TAIPEI – “Cold Showers rained on the eighth Taipei Film Festival as French director Antony Cordier’s dramatic triptyph of a pic took top prize Saturday in fest’s Intl. New Talent Competition.
Cordier bagged the Golden Butterfly trophy and $30,000 in prize money.
Competish, only in its second year, is open to tyro and sophomore productions from filmmakers of any nationality. Fest considered 118 pics before shortlisting 12.
Final five-member jury included helmers Hou Hsiao-hsien, who served as jury head, Jean-Marc Vallee, Laurent Cantet, Zhang Yuan and Pang Ho-cheung. All but Hou also had films screening out of competition at the event.
A special jury prize went to Flemish writer-director Fien Troch’s “Someone Else’s Happiness,” a smalltown drama that explores the ways in which a woman’s life changes after she discovers a dead body.
Absurd physical comedy “The Iceberg” nabbed the audience choice award. Co-directors and stars Dominique Abel and Fiona Gordon got the biggest laugh at the brief ceremony when Gordon noted, “We had more people in the two screenings here than a whole month in Belgium.”
With perfect timing, Gordon looked at the audience, paused a beat, and asked, “Would you like to come home with us?”
The Taipei Film Festival will hand out the Taipei Grand Award for a local pic near fest’s end on July 9. According to organizers, B.O. so far has topped $240,000, making it the most successful year, revenue-wise, in event’s brief history.
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