Video of Prize giving ceremony
The film Plan 75 by Japanese director Chie Hayawaka wins the Grand Prix, the Critics’ Choice Award and the Comundo Youth Jury Prize at the 37th FIFF, Fribourg International Film Festival. The event ended this Sunday with a historic attendance record of 45,000 entries will be largely exceeded. This success seems to be born of the association of the Festival with the restaurants of the city and the variation of the culinary theme. The public has appropriated the FIFF like never before. They rediscovered a taste for collective emotion by lining up packed houses, whether for meetings with artists like Fatih Akin or Francine Lecoultre, or in front of productions from Malaysia, Iran, Morocco or even Japan.
Three: that’s the number of awards won by Plan 75, an ode to the life of Japanese director Chie Hayakawa. Set in a futuristic Japan facing an overpopulation of elderly people, this dystopian film imagines a government plan encouraging those over 75 to choose euthanasia. This masterpiece dissecting “the radical consequences of a cold and cynical society”, in the words of the jury, was crowned with the prestigious Grand Prix, the Critics’ Choice Award and the Comundo Youth Jury. The powerful Iranian film World War III, directed by Houman Seyedi, was also awarded twice with the Special Prize from the International Jury and a special mention from the Comundo Youth Jury.
The highly coveted Audience Award, as well as the Ecumenical Jury Prize, went to the Malaysian film Abang Adik by Jin Ong, a poignant portrait of the relationship between two clandestine brothers and “a plea for justice, solidarity and human dignity .”
As for short films, it was the Iranian film Split Ends by Alireza Kazemipour that won over the jury
for his ability to “talk about serious things with disconcerting humor and subtle intelligence”. The Prix Réseau Cinéma CH, awarded by a jury from Swiss film schools, went to the Franco-Moroccan production Sur la tombe de mon père by director Jawahine Zentar. The Röstigraben Prize went to Anaïs Bourgogne from the Hochschule Luzern (HSLU) for her short film Dazwischen. Finally, the Foreign Visa Prize jury – bringing together four members of the Moldovan delegation invited to represent the New Territory: Republic of Moldova section – chose the short film Motër (Sister) by Dorentina Imeri.
The culinary cinema honored this year tinged the entire edition with a very special conviviality, in particular by inviting the public to cinema-culinary experiences and daily gourmet moments. “2023 will have been the year of reunion,” rejoices Mathieu Fleury, president of the FIFF Association. “The public responded enthusiastically to the invitation. This enabled the Festival to record a historic attendance record, by far exceeding 45,000 admissions – a few thousand more than last year.
But what is the recipe for this success? “Day after day, I asked the spectators the reasons for their loyalty”, is moved Thierry Jobin, artistic director of the Festival. “Some people told me that the culinary theme was particularly appealing; others cited the post-pandemic buzz. But the majority answered me that the sense of hospitality of the Festival and its warm team were the main ingredients of this feat renewed from year to year: to make everyone feel at home in Fribourg. He adds: “And to top it off, we have seen the same movement of recognition from sponsors and partners who, in large numbers, want to be associated with the new image of FIFF.”
