Idol admired at Fantasia

Idol Photo: Vill Lee Film

"From start to finish, Idol is an incredibly well-made film. We were struck by the great screenplay, performances, and directing," said the 2019 Fantasia International Film Festival jury, awarding Lee Su-jin's twistsy thriller this year's Cheval Noir award for Best Film. Two of its stars, Han Seok-kyu and Sul Kyung-gu, tied for Best Actor, while the prize for Best Actress went to Nina Medeiros for Father's Shadow. The awards for Best Director and Best Screenplay were both won by Carlo Mirabella-Davis for Swallow. "With a clear vision, Carlo Mirabella-Davis’ perfectly-placed visuals deteriorate as his protagonist decent into depression and self-discovery," said the jury.

Giving the New Flesh award for début cinema to Kirill Sokolov for Why Don't You Just Die!, the jury said "this splatter-punk feature debut goes beyond the subgenre’s framework to blend elements of classic noir cinema, Western visual tropes, and cinematography reminiscent of Bruno Delbonel’s work on Amélie. This small team has put together an expertly crafted film that defies expectations at every turn."

Those awards in full:-

Best Film

• Idol

Best Director

• Carlo Mirabella-Davis, Swallow

Best Actor

• Han Seok-kyu & Sul Kyung-gu, Idol

Best Actress

• Nina Medeiros, Father's Shadow

Best Screenplay

• Carlo Mirabella-Davis, Swallow

New Flesh Award

• Kirill Sokolov, Why Don't You Just Die!

Best Short Film

• The Boogeywoman

Best Short Film Director

• Nico Van den Brink, The Burden

Best Short Film Actress

• Stephane Caillard, Lucienne Eats A Car

Best Short Film Actor

• Alexis Lefebvre, Une Bombe Au Coeur

Best Short Film Screenplay

• Kit Zauhar, The Terrestrials

Best Animated Feature

• Ride Your Wave

Best Animated Short

• The First Class

AQCC-Camera Lucida Award

• Koko-Di, Koko-Da

Action! Award

• The Fable

Best VR Fiction

• The Caretaker

Best VR Documentary

• Heart Of The Sathu