ALLELUIA wins 2014 Méliès d’OR Award

The 2014 Méliès d’Or Award – for Best European fantastic feature film went to ALLELUIA by Fabrice du Welz. The award was handed out at the Méliès d’Or award ceremony during the opening of the 47th Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia in Spain on the evening of October 3rd 2014.

Previous winners include among others; Vanishing Waves by Kristina Buozyte (Lithuania), Let The Right One In/Låt den Rätte Komma In by Tomas Alfredson (Sweden), Martyrs by Pascal Laugier, The Day of the Beast/El Dia de la Bestia by Alex de la Igelsias (Spain), The Nameless/Los sin Nombre by Juame Balagueró (Spain), Possessed/Besat by Anders Rönnow-Klarlund (Denmark), The Green Butchers/De Grönne Slagtere by Anders Thomas Jensen (Denmark), Princess by Anders Morgenthaler (Denmark), Adam’s Apples/Adams Aebler by Anders Thomas Jensen (Denmark) as well as Code 46 by Michael Winterbottom (UK). 

The jury was comprised of: Pablo Guisa Koestinger (Festival Director – Morbido), Maria Reinup (Festival Director – Haapsalu Horror Film Festival) and Carlee Baker (Actress)

In existence since 1996, the Méliès d’Or Award is a unique competition: it is the only film competition organised between collaborating film festivals in Europe. The competition is open to both feature and short films. 

The Méliès d’Or Competition for features is organised by all the affiliated members of the Federation. Each competition cycle takes approximately one year and is organised in two stages. In the first stage, each participating festival organises a competition during its event, at the end of which a European film is awarded with a Méliès d’Argent. This film is automatically nominated to take part in the Méliès d’Or Competition. Once all the affiliated members have awarded their own Méliès d’Argent, a federation festival is appointed to host the Méliès d’Or Award Ceremony, at present Sitges.

More than 50 feature films were in the selections for the Méliès d’Argent awards at our festivals. Out of those 50 films, seven films are left standing as the Méliès d’Argent winners, which went on to compete for the 2014 Méliès d’Or – Best European Fantastic feature Film. The 2014 Méliès d’Or cycle started in Sitges 2013.

The competing feature film Méliès d’Argent films were:

LET US PREY (Brian O’Malley, United Kingdom)
Méliès d’Argent winner at Brussels Intl. Fantastic Film Festival (Belgium)

THE STRANGE COLOR OF YOUR BODY’S TEARS (Hélène Cattet, Bruno Forzani, France/Belgium) 
Méliès d’Argent winner at Trieste – Scienceplusfiction (Italy)

CANNIBAL (Manuel Martin Cuenca, Spain/Romania)
Méliès d’Argent winner at Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival (France)

BLIND (Eskil Vogt, Norway)
Méliès d’Argent winner at Neuchâtel Intl. Fantastic Film Festival (Switzerland)

DER SAMURAI (Till Kleinert, Germany)
Méliès d’Argent winner at Imagine: Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival (The Netherlands)

ENEMY (Denis Villeneuve, Spain)
Méliès d’Argent winner at Sitges Intl. Film Festival of Catalonia (Spain)

ALLELUIA (Fabrice du Welz, Belgium/France)
Méliès d’Argent winner at Lund Intl. Fantastic Film Festival (Sweden)

The Short Film Méliès d’Or 2014 – Best European Fantastic Short Film was awarded to:

THE BODY (Paul Davis, United Kingdom) 
Short film d’Argent winner at Sitges Intl. Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia (Spain)

With the organisation of a Méliès d’Or competition, the European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation intends to highlight the quality and originality of European genre cinema and to guide, promote and support the production of genre film in Europe and the world.

The European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation also sees itself as a solid network of festivals, facilitating the circulation of films and information between its members. Today counting 22 film festivals from 14 countries, including supporting members in Asia (PiFan) and North America (Fantasia, ScreamFest & Fantastic Fest), each one functioning as a national antenna to promote European genre film, the Federation aims to become an important, even essential, pole in the cultural and economic circuit of European fantastic cinema. 

For a list of all the competing short films visit: 
http://www.melies.org/mlis-competition/short-film-mlis-dargent

For a list of all the competing feature films visit:
http://www.melies.org/mlis-competition/feature-film-mlis-dargent-winners

For general information on the European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation and the Méliès d’Or visit:
http://www.melies.org

Official website of Alleluia: 
http://alleluia-lefilm.com