Editor

The winners of FANTASPORTO 2009 with homages to WIM WENDERS, PAUL SCHRADER and JOSÉ FONSECA E COSTA

With a selection that was praised by juries, audiences and critics, the 29th edition of the Oporto International Film Festival announced its awards.



The films "Idiots and Angels" by Bill Plympton (USA), "Moscow, Belgium" by Christophe Van Rompaey (Bel), two directors well known of the festival, together with the South Corean Phil-sung Yim, the director of "Hansel & Gretel", were the winners of the 29th edition of Portugal's biggest film festival.



"Idiots and Angels" by American animation master Bill Plympton won the Best Film Award of the Fantasy competition. The director of Oscar nominated "Guide Dog", "Hair High or "I Married a Strange Person" convinced the jury with his no dialogue but full of insight new feature about a man whose back grows wings. The film also won the Best Screenplay Award.

Also a winner, the British "Eden Lake" was also prized for the Best Direction (James Watkins) and Best Actor, the young Jack O'Connell as the leader of a gang of very fierce teenagers.



From South Korea and another winner of Fantasporto was "Hansel & Gretel" by Phil Sung-Yim, running in two sections. It won the Special Prize of the Fantasy competion and the Best Film award of the Orient Express. A tale of terror in which the classic story has a very minor role. In fact, the menace comes from the children living deep in the forest.



The 19th Directors Week, a favourite of the festival goers, gave its major award to "Moscow, Belgium" by Christophe Van Rompaey. Scenes of the daily life of a housewife who is finding love again in the arms of a truck driver.

Van Rompaey had already won twice the short film award at Fantasporto and did it again with his first feature.





A visitor to the Oporto Festival, the German director Wim Wenders, who was one of the honorees with a Career Award of the festival, also presented a film in competition, "Palermo Shooting". A new inside view at life and death via the main character, a photographer.



The Critics Award went to the Hungarian film "Delta" by Kornel Mundruczo (Hungria) and the Audience Award to "The Wrestler" by Darren Aronofsky (EUA).



Homages were made to the most illustrious visitors who received Career Awards- Wim Wenders, the director of "Wings of Desire" and "The American Friend", Paul Schrader , the writer of "Taxi Driver" who closed the festival with his most recent "Adam Ressurrected", and Portuguese director José Fonseca e Costa who had a full retrospective of his work.

Galicean Cinema and German director Jorg Buttgereit were also distinguished with retrospectives.





To complete , a full programme dedicated to "Architecture and the Cinema" brought to view a group of films from all times that presented the future and their challenges. Celebrated architects Sou Fujimoto (Japan) and Marcos Cruz (United Kingdom) presented their own visionary creations to complete the film programme which was attended by nearly 2,000 people.



The festival closed with the traditional Vampires'Ball, having been attended by nearly 90,000 people.

The festival budget was four million euros.



The 30th edition of THE Oporto International film festival will take place 26th February- 6th March in the world heritage city of the north of portugal.





FANTASPORTO 2009 AWARDS



OFFICIAL FANTASY SECTION



Best Film Award:

IDIOTS AND ANGELS - BILL PLYMPTON (USA)

Special Award of the Jury:

HANSEL & GRETEL - PHIL-SUNG YIM (South Korea)

Best Direction:

EDEN LAKE - JAMES WATKINS (UK)

Best Actor:

JACK O'CONNEL - EDEN LAKE (UK)

Best Actress:

MACARENA GOMÉZ - SEXYKILLER (Spain)

Best Screenplay:

BILL PLYMPTON - IDIOTS AND ANGELS (USA)

Best Cinematography:

JAMES HAWKINSON - THE UNBORN (USA)

Best Fantasy Short:

NEXT FLOOR - DENIS VILENEUVE (CAN)

Special Mention of the Jury:

ASTROPIA - GUNNAR GUDMUNDSSON (ISL/GB/FIN)



19th DIRECTORS ‘ WEEK



Best Film Award Directors Week and MANOEL DE OLIVEIRA AWARD:

MOSCOW, BELGIUM - CHRISTHOPE VAN ROMPAEY (BEL)

Special Prize of the Júri:

PALERMO SHOOTING - WIM WENDERS (GER/FRA/ITA)

Best Director:

BENT HAMER - O'HORTEN (NOR/GER/FRA)

Best Actor:

BRIAN COX - THE ESCAPIST (UK/IRE)

Best Actress:

MAMATHA BHUKYA - VANAJA (IND/EUA)

Best Screenplay:

SERGEY ROKOTOV, YEVGENIY NIKISHOW - THE VANISHED EMPIRE (RUS)



ORIENT EXPRESS COMPETITIVE SECTION



Best Film Award Orient Express:

HANSEL & GRETEL - PHIL-SUNG YIM (South Korea)

Special Jury Award:

THE CHASER - HONG-JIN NA (South Korea)



MÉLIÈS D'ARGENT AWARDS



Méliès D'Argent feature:

ABSURDISTAN - VEIT HELMER (Ger)

Méliès D'Argent Short Film:

MAMÁ - ANDY MUSCHIETTI (Spain)



HOMAGE/

Galician Cinema (Spain)



Critics Award



DELTA- KORNEL MUNDRUCZO (HUNG)



Audience Award



THE WRESTLER- DARREN ARONOFSKY (EUA)



CAREER AWARDS

JOSÉ FONSECA E COSTA

WIM WENDERS

PAUL SCHRADER

Check the Fantasporto online community and dailies