Press release from The Lantern Group
Sydney Film Festival Jury President, Jan Chapman today announced Heartbeats as the winner of the 2010 Sydney Film Prize at the State Theatre during the closing gala of the Festival.
“The Sydney Film Prize is awarded to Heartbeats directed by Xavier Dolan.
With a witty and insightful script and strikingly playful use of cinematic language, the jury found Heartbeats to be a boldly truthful and compassionate observation of one of the great crippling foibles of human nature – the hopeless crush.”
“The jury would also like to give honourable mentions to two films which in very different ways embody the spirit of this competition – courageous, audacious and cutting-edge – and they are How I Ended This Summer and Wasted on the Young”, said Jury President, Jan Chapman
Screening direct from Un Certain Regard at the 63rd Cannes Film Festival and making its Australian premiere at the festival, Heartbeats is directed and written by French-Canadian Xavier Dolan, produced by Xavier Dolan, Daniel Morin and Carole Mondello.
Heartbeats is Xavier Dolan’s second film and playfully explores themes of wilful delusion, rejection and the politics of the competitive and unrequited crush. Francis (played by the filmmaker himself) and Marie (Monia Chokri) are a couple of drop-dead gorgeous twenty-something hipsters whose friendship is rocked when they both fall for Nicolas (Niels Schneider).
“In its third year the Official Competition has further elevated the profile of bold, risk-taking filmmaking and the festival is very grateful to the jury for their dynamism and care in determining the winner of the prize this year”, said Festival Director Clare Stewart tonight.
Australian Producer (Jury President) Jan Chapman, Hong Kong Director Yonfan, Australian Director Shirley Barrett, Sundance Film Festival Director John Cooper and British Director Lucy Walker were the members of the Jury for the $AUD60,000 2010 Sydney Film Prize.
“The Sydney Film Prize, which is sponsored by Events NSW, raises the bar by placing this festival at the international forefront. It celebrates excellence and I congratulate the winners and the jury for their outstanding work”, said The Hon. Virginia Judge MP, Minister for the Arts.
The 12 Official Competition films are:
• Four Lions, Dir Christopher Morris – Australian Premiere
• Heartbeats, Dir-Scr Xavier Dolan – Australian Premiere / Un Certain Regard, Cannes 2010
• How I Ended This Summer, Dir-Scr Alexej Popogrebski – Australian Premiere / Winner Best Actor(shared) Outstanding Artistic Achievement (camera), Berlin Film Festival 2010
• If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle, Dir Florin Serban – Australian Premiere / Winner Grand Jury Prize,Berlin Film Festival 2010
• The Killer Inside Me, Dir Michael Winterbottom – Australian Premiere
• Life During Wartime, Dir-Scr Todd Solondz – Australian Premiere / Winner, Best Screenplay,Venice 2009
• Lola, Dir Brillante Mendoza – Australian Premiere / Winner Best Film Dubai and Miami International Film Festivals
• Moloch Tropical, Dir- Prod Raoul Peck – Australian Premiere
• The Tree, Dir-Scr Julie Bertucelli – Australian Premiere / Closing Night Film, Cannes 2010
• Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, Dir-Scr Apichatpong Weerasethakul – AustralianPremiere / Official Competition, Cannes 2010
• Wasted on the Young, Dir-Scr Ben C. Lucas – World Premiere
• Women Without Men, Dir Shirin Neshat, Shoja Azari – Australian Premiere / Winner, Best Director,Venice 2009