'Close' wins top prize at Hamptons Film Festival in US

Lukas Dhont's film 'Close' won the top prize at the 30th Hamptons Film Festival in the United States last night. This was reported by the Flemish Audiovisual Fund (VAF) on Sunday morning.

By winning the top prize, the Award for Best Narrative Feature, at the Hamptons International Film Festival, 'Close' shows that the US too is falling for Remi and Leo's story, says VAF. This year's jury was chaired by Rajendra Roy, chief curator for film at New York's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) who also sits on the International Film Executive Committee of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), the organisation behind the Oscars.

'Close' has also already won awards at numerous other festivals, including Cannes film festival, where it won the Grand Prix.

"Our team feels incredibly honoured to receive the Hamptons Film Festival's top prize this year," Lukas Dhont explained in a first reaction from the film festival.

'Close' has also already won awards at numerous other festivals, including Cannes film festival, where it won the Grand Prix; Cinefest Mikolc in Hungary; the European Film Festival in Palic, Serbia, with the Audience Award; the Sydney Film Festival with the Best Film Award; Film Fest Hamburg with the Art Cinema Award; and the Norwegian International Film Festival in Haugesund with the Critics Award. In addition, Dhont's film has been nominated for the European University Film Award and has been shortlisted for the European Film Awards.

Lumière will release the film in Belgian cinemas on 2 November.

(BRV)

© PHOTO Valery HACHE / AFP