ROTTERDAM --- Independent productions from the U.K., Kazakhstan and South Korea took the three equally-ranked Tiger Awards in the competitive section open to new filmmakers at the 26th Rotterdam Intl. Film Festival, which wrapped Sunday.
The Tigers are sponsored by Dutch pubcaster VPRO and carry a cash prize of $10,000 each. They went to Patrick Keiller's essay on the state of contemporary Britain, "Robinson in Space"; to Amir Karakulov's "Last Holiday," the tale of three youths involved in a petty theft in pre-perestroika Alma Ata; and to Hong Sang-Soo's debut, "The Day a Pig Fell Into the Well," a Seoul-set slice of life following the emotional and intellectual upheavals of four characters.
Two critical favorites of the competition that were passed over by the Tiger jury instead were singled out for the Fipresci (international critics) prize.
The main nod went to Japanese newcomer Naomi Kawase's rural drama about the slow disintegration of a family, "Suzaku," while a special mention was given to Chinese director Wu Ming's "Frozen," a bold statement about being an artist in an unaccommodating climate.
"Shine" was voted the most popular entry, earning director Scott Hicks the Citroen Audience Award
Contact the Variety newsroom at
news@variety.com