The Reims Polar detective film festival, which closes its doors this Sunday, April 10, awarded its prizes on Saturday evening, including theth Grand Prize, given to Assault by Adikhan Yerzhanov (Kazakhstan). The festival jury was presided over by the French actor Niels Arestrup, who received a Caesarean award for his roles in A prophet and The Beat That My Heart Skippedtwo films borrowing from the thriller genre.
Assaultwhich recounts in absurd mode the hostage-taking of a school by masked men, with adults organizing themselves to come to the aid of the student prisoners, was also awarded the Critics’ Prize, awarded by a jury composed of five journalists.
The Jury Prize goes to Are you lonesome tonight? of the Chinese Wen Shipei as well as to The Execution by Lado Kvataniya (Russia), also winner of the Special Police Prize, on the arrest of a serial killer, hunted in vain for more than ten years by the Russian police forces and whose guilt no one can prove.
Among the ten films in competition, also competed Rhinoon the rise of a young delinquent, by Ukrainian filmmaker Oleh Sentsov, currently on the front lines, as well asBetween life and deatha French film with Antonio de la Torre and Marine Vacth, directed by Giordano Gederlini.
In total, 50 films signed by filmmakers of twenty nationalities were presented during the festival which is held in Reims, chaired by Bruno Barde, also at the helm of the American film festival of Deauville and the fantastic film of Gérardmer.
The festival, which held its first edition online last year due to the health crisis, paid several tributes, including to American director Walter Hill (48 hours, The warriors of the night) and French actor Vincent Lindon.