroll down for the full list of winners
A Sundance 2023 premiere, Slow follows a dancer and sign language interpreter who begin a relationship, building their own kind of intimacy.
It is a second feature for Kavtaradze after 2018 Toronto selection Summer Survivors; she also cast and co-wrote Andrius Blazevicius’ films The Saint and Runner.
The Les Arcs jury Grand Prix went to Ilker Catak’s Berlinale 2023 premiere The Teachers’ Lounge, which is Germany’s entry for the 2024 best international feature Oscar, recently making the 15-strong longlist. The film also took the best original music prize for Marvin Miller’s score.
Two acting prizes were awarded to Gaspar Adonyi-Walsh, for his performance in Gabor Reisz’ Explanation Fro Everything, which also took the €5,000 Cineuropa prize; and to Dimitra Vlagopoulou, for her role in Sofia Exarchou’s Animal.
Agnieska Holland’s Green Border received the Universcine prize. Both Green Border and Explanation For Everything won prizes on debut at Venice in September; and both are sold by Films Boutique, with Explanation For Everything the subject of a case study panel at Les Arcs about the film’s journey from script to screen, and its funding process outside of the Hungarian national fund.
Attendees at this year’s Les Arcs included jury president Asghar Farhadi, and special guests Ruben Ostlund – who shot his 2014 film Force Majeure in Les Arcs – and Berenice Bejo. Both Ostlund and Bejo gave masterclasses at the festival.
The festival also continued its focus on music through its Music Village, welcoming international composers to the festival and hosting performances from acts including Voyou, Zaho de Sagazan and Belgian duo Charlotte Adigery and Bolis Pupul.
The ‘Moving Mountains’ programme took the theme of mental health, with a prize awarded to writer-director Thomas Cailley and actor Romain Duris for The Animal Kingdom; and a discussion between industry professionals and mental health experts running as part of the festival.
Following the closing ceremony last night (December 22) and screening of closing film Vivants by Alix Delaporte, the festival will wrap up its 15th edition today with screenings of several of the winning films.
Earlier this week, Urska Djukic’s five-country European co-production Little Trouble Girls was among the industry winners.
Les Arcs 2023 winners
Crystal Arrow for best film – Slow (Lith-Sp-Swe) dir. Marija Kavtaradze
Jury Grand Prix – The Teachers’ Lounge (Ger) dir. Ilker Catak
Acting awards – Gaspar Adonyi-Walsh for Explanation For Everything; Dimitra Vlagopoulou for Animal
Best original music – Marvin Miller for The Teachers’ Lounge
Best cinematography – Nathalie Durand for The Successor
Universcine prize – Green Border (Pol-Fr-Cze-Bel) dir. Agnieszka Holland
Cineuropa prize – Explanation For Everything (Hun-Slovakia) dir. Gabor Reisz
Cingles du cinema prize – The Hypnosis (Swe-Nor-Fr) dir. Ernst De Geer
Audience award – The Successor (Fr-Can-Bel) dir. Xavier Legrand
Young jury prize – Sweet Dreams (Swe-Neth-Indonesia) dir. Ena Sendijarevic
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