The Count Of Monte Cristo wins Cheval Noir

Full suite of Fantasia awards announced

by Jennie Kermode

The Count Of Monte Cristo
The Count Of Monte Cristo Photo: Fantasia International Film Festival

Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre De La Patellière's new take on The Count Of Monte Cristo has won the coveted Cheval Noir at the 2024 Fantasia International Film Festival, with the jury praising its simplicity and the ingenuity of the filmmakers working on a low budget. Also among the night's success stories was Argentinean drama Electrophilia, which got a special mention from them "for its daring psycho-sexual exploration of the archetypal bond between women and 10-gigawatt lightning bolts, and its pump-fake superhero origin story of a veterinarian who gains the powers of a cow," and saw star Mariana Di Girolamo take the Outstanding Performance Award.

Japanese thriller Penalty Loop won in the editing and music categories, while the country also scored in animation, with Kenji Nakamura's Mononoke The Movie: The Phantom In The Rain receiving the Satoshi Kon Award.

Those awards in full:

Cheval Noir Competition

  • Best Film: The Count Of Monte Cristo (France) - Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre De La Patellière
  • Special Jury Mention: Electrophilia (Argentina) - Lucía Puenzo
  • Best Director: Mash Ville (South Korea) - Hwang Wook
  • Best Screenplay: Electrophilia (Argentina) - Lucía Puenzo
  • Best Cinematography: Rita (Guatemala) - Jayro Bustamante
  • Best Editing: Penalty Loop (Japan) - Shinji Araki
  • The Sandro Forte Award For Best Motion Picture Score: Penalty Loop (Japan) - Shinji Araki
  • Outstanding Performance Award: Electrophilia (Argentina) - Mariana Di Girolamo
  • Outstanding Performance Award: Steppenwolf (Kazakhstan) - Berik Aitzhanov and Anna Starchenko

New Flesh Competition For Best First Feature

  • Best First Feature: Self Driver (Canada) - Michael Pierro
  • Special Jury Mention: Chainsaws Were Singing (Estonia) - Sander Maran
  • Special Jury Mention: Kidnapping Inc. (Canada/Haiti/France) - Bruno Mourral

International Short Film Competition

  • Best Film: Empty Jars (Chile) - Guillermo Ribbeck
  • Best Director: Headache (Sweden) - Björn Schagerström
  • Best Screenplay: Empty Jars (Chile) - Guillermo Ribbeck
  • Best Cinematography: Be Right Back (Spain) - Gabe Ibañez and Lucas Paulino
  • Best Editing: Night Fishing (South Korea) - Moon Byoung-Gon
  • Best Score: Blitzmusik (Canada) - Martin Amiot
  • Outstanding Performance Award: Ana Burgos, Empty Jars
  • Outstanding Performance Award: Amed Bozan, Jenny Gustavsson, Torkel Petersson, Headache
  • Special Jury Mention: The Streetlight (US) - Sophia Barella

Satoshi Kon Award For Achievement In Animation

  • Best Feature Film: Mononoke The Movie: The Phantom In The Rain (Japan) - Kenji Nakamura
  • Special Jury Mention: The Missing (Philippines) - Carl Joseph Papa
  • Best Short Film, Gold: Wild Animal (US) - Tianyun Lyu
  • Best Short Film, Silver: Itch (Canada) - Maggie Zeng
  • Best Short Film, Bronze: Trumpet Voice (Chile) - David Monarte Serna and Pilar Smoje Gueico

Dgc Competition

Aqcc Competition

  • Best Film: Me And My Victim (Canada/US) - Maurane and Billy Pedlow
  • Special Jury Mention: Vulcanizadora (US) - Joel Potrykus

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