Bratislava festival lauds 'Mountain'

Li Yang's thriller wins best film trophy

By WILL TIZARD

PRAGUE -- Slovaks toasted a socially conscious German-Hong Kong-Chinese thriller at the Bratislava fest Friday, naming "Blind Mountain" best film and commending helmer Li Yang's "masterful" depiction of deception aimed at women.

Kudos wrapped a week of 196 films from 36 countries in the Slovak capital, marking the country's film event of the year. Estonian helmer Veiko Ounpuu scored director honors with quirky ensemble piece "Autumn Ball," while Julia Kolbeck won actress for the Danish domestic drama "The Art of Crying," helmed by Peter Schonau Fog.

Sam Riley took home actor kudo for Brit pic "Control," while jurors gave discretionary honors to Israeli-French pic "Jellyfish," Etgar Keret and Shira Geffen's "poetic" and affecting tapestry of short stories.

Artistic excellence prize went to Austrian helmer Ulrich Seidl, who presented newly released "Import Export," topping a retrospective of 15 films. Andrzej Jakimowski's "Tricks," a tale of small-town love charms in Poland, scored Fipresci kudo, while aud prize went to Slovak laffer "Halflife" by Vlado Fischer.