But that's a song oft heard when it comes to festivals, might as well not dwell on it.
Some short thoughts on the awards that were given this Saturday night during a ceremony whose main guests were actor John Cleese (in town for the closing night film, Shrek 2) and director Roman Polanski (who starts shooting Oliver Twist this Monday at Prague's Barrandov Studios)
Most of those that followed the competition were pretty happy about the awards (see box)- with one minor quibble. Although one cannot fault Karen-Lise Mynster's performance in Paprika Steen's Aftermath (Denmark), her character was far from being the lead, and therefore, it should not have been put in the same category as that of Marta Larralde in León y Olvido. One wishes the main jury had managed to create a Best Supporting Performance special award.
That said, there is no doubt A Children's Story (the Crystal Globe Grand Prix) and Leon and Olvido (Best Director and Best Actress) will have a stronger impact than one suspects on their potential audiences, although neither will be an easy sell. There is also no doubt that Napola's young lead, Max Reimelt (Best Actor) is destined to have a brilliant career - unless Hollywood chews him up (yes, his English is that good) and turns him into the next Heath Ledger (yes, he is that good-looking).
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